The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq is the first all-electric SUV by Cadillac and the first electric SUV General Motors has debuted for the U.S. market. It debuts with two rows of seating, over 300 miles of range, and a fresh face for the brand.

“Led by Lyriq, Cadillac will redefine American luxury over the next decade with a new portfolio of transformative EVs,” said Steve Carlisle, executive vice president and president, GM North America. “We will deliver experiences that engage the senses, anticipate desires and enable our customers to go on extraordinary journeys.”

The Lyriq’s rear illumination is part of a larger synced choreography of lights.Photo courtesy of Cadillac

Cadillac says that the Lyriq name originated from the term “IQ” meaning intelligence quotient, which gives the appearance that something is smart as well Cadillac’s long history of being named in music. Their marketing team says that no other vehicle brand name is mentioned more.

The body is rather status quo for a two-row SUV in shape, but not style. Up front, the grille is completely unlike anything else on the market. It has depth and width. A newfangled lighting design illuminates to form a smile when the driver approaches the car. A new take on the Cadillac shield illuminates first then the LEDs flow outward to the headlamps and all the way around to the rear

The Lyriq is equally as unique out back where it looks like it took a bit of design inspiration from the Chevrolet Malibu Max, but with a high-energy, Cadillac design language infusion.

GM showed the model with a two-tone paint scheme – black roof and white body.

Cadillac will build the Lyriq on its next-generation flexible architecture, which was designed specifically for electrified vehicles. The Ultium battery system delivers approximately 100 kilowatt-hours of power thanks to its nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum chemistry. The battery is seated underneath the body of the vehicle, lying flat under the floor of the SUV.

Users can charge the vehicle using Level 1, Level 2 (up to 19 kilowatts), and DC Fast chargers. GM hasn’t disclosed how long the Lyriq will take to charge.

Cadillac will offer the model with rear-wheel drive and performance all-wheel drive – buyer’s choice.

GM has designed the car to have 50-50 weight distribution and the location of the battery, along with the design of the new architecture allow for the car to deliver a rigid ride experience, making it less susceptible to passing on the road’s imperfections to the model’s passengers.

The Lyriq will come with Super Cruise, the General Motors hands-free driving system that allows for 200,000 miles of hands-free highway driving and automated lane change.

Additional technologies include a dual-pane augmented reality-enhanced head-up display and remote self-parking. The dual-pane system displays traditional speed information up close then, further in the distance overlays for directions and important warnings are displayed. Supervised remote parking uses ultrasonic sensors to help the Lyriq park itself in parallel or perpendicular parking spaces — whether the driver is inside or outside of the vehicle.

It appears that the two-row SUV has only four seats.Photo courtesy of Cadillac

Cadillac says that the Lyriq will offer “a new interpretation of passenger space”. From photos it looks like the model is a four-passenger SUV with a large open space in the second row between two captains chairs.

A 33-inch advanced LED joint driver information center and infotainment display takes center stage on the interior. This is similar to the 38-inch version that is in the 2021 Cadillac Escalade. This new display has the highest pixel density available in the automotive industry today and can display over one billion colors, 64 times more than any other vehicle in the automotive industry, providing a stunning in-vehicle experience unlike anything seen before from Cadillac.

The driver’s information side of the screen displays safety technology information on it including nighttime animal detection courtesy of camera functionality that brightens up the looks of your surroundings compared to what the human eye sees.

The SUV sports a 19-speaker AKG audio system with the ability for the driver to adjust the sound mode (front and rear) depending on their preference between stereo or surround acoustics.

Cadillac has given the Lyriq plenty of piano black touch surfaces.Photo courtesy of Cadillac

Cadillac is employing noise cancelling technology for the first time in the Lyriq. Other automakers have offered similar technology for years.

There’s a few other features that GM didn’t highlight at the Lyriq’s reveal, but showcased in a recent video including automatic climate control, navigation, audio, phone call (likely Bluetooth), and a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hot spot. It looks like the SUV’s screen has pinch-to-zoom functionality. Further, there are doors with a unique inner inlays and a power-adjustable (at least) eight-way driver’s seat.

Don’t fret. There’s plenty of time for Cadillac to reveal even more details. The SUV doesn’t go into production for another few years.