Cadillac is entering the luxury electric SUV market with its 2023 Lyriq, falling in line with many auto manufacturers as they strive for a more environmentally sustainable future.
The vehicle features a 340 horsepower engine and a 100 kWh battery capable of driving more than 300 miles on one charge. It will start at $59,900, with pre-orders beginning September 18 and production slated to start during the first quarter of 2022.
"We believe that it's an absolutely stunning vehicle," said Rory Harvey, global head of Cadillac. "I'm sure you'll draw your own conclusions."
Parent company GM has committed to only producing zero-emission cars by 2035. The Lyriq will be produced at a converted plant located in Spring Hill, Tennessee. About $2 billion was invested to update the site, as well as an additional $2.3 billion to create a battery manufacturing facility that should provide an additional 1,500 U.S.-based jobs, Harvey told Cheddar.
"There is no doubt that there is growing momentum and that EVs are the future," he said. "From our perspective, a Cadillac point of view, we will be leading the GM transition, and by 2030 all of our vehicles will be EVs."
There are still some issues the electric vehicle industry must face, including sustainability and humanitarian concerns over mining materials used for batteries. GM and Cadillac have processes in place to ensure that its mining partners are humane and equitable to its workers, Harvey said, and has a new program to recycle 100 percent of rare materials used in the batteries. The Lyriq battery is expected to last at least eight years with regular use.
Another concern is that there are still so few electric charging ports across the country compared to gas stations. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are only 43,900 EV charging stations compared to just north of 150,000 gas stations across the country. But with the Lyriq's extensive charge range and more EV charging stations added to the map each day, Harvey isn't concerned.
"From our research, the average daily commute is 40 miles," he explained. "For somebody that uses it under those conditions, range anxiety shouldn't be an issue."
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
