Cadillac’s efforts to make electric cars work are surprising to see. The American luxury brand was on track to meet its 2030 goal of being 100% electric. The Escalade IQ was on the way, the Celestiq, a competitor to Rolls-Royce, was picking up speed, and the Lyriq SUV was selling better than expected. Cadillac has backed away from its goal of making all of its cars electric by the end of this decade, so it might decide it doesn’t want to. According to Automotive News, John Roth, Cadillac’s vice president, stated, “We will be offering an all-electric portfolio, and we will let the customer be our guide.” This customer-centric approach, announced before the end of the decade, means that Cadillac will cater to both all-electric and piston-engine car preferences. This marks a significant departure from Cadillac’s previous stance. Rory Harvey, Cadillac’s vice president of foreign operations, said in 2021 that the company would switch to electric cars by 2030. “We will no longer sell ICE vehicles by 2030 since we will leave this decade as an EV brand.” Cadillac isn’t the only brand that’s not sure about electric cars. Mercedes has also changed its mind about its hard EV switchover goal for 2030, and BMW has said that it will keep selling gas-powered cars for a while longer. Roth thinks that the brand’s future depends on how ready the market and customers are. “This idea of having the luxury of choice in our portfolio is a competitive strength,” he said. But a lot of people are picking EVs. The Cadillac Lyriq is selling surprisingly well, considering how new it is to the market and how tough the competition is. Not only did it sell a lot more in Q1 2024 than it did in Q4 2023, but it also sold more than all of BMW’s, Mercedes’, and Audi’s electric cars this year. I want Cadillac to stay in its lane, especially since the Lyriq did so well as an electric vehicle, but I’m willing to see more specialized gas-powered cars. Speaking of which, I won’t be complaining anymore if Cadillac keeps selling cars like the CT5-V Blackwing, even though most of its cars are electric.
