Another Luxury Brand is Wavering on Its Ambitious EV Goals

Luxury brand from General Motors Cadillac There may not be a purely electric offering until 2030.

“We want to be clear that electric vehicles and internal combustion engines will continue to coexist for several years,” Cadillac global vice president John Roth said last week in a statement reported by Detroit Free Press.

“We want to ensure we have that luxury of choice in the market and both have the ability to meet customer needs going forward.”

“We always listen to the customer. Our strategy remains to offer an all-electric vehicle portfolio by the end of the decade and we will listen to and be guided by customers. This is our answer.”

Cadillac communications director Mike Albano further clarified that the brand’s previous commitments to offer only electric vehicles by 2030 were “a mission statement, so to speak.”

“The fact that we updated our ICE portfolio should show you that we knew the transition would be slow and that the transition would be customer-driven,” he said.

The comments from Mr. Roth and Mr. Albano suggest that internal combustion engine Cadillacs could survive beyond 2030, the previously announced deadline for internal combustion engine vehicles in its lineup, based on consumer demand.

“As things stand, we will exit this decade as an electric vehicle brand, which means we will no longer be selling internal combustion engine vehicles by 2030,” Roth’s predecessor Rory Harvey said in a statement back in 2021 Automotive News.

Even if Cadillac delays the transition, it shouldn’t affect its plans for a full lineup of electric SUVs.

The brand already offers the Lyriq, which serves as an electric counterpart to its gasoline-powered XT5, but on a different, dedicated electric platform.

The company has also introduced electric alternatives to its other North American SUVs – XT4, XT6 and Escalade – with the new Optiq, Vistiq and Escalade iQ.

However, only one electric car was introduced, and that was the ultra-luxury flagship Celestiq. That leaves the CT4, CT5 and China-exclusive CT6 sedans without electric counterparts for now, although previous reports suggested electric sedans were coming to market.

Cadillac management’s comments this month come at a time when luxury brands are having to adjust their ambitious electric vehicle targets as demand slows.

Mercedes-Benz recently pushed back its goal of 50 percent electric sales from 2025 to 2030. Bentley pushed back the end of ICE sales from 2030 to 2033, although it blamed technical problems rather than demand.

Aston Martin has also delayed the launch of its first electric vehicle and committed to selling internal combustion engine vehicles well into the 2030s while also launching plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

It’s unclear whether Cadillac will introduce PHEVs as a transition technology. Parent company General Motors confirmed this year that it would introduce PHEV versions of “select” models next year, but gave no details.

“I want to be clear: GM remains committed to eliminating exhaust emissions from our light-duty vehicles by 2035, but in the meantime, the use of plug-in technology in strategic segments will bring the country some of the environmental or environmental benefits of electric vehicles. “continues to expand this charging infrastructure,” GM CEO Mary Barra said in an investor call.

“We are planning product launches to ensure compliance with proposed stricter fuel economy and emissions standards.

“And we plan to implement the program in a capital and cost efficient manner as the technology is already in production in other markets.”

Cadillac already offered PHEVs in the short-lived ELR coupe and CT6 sedan, but no longer offers them – even in China, considered the brand’s largest market.

While petrol-powered Cadillacs may be around for a while, the brand confirmed earlier this year that it would launch in Australia as an all-electric brand.

“There is no change here from a product portfolio perspective,” said Jess Bala, managing director of GM Australia and New Zealand CarExpert.

“Even though we hear reports that demand for electric vehicles in the U.S. is slowing, that doesn’t change our plans at all.”

Cadillac is set to launch in Australia later in 2024, initially launching with the Lyriq crossover. It is said that announcements on additional models will be made towards the end of the year or early next year.

“We want to get [the] Lyriq comes out and does a great job [the] Lyriq first too,” Ms Bala said.

“Of course we want to give this incredible car time, but we also want to give everyone confidence that this is not just one entry, but that we will have more fantastic cars to come.”

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