2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V: This Is It

Cadillac's award-winning crossover is about to put the "V" in "EV," and we're all better for it. The performance variant debuts next year.

2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V

Photo by: InsideEVs

Patrick George

By: Patrick George

Oct 29, 2024 at 8:00am ET

Add InsideEVs as a preferred source in Google

Comment

A V-Series performance variant of the Cadillac Lyriq will debut "early next year," General Motors confirmed today.
The V-Series family has delivered some incredible gas-powered performance cars, like the CTS-V and CT5-V Blackwing, and now it enters the electric era.
All other specs, including power, range and pricing, will be revealed at a later date.

I think even the most die-hard electric vehicle fan has to admit that General Motors has put out some truly first-rate gas-powered performance cars over the past decade-and-a-half. The C7 and C8 Corvettes, the last (for now, anyway) Chevy Camaro and the various Cadillac V-Series sedans have taken on the world and often come out on top. But GM has also had a surprisingly strong EV game as of late. I've been wondering when those two trends might converge, and today, we have an answer.

Meet the 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V. Its somewhat awkward name tells you exactly what it is: the award-winning Cadillac Lyriq electric crossover, just with the V-Series treatment for high performance.

2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V

Photo by: InsideEVs

"The 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V, the first electric SUV to earn the V-Series badge, will join the brand portfolio early next year," Cadillac officials said in a news release. "Lyriq-V is a stunning technical achievement, pushing the performance pedigree of the preeminent sub-brand to new heights."

So what else do we know about it? Well, for now, nothing. That's it. Just that and a short teaser video of a Lyriq-V whooshing almost silently across a race track. We can see several exterior tweaks, including a different grille and color-matched wheel arches, and V badges inside and out. And the teaser video clearly shows the driver activating some kind of performance settings with the V button on the steering wheel. Beyond that, we'll have to wait and see what Cadillac is cooking up.

We have some things we can deduce, of course. The normal dual-motor all-wheel-drive Lyriq is no slouch with 500 horsepower and a zero to 60 mph time under five seconds (plus a healthy 307 miles of electric range.) The Lyriq-V could also end up as a Chevrolet Blazer EV SS in a business suit; that crossover will pack 595 horsepower and be capable of zero to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds with its full-blast "Wide Open Watts" mode engaged. But given the lengths Cadillac's V-Series team has gone in the past to make those cars feel special, I don't think the Lyriq-V will be just some reskin of the Chevy.

What do you think?

View

Comments

I'm quite excited to see what GM comes up with here, and even more glad the V-Series will have a future in the electric era. But GM set the bar pretty high with the CTS-V and the like; if the Lyriq-V can live up to that legacy, it's going to be a very interesting machine indeed.

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

More Cadillac Lyriq News

Best Electric Cars For First-Time EV Buyers

General Motors Just Pulled Off A Major Electric Comeback

Tesla Drivers Aren't Happy With GM Owners Learning To Use Superchargers

Best Electric Cars For Commuting

Tesla Superchargers Finally Open To General Motors' EVs

2024 Cadillac Lyriq Review: Caddy's First Luxury EV Is A Winner

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Insideevs.com?

Take our 3 minute survey.

- The InsideEVs team