Cadillac representatives are reportedly approaching Tesla owners in China for free test drives of its new Lyriq all-electric crossover, with a pretty aggressive tactic that brings GM’s EV right in the heart of the Tesla ecosystem – Supercharger stations.
According to a Twitter post by Jay in Shanghai, who published some photos and a video of such an encounter, Cadillac reps were waiting for Tesla owners in a Lyriq that was parked rather awkwardly in the charging station.
Teslarati writes that it reached Cadillac for an explanation, but the American carmaker couldn’t clarify why the Lyriq was at that particular Supercharger station in Shanghai Jinqiao.
The Lyriq is Cadillac’s first mass-produced all-electric vehicle and it looks like the company’s reps are doing everything they can to get new customers. Production of the Lyriq started in March 2022 but during the whole of 2022, Cadillac managed to deliver just 122 units in the United States, while in China deliveries started only in December of last year, with sales just starting to pick up in this part of the world.
By contrast, Tesla sold over 430,000 vehicles in China in 2022, which means General Motors still has a lot of catching up to do if it wants to compete with Tesla in China. Additionally, Tesla has applied massive price cuts, which started an all-out price war between the top brands in China, but so far Cadillac has stayed out of it.
As a reminder, the Cadillac Lyriq was revealed in June 2021 with pre-orders beginning in September and series production kicking off in March 2022. More recently, Cadillac announced the 2024 model year which is available in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions, as well as three trim levels: Tech, Luxury, and Sport.
The base model has a starting price of $59,590 in the United States and comes equipped with a single rear-mounted electric motor and a battery pack that offers an EPA-estimated range of 308 miles.
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