Huge Cadillac Lyriq EV display revealed - plus a design Easter Egg
Cadillac's upcoming Lyriq electric crossover may not have a gas engine like the new Escalade, but it will have an even more impressive display to dominate the EV's dashboard. Expected to make its public debut on August 6, after Caddy was forced to push back the big reveal, the Lyriq will be the first of General Motors' new breed of all-electric vehicles.
That means, unsurprisingly, that the SUV needs to land with a splash. Not only is GM playing catch-up when it comes to luxury electric models – as well as Tesla's Model X there's also Audi's e-tron SUV and Jaguar's I-PACE, among others, already on the market – the Lyriq also has to hold its own against the 2021 Escalade.
Considering that luxe-truck has long been Cadillac's best-seller, that's no small order. Unveiled earlier this year, the new Escalade will feature a huge curved OLED screen – or, in reality, three screen panels – amounting to 38-inches of dashboard-spanning interface. Combining touch and non-touch sections, it's giving Cadillac the opportunity to completely rethink its infotainment UI.
For the Lyriq, though, it'll arguably be even more dramatic. The EV will use a single piece of 33-inch curved glass, senior UI design manager Bill Thompson confirmed to Electrek, which will encompass the driver's key gauges as well as secondary controls and more. 5-inches in height, it'll flow from the left of the steering wheel all the way to the center console.
Right in front of the driver, for example, the Lyriq will show key details like speed, range, and upcoming directions. It'll also include information from the driver-assistance systems – the Lyriq will support Cadillac Super Cruise, for example – with graphics to show the EV's position on the road and surrounding traffic.
To the left of that display, there'll be a separate control section. In the graphic released by Cadillac, that's being used to add a charging location stop to the current directions. However if the Escalade's interface is anything to go by, it could also be used to display trip information, switch between layouts in the primary driver display – such as an augmented reality camera or a map – or control the head-up display.
On the right, meanwhile, there's the section dedicated to the regular infotainment interface. That will be where navigation instructions are given, as well as points-of-interests that can be browsed. According to Thompson, there'll be both touch support for the outer panels, and a rotary controller.
The expectation is that this same sort of technology will be filtered out to other Cadillac EVs, and indeed to other electric vehicles across GM's various brands. The automaker detailed that roadmap last week, including confirming two variations on the GMC Hummer EV, a full-sized all-electric Chevrolet pickup, and two new Buick EVs. Cadillac will also have its Celestiq Statement Vehicle, a hand-assembled flagship.
Interestingly, this is also the first time we've seen the rear design of the Lyriq, which so far Cadillac has only shown from the front and front-three-quarter views. It features a more dramatic light signature than the company's current range, with a kink introduced in the upright light bars flanking the rear glass, and a central, horizontal light bar into which they extend.