Cadillac has disclosed select specifications of a new Lyriq variant with two driven axles instead of one.
Quoting the manufacturer, Car&Driver reports that the new version of the battery SUV will have one electric motor per axle and around 500 hp (507 PS / 373 kW) in total. This would make it stronger than the Audi e-tron and put it on the same level of performance as the BMW iX.
In addition to this, the source revealed that the car would be able to tow up to 1,588 kg (3,500 pounds).
When the Cadillac Lyriq originally debuted, it was available only as a RWD vehicle with a single motor, 340 PS (335 hp / 250 kW) and 100 kilowatt-hours of power storage for around 500 km (310 miles) of EPA-rated range. Car&Driver believes that the dual-motor modification will preserve the same battery, but offer slightly less range due to higher power consumption.
The regular Audi e-tron packs two motors and 408 PS (402 hp / 300 kW), but there is also an S spec capable of 503 PS (496 hp / 370 kW). The BMW iX xDrive50 is also a two-motor car with 523 PS (516 hp / 385 kW) going to the wheels.
Pre-orders for the Cadillac Lyriq never opened in 2021 as originally intended, but the company promises to launch them on May 19, 2022. In its bare-bones form, the SUV starts from $59,900. The AWD version will only reach production this autumn.