The Name Game: Cadillac's Future EVs Ditch Alphanumerics in a Questionable Way, but at Least There's an Actual Flagship

Yesterday was EV Day at General Motors, with the automaker revealing a $20 billion roadmap to electric vehicle dominance. By 2025, a slew of EVs riding atop a new modular platform (and powered by an innovative new battery) will find a home in every GM brand, segment, and price point, the automaker claims.

Some of those vehicles already have names. Perhaps we were too quick to call for the return of traditional naming conventions at Cadillac.

Caddy’s bid to out-European the Europeans by ditching boring old words led to the creation of dissimilar models with similar monikers. XT4 and CT4, XT5 and CT5, XT6 and CT6. It was all too much. The names lacked both recognition and presence.

In yesterday’s presentation, GM announced that Caddy’s first emissions-free vehicle will carry the Lyriq name. The sharp-edged crossover appears next month, with launch details to follow.

Lyriq. Hands up if this name, as well as its spelling, rubs you the wrong way. Frankly, the same can be said for the wording of this tweet:

Building on more than a century of innovation, the journey begins April 2nd and it’s electrifying – introducing the first-ever Cadillac Lyriq pic.twitter.com/v0YcfPKCoI

— Cadillac (@Cadillac) March 4, 2020

But there’s more!

As reported by Car and Driver, GM had a second tidbit waiting for journos at the Warren, Michigan presser. It seems the demise of the flagship CT6 sedan will not spell the end of big Cadillac passenger cars, as there’s a range-topping EV model on the way. Its name? Celestiq.

The four-passenger fastback model will be hand-built near Detroit, arriving sometime after the release of the Lyriq. GM President Mark Reuss remarked on Cadillac’s need for a glitzy halo, saying, “Do you think the Cadillac brand is in good shape? It’s not.”

Lyriq and Celestiq. It’s quite possible you’ve got an opinion on these monikers, so feel free to air them in the comments section.

As for future Cadillac product, it doesn’t end here. A large, Escalade-sized electric SUV is said to be on the way, arriving near the middle of the decade. This vehicle will carry the same platform and enormous battery pack (up to 200 kWh) used by the upcoming GMC Hummer EV pickup. One has to wonder about its name.

[Images: General Motors]