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Cadillac explains origins of Lyriq EV name

We feel for Cadillac, a brand we're inclined to dub the Alex Rodriguez of the automotive world — so much obvious talent, its gifts warped by repeated questionable moves and an inability to conclusively close the deal on The Big Stage. And as with Rodriguez, the expectations are so high at the same time the disappointment is so entrenched that Cadillac gets no benefits of any doubts, the commentariat ruthless with criticism for anything less than an out-of-the-park home run. This latest news, like the Newton-meter torque-based naming scheme initiated earlier this year, likely won't help. GM Authority asked Cadillac about the origin of the Lyriq name for the coming battery-electric crossover. Global head of brand strategy Phil Dauchy explained three threads that went into the new moniker. In no particular order, one thread is that "Cadillac," according to Dauchy, gets more mentions in song lyrics than any other brand, including non-automotive brands. The Music Lyrics Database, while not exhaustive, supports the case: Cadillac has 31 pages of lyric mentions among bands from Rancid to Weird Al Yankovic, beating every other brand we could think of. So ... lyrics into Lyriq. The second thread is rolled up with Cadillac's move to proper names instead of alphanumerics for the sedan and crossover lines, all of those names to end in "iq," as well as the push into electric vehicles. Dauchy told GMA the nomenclature overhaul and the two-letter suffix "[signal] that Cadillac is bringing a different type of vehicle to market, one that works in concert with man, nature, and machine." He's bullish on swaying the public with the product, adding, "When you see [the Cadillac Celestiq], its size, presence and scale all connote the emotion associated with the name." The final thread that went into the Lyriq name the alliteration of brand and model names. As GMA phrased it, perhaps unsettlingly, "With Cadillac and the model name both ending in an 'ick' sound, these names roll off the tongue quite well." This brings up a question raised in a number of comments about the Lyriq, which asks whether the last syllable is pronounced "ick" or "eek." Until now, I've pronounced the coming crossover with an "eek" at the end. "Lyr-eek" strikes me as more luxurious, and "Celest-eek" sounds better to me than "Celest-ick," that latter model being the flagship EV that follows the Lyriq. Of course, it also makes me wonder if I've been pronouncing "Cadillac" correctly.

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Cadillac moving back to Detroit after four years in New York City

After four years in New York City, The Wall Street Journal reports that Cadillac is moving its headquarters back to Detroit. This comes about four months after former head Johan de Nysschen was ousted from the automaker for a variety of reasons, including slumping sales and a product line not in concert with consumer tastes. It's also months after a Cadillac spokesperson told The Detroit Free Press that "It's 100 percent that we're staying [in New York City], that was never a question." Let's be clear about this, the move to New York was not Cadillac's biggest issue. As contributing editor James Riswick reminded us this morning, "the decision to sell three similarly sized large sedans, a variety of obsessive BMW-fighting cars, and only one crossover was not done while they were in New York." That was all planned years ago, before de Nysschen ever joined the company. He may not have righted the ship, but he didn't set it on its course. Note that the XT4, Caddy's second crossover after the SRX-replacing XT5, is just now hitting the market. The move to Manhattan was meant to give Cadillac more autonomy and put its leadership in a place where they could get a sense of what a luxury car buyer wants and needs. Detroit is great, but it can be an echo chamber, especially in a company as large and storied as General Motors. The problem is that Cadillac still relies heavily on Detroit and that poor communication was slowing development, according to the report. Steve Carlisle, a long-time GM employee, took over the brand after de Nysschen was let go. He and more than 100 others work in New York. Related Video: