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Cadillac sells out Lyriq Debut Edition reservations in 10 minutes

Cadillac opened reservations for the 2023 Lyriq Debut Edition electric crossover at 4 p.m. EDT on Saturday afternoon. Anyone could put down a refundable $100 to reserve a buying slot for Cadillac's limited-run first salvo at the brand's all-EV future. At 4:19 p.m., the automaker tweeted that "every Debut Edition has been reserved." According to GM Vice President Rory Harvey, the process took "just over" 10 minutes. First, we'll say "Congratulations!" to Cadillac. Then we'll say: We have no idea what the news means. See, Cadillac has declined to say how many reservations it made available and how many Debut Editions it's building.  We don't know why the crest and wreath brand is being so coy, but we can imagine at least one reason. GM and Cadillac can attract such wild reactions that unless the Lyriq booked an absurdly large number of reservations in an absurdly short time, both brands were going to get flayed by comparisons to other EV makers. Still, since Cadillac's playing the long game with this entire transition to EVs, we wish it had placed its neck gracefully in the guillotine anyway.  The Lyriq Debut Edition that no one can buy anymore unless reservation holders bow out comes with a 100.4-kWh battery pack, a single e-motor on the rear axle putting out 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque for a range claimed to be "more than 300 miles," a glass roof, 19-speaker AKG audio, heated steering wheel, and 20-inch wheels standard, 22-inchers optional. The only two colors available are Satin Steel Metallic and Stellar Black Metallic. Tech features include adaptive cruise control, HD Surround and Vision recorder, rear camera mirror, and, of course, the 33-inch curved display across the instrument panel. First deliveries for the rakish $59,990 CUV are expected in early 2022. The next order slots will open for standard Lyriq trims in summer 2022. Based on Cadillac's Twitter feed, quite a few internet users wanted to reserve Debut Edition cars but were prevented from doing so. If first reports from the early deliveries are positive, Cadillac might hold onto last weekend's demand until next summer. And not only will the brand have a widely available new vehicle then, it will have a new consumer look. Last year, Cadillac told its dealers what they would need to do with their stores to prepare for the EV era, including spending around $200,000 on EV infrastructure and tools.

GM recalls half-million full-size SUVs to address seatbelt issue

GM is recalling its redesigned full-size SUV models to address improperly riveted mounts securing the third-row seatbelts that may fail in the event of an accident. The population includes the 2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, 2021-2022 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, and 2021-2022 model year GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, for a total of 484,155 vehicles. "Operators at the supplier’s manufacturing plant may have not properly followed manufacturing processes and inadvertently missed the rivet forming operation," GM said in its defect report to NHTSA. "In certain of these vehicles, the rivet that retains the buckle to the mounting bracket in the left or right side third-row seatbelt buckle assembly may not have been properly formed during the manufacturing process. If the third-row seatbelt assembly is not properly riveted, it may not properly restrain occupants in a crash, increasing the risk of injury." Fortunately, the fix is relatively simple. GM service technicians will inspect the rivets on the rear seatbelt buckle assemblies and replace the entire unit if the rivets are not to spec. Dealer notifications have already been distributed; owners should receive notice start in September. Related video: Cadillac Chevrolet GM GMC Ownership Safety SUV

GM extending warranties on Cadillac CTS-V and Chevy Camaro ZL1 for supercharger issue

Okay General Motors, we've sat by and watched you recall the compact cars, crossovers and pickup trucks, and aside from reporting on it, we've been fairly quiet. This, though, this will not do. We can almost tolerate the recalls on the bread-and-butter cars, but leave the performance vehicles alone.
According to a report from The Car Connection, GM has discovered a problem with the superchargers of the 6.2-liter V8s found in the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the Cadillac CTS-V. Apparently, the issue rests around the internal bearing shaft grease, which can become contaminated (we aren't sure with what). If left unchecked, it'll first lead to a rattle at idle, which goes away under slight throttle. The real warning stage is when a high-pitched squeal develops, signaling that the bearing shaft has failed. Naturally, severe engine damage is the next step (although it's possible that the engine will also just refuse to turnover, although neither case is desirable).
According to TCC, GM will replace the superchargers on vehicles that have exhibited symptoms of bearing shaft failure free of charge. It will also, allegedly, be extending the warranty on all supercharged ZL1s and CTS-Vs to 10 years or 120,000 miles (whichever comes first), from the date of purchase. Officially, only 2009 to 2013 CTS-Vs and 2012 to 2013 ZL1s are suffering from this issue.