Cadillac Starts Taking Orders for the Lyriq This May

• Cadillac's battery-electric Lyriq opens its order books this May, with production starting this month.

• Cadillac reduced its dealer network but is expanding online ordering with hopes of enticing customers through transparency.

• Cadillac claims over 230,000 people have signed up for information about the Lyriq ahead of its release.

Cadillac is a long way from the days of massive fins and domestic dominance in the luxury car market. While General Motors' luxury brand has been trying to claw its way back to the top and is targeting the performance side of the luxury world, it’s hard to say Cadillac made leaps over the last few years.

That might change with the company’s expansion into electrification and the launch of its new all-electric Lyriq.

It’s impossible to say how much demand there is for Cadillac’s upcoming EV before the money starts to change hands and contracts get signed. Well, that is apparently happening on May 19 as Caddy’s Lyriq becomes available for order. The single-motor Lyriq variant goes into production on March 21 at GM's plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The Lyriq also will be assembled at GM's SAIC joint-venture plant in Yantai, China.

Cadillac says the car has over 230,000 hand raisers ahead of its launch. Hand raisers aren’t necessarily people who will buy the car but are individuals who have signed up through a dealer or online portal to receive updates. Although these numbers are financially fruitless, they do show significant interest in Cadillac’s upcoming battery-electric crossover.