Cadillac rolls out the brand's models in four plants across the US and sells them through a network of approximately 7,000 dealers. But how are these cars built before they get into the hands of their owners?
One of the latest models in the Cadillac lineup, the Lyriq, has been in production at Spring Hill, Tennessee, since May 2022. The model is also built in Shanghai, China, exclusively for the local market. The mid-size electric crossover rides on the GM's BEV3 architecture, which it shares with models such as the Cadillac Celestiq and Optiq, or the Buick Electra and the Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox.
The auto giant also sells the model in Europe and Australia. Only 122 Lyriqs were delivered to customers in the US in 2022, but the model picked up pace in 2023 and finished the year with over 9,000 units delivered. In 2024, over 13,000 have already ordered an example. Last year, Cadillac sold around 147,000 cars.
In January 2019, GM announced a $2 billion investment into the production center. It invested $2 billion more in October 2020 in order to convert the facility so that it could build electric vehicles.
Cadillac also builds the XT5 and XT6 crossovers in Spring Hills. The Acura ZDX has also been built there since March 2024. Around 30,000 vehicles are produced there every day.
Photo: USA Production lines | YouTube
The facility, which is currently GM's largest, has been in operation since 1990. Approximately 3,200 employees work there, assisted by thousands of robots. They make sure that everything fits properly before the white body goes into the paint room.
The manufacturing process also involves the wind tunnel, making sure that the shape of the car gives a helping hand to the range. The Lyriq is equipped with a 102-kWh battery pack, which stores enough energy for an EPA-rated range of up to 307 miles (505 kilometers) for the rear-wheel-drive version.
The cars are not to leave the factory before they go through quality control in the LED-illuminated tunnels. They must also undergo a 12-minute track test where their handling characteristics are tested.
Cadillac also builds cars at its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, also known as Factory Zero or GM Poletown, which GM has owned since 1981, when it purchased the factory for one dollar.
The production facility is located just three miles from GM's Corporate headquarters. The CT6 and the Cadillac Escalade IQ see the light of day there, as well as the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMCHummer EV, and GMC Sierra EV.
That is where cars are welded together in a fully automated procedure, using robots only. The rest of the tasks are carried out by the 900 employees of the facility. Next year, GM will also start rolling out the manufacturing of the Cruise Origin, a Level 4-5 driverless car, intended for ride-hailing service.
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