General Motors has created quite a stir with No Way, Norway, its newly released ad for the Cadillac Lyriq all-electric luxury crossover, due to go on sale in the first quarter of 2022.
A 60-second version of the ad aired during Super Bowl LV, but an extended-length version lasting 90 seconds is available to watch online. In it, actor and comedian Will Ferrell reacts furiously to the news that more electric vehicles are sold per capita in Norway than in the U.S. (which is true, by a factor of 14 to one).
“I won’t stand for it,” he says, before heading toward the northern European nation in a Cadillac Lyriq.
He also persuades fellow actors Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina to join him in a GMC Hummer EV, though by some mischance none of them end up in the country they were aiming for, with Kenan and Awkwafina arriving in Finland while Ferrell showing up in Sweden. Despite this, the video ends with the message, “We’re coming, Norway.”
Reaction to the ad been swift and widespread. In one particularly notable example, Ford of Norway rapidly put together a 23-second video showing a fleet of Mustang Mach-Es delivering pizza to the Norwegian Parliament, emphasizing that Ford is selling electric vehicles in the country right now.
Cadillac XT4 350D
Cadillac is not selling EVs anywhere at present, though the Lyriq is the first of six upcoming Cadillac EVs scheduled to be introduced by the end of 2025. Furthermore, the GM luxury brand has a minimal presence in Europe, with only 20 dealers (less than one per country in the region) and a single model, the Cadillac XT4 350D fitted with the 2.0L I4 LSQ turbodiesel engine developed specifically for the European market. So will GM respond by making the Cadillac Lyriq available in Norway?
“At this time, [Cadillac has] not announced global distribution plans for Lyriq,” Cadillac spokesperson Kate Minter told us.
Be that as it may, a Norwegian presence for the Cadillac Lyriq would make sense.
Largely for tax reasons, EVs are enormously popular in that country, accounting for 54 percent of sales there in 2020. The top selling cars were the Audi e-tron, Tesla Model 3, Volkswagen ID.3 and Nissan Leaf, all of them fully electric.
Of course, Norway has a population slightly lower than that of Minnesota, and only 140,000 new vehicles of any powertrain type were sold there last year. But if the Cadillac Lyriq can be sold there, it can be sold elsewhere in the greater market of Europe, too.
One difficulty is right-hand-drive. GM has yet to announce any plans to offer the Lyriq in RHD, though this affects only the U.K. (and its Crown dependencies), Ireland, Cyprus and Malta. All other markets in the region are left-hand-drive.
But the greater issue is whether sales of the Lyriq, along with other forthcoming electric Cadillac models, can be supported by its currently-tiny dealer network. As first reported by GM Authority, Cadillac European retail network consisted of just 20 retail storefronts and 123 aftersales (service) partners as of the second half of 2020. If Cadillac plans to sell the Lyriq in Europe, that will need to be expanded.
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This post was created in collaboration with our sister publication, Cadillac Society.
Comments
While GM has not announced any plans you will find They will enter most viable global EV markets.
This is how GM plans to get back into Europe as they will be one of the leaders in EV and not just another odd model.
As for RHS. In an electric this is not a major issue. It can easily be adapted much like the 4 wheel steering in the Hummer.
With steer by wire and interiors that can be exchanged easily due to their plug in nature. Making a change like this is not an issue.
Exactly, how GM still has not figure this out and continue to agonize over how the produce RHD vehicles is mind boggling to me. Cars have become computers on wheels ,and planes started using fly-by-wire systems more than half a century ago. So it’s definitely proven technology. Only thing you have to add an extra chip and data link ,you don’t have to change the location of any mechanical part. You can produce both RHD and LHD vehicle on same production line for no extra cost or time, it’s easy-peasy. New electric van startup Canoo is exactly doing this, they create an amazing multipurpose platform. They have videos on YouTube that explain their approach.
Almost no additional cost. any time you add more configurations you add cost.
Whatever Cadillac does in Europe, they will do it half assed and give up after 3 years.
With Brexit GM doesn’t really have to worry about RHD vehicles for the EU market because now they are completely separate markets.
so is gm going to build a plant in norway? or does the “if you sell it here, build it here” mantra only applies to america?
Tesla and Ford are already selling there, why is GM always so slow to market and always talking about blah blah future releases
GM is not slow they are working to get it right before they enter the market vs just trying to rush one car out here and there.
As they say the introduction of the EV models is a marathon not a sprint race.
Ford rushed one model out and even had to have GM involved with it. Tesla will find GM introducing more and better cars in one year vs What they have the entire time they have been around.
For once GM is not just rushing to dump a car on the market before 3verything is right and the market is ready.
On four islands considered to be eurpean one drives on the left:
• Great Britain
• Ireland
• Malta
• Cyprus
They all belonged to the British Empire, but since being islands they hsd no land borders, they did not swicht to RHD.
BTW, I do consider Cyprus to be an Asian country, but the South Cyprus republic is member of the European Union.
Yes, of course. The article has been corrected. Many thanks for your comment.
If Norway is anything like Germany then the Hummer and Cadillac would do horrible in those markets. I’ve been there and the streets are far narrower then what we have in the US. For comparison I had am Audi A6 as rental once and driving it through the towns and villages felt like driving a Suburban or some old like 70’s Cadillac here. I remember coming up to a rode that was one way with cars parked along one side that my nav said I was supposed to take and I just didn’t see how to physically fit the car between the parked cars and the buildings.
I know that many will say people there are better drivers but from what I saw gigantic vehicles just aren’t anyone’s thing over there. I think it’s not just not worth the frustration
meanwhile X7 and GLS sell very well here.
@Kris Haibeck:
I didn’t realize that dimensions for the production Lyriq had been released yet.
I know the Hummer might be a Non-starter in Norway, and maybe the rest of the EU in general. But I doubt the Lyriq is significantly wider than Teslas currently on sale in Norway.