The Cadillac Lyriq has made inroads in the European market, securing the Luxury Car of the Year award in Germany, a noteworthy feat for the American brand.
Cadillac, a luxury car brand with a rich history, has often struggled to gain traction in Europe, where it has been viewed as an outsider. However, the Lyriq’s victory in the 2024 German Car of the Year (GCOTY) awards signals a potential change. The Lyriq, an all-electric vehicle, outperformed the Genesis G90 and Porsche Macan.
This win is especially significant as GCOTY is affiliated with the World Car of the Year award (WCOTY). The Lyriq BEV received acclaim for its design, technology, and commitment to luxury. This is one of several attempts by Cadillac to establish itself within the European luxury auto market. In the past, Cadillac has struggled to compete with well-established brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, and Maserati.
Cadillac has maintained a presence in Europe since 1935. The company’s current European operations, based in Glattpark, were established in 2017 under the direction of General Motors Europe President and Managing Director Pere Brugal. At the award ceremony in Bad Dürkheim, Germany, Brugal declared that, “It has a big meaning for us. We are back in Europe with Cadillac and with full electric drive. The first prize has a special meaning, showing we can bring the best of luxury, that we expect from Cadillac, and technology and then design.”
While the award is likely to provide Cadillac with a slight edge in its efforts to attract European customers, its significance is amplified by the fact that European brands dominated the other GCOTY categories, with only one non-European car achieving a top-three position.
The compact car class (for cars up to €35,000) was won by the Citroen e-C3/C3 model, which offers both internal combustion engine and EV powertrains. China’s MG3 finished second, followed by the Dacia Duster in third.
The Premium award, for cars priced from €35,001 to €70,000, was given to the BMW i5 and 5 Series (available with internal combustion engine, EV, & plug-in hybrid options). The Polestar 4 (controlled by China’s Geely) took second place, with the BMW X1 and iX1 in third.
The Performance car class was led by the Porsche 911 GTS, followed by the Lamborghini Revuelto and the Ferrari Dodici Cilindri.
The New Energy category saw strong performance from the Volkswagen Group, with the Audi Q6 e-tron EV winning the award over the Volkswagen ID.5 and the Porsche Macan.
