Cadillac announced late last year that it would revert back to real model names and slowly phase out the current alphanumeric nomenclature over the next little while. The first vehicle to arrive under this new naming convention will be the Cadillac Lyriq EV. Lyriq is a brand new name for Cadillac, so many fans may be wondering how General Motors came up with it and what its origins are.We were also wondering what was behind the Cadillac Lyriq nameplate, so we asked Cadillac’s head of global brand strategy, Phil Dauchy, to shed some light on the matter. Dauchy told GM Authority executive editor, Alex Luft, that the Lyriq name is part of a new Cadillac naming structure that will see all vehicle names end in “iq.” These “iq” names will replace the CT# and XT# nomenclature used on current cars and crossovers powered by internal combustion engines and are intended to signal a change of course at Cadillac – that being from ICE to EV.

Dauchy also said the new nomenclature “signals that Cadillac is bringing a different type of vehicle to market, one that works in concert with man, nature, and machine.”

As for how Cadillac came up with Lyriq specifically, Dauchy explained that the name is a nod to the fact that Cadillac is the most mentioned brand in songs. No other brand (not just automotive brands) is mentioned in more songs than Cadillac.

Additionally, the “iq” suffix names provide a sort of alteration of sorts for Cadillac brand cars. With Cadillac and the model name both ending in an “ick” sound, these names roll off the tongue quite well. Take the Cadillac Celestiqnameplate, for example, the smooth-flowing name assigned to the automaker’s upcoming flagship luxury sedan. Speaking of the Celestiq, Dauchy promises fans will be wowed by what the hand-built electric full-size sedan has to offer when it finally debuts.

“When you see [the Cadillac Celestiq], its size, presence and scale all connote the emotion associated with the name,” Dauchy explained.

The Cadillac Lyriq, which will be the first fully electric Cadillac production vehicle, was originally scheduled to make its debut in April. The vehicle will now make its debut in concept form during a virtual event, online set for August 6th, 2020 at 7 PM EST.

GM Authority found a General Motors trademark filing with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property for the phrase "Cadillac Symboliq" and the name "Symboliq." The documents submitted on July 22 were for the category of "Motorized land vehicles, namely automobiles.” It appears the Swiss action was GM following up on what it had done the day before in the U.S. On July 21, GM filed paperwork with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to secure three words and three phrases: Symboliq and Cadillac Symboliq, Optiq and Cadillac Optiq, and Celestiq and Cadillac Celestiq.

Every name is listed for application to "Motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles." Cadillac recently explained its switch to model names that end in "iq," pronounced "ick," and the fact that the Celestiq name is among the recent trio leads us to believe the automaker has strong intent to use the other two on future products.

We know the Celestiq — a large, hand-built, flagship sedan that will follow the Lyriq to market, predicted to retail for close to $200,000 whenever it goes on sale. We also know Cadillac has three more battery-electric products in the works after the XT5-sized Lyriq and "massive" Celestiq. As laid out in a 2019 GM Sustainability Report pitching 20 new electric vehicles across all brands by 2023, from Cadillac we're anticipating an XT4-sized crossover, an XT6-sized three-row crossover, and an electric take on the Escalade. Two of those three could get the Symboliq and Optiq names.

The lineup, and more important, Cadillac's vision, will make more sense on August 6 when we finally get to see the Lyriq concept, with its single pane of 33-inch glass forming the instrument and infotainment display across the dash, tall taillights, and 22-inch wheels.

As with most show cars, the Lyriq's design will change between today's unveiling and when it goes into production sometime in late 2022. As for why its production date is two years away still, "It's about a lot more than the product—it begins there, of course, which is where we are beginning," Carlisle said. "We anticipate a range of conditions necessary to promote the adoption of EVs, including preparing our dealer network, expanding the charging infrastructure, and growing customer acceptance. We're not going for a sugar high."