After leaving Chevrolet in 2015 and selling Opel to Stellantis in 2017the presence of General Motors in Europe is, to put it mildly, anecdotal. Currently, the American giant is represented only through its Corvette brands, through the new Stingray, and Cadillac, which still sells the XT4 premium compact SUV, equipped with a diesel engine. Two models that float in fragments. Only 143 Cadillacs and 221 Chevrolets found buyers in the first quarter.

And if the Camaro was once also in the brand’s catalog, it disappeared in the 2022 edition. The new Camaro, as well as the Colorado or Silverado pickups and the large Chevrolet Tahoe or Cadillac Escalade SUVs that can sometimes be found on our roads. are the fruits of private importers. Now General Motors wants to resume operations on the Old Continent. Proof: the group opened a new cutting-edge design center in the UK support this comeback.

All electric range

Thus, General Motors will launch product offensive in Europe, focusing on its 100% electric products. Increasing sales of electric cars is a big challenge for the American manufacturer. One that has long suffered from the high consumption of its large gasoline engines.

According to Automotive News, the source of this informationit will be the first model to cross the Atlantic Cadillac Lyriq SUVA 5-meter luxury crossover, the dimensions of which can be compared with Tesla Model X or BMW iX. However, it has a more streamlined and dynamic style than its two future rivals, offers two or four wheels, 300 or 500 hp. and a range of up to 496 km according to the American EPA certification cycle. Its US price starts at $58,590 (€53,593), but it wouldn’t be surprising if it arrived in Europe for €10,000.

For more affordable models, we’ll have to wait for the Chevrolet Equinox EV or Blazer EV; models that could face the VW ID.4, Tesla Model Y and other Skoda Enyaqs among others. But you will still have to be patient, because their marketing will begin only in the USA. And especially their arrival in Europe has not yet been confirmed.

Norway first

A must for any brand that wants to (re-)enter the electrical market in Europe, The first market of General Motors is Norway. Logic: there, more than 80% of registrations concern 100% electric vehicles. That’s why Norwegians will be able to order a Cadillac Lyriq this fall, quickly joined by their neighbors from other Scandinavian countries, if we’re to believe a source cited by Automotive News.

And in France? At the moment, the information is not filtered. It remains to be seen whether General Motors will rely on a network of dealers to distribute its models or an online sales model with touch points, as its compatriots Tesla, Lucid or Fisker do. Because if in the early 2010s Chevrolet could rely on a fairly strong network, few traders of the time would doubtless have been prepared to attempt a new adventure with the group that left them on the floor ten years ago.