{"id":32890,"date":"2024-06-24T09:42:43","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T13:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=32890"},"modified":"2024-06-24T09:42:43","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T13:42:43","slug":"cadillac-in-europe-v-8s-at-le-mans-evs-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/cadillac-in-europe-v-8s-at-le-mans-evs-in-paris","title":{"rendered":"Cadillac in Europe: V-8s at Le Mans, EVs in Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"

Le Mans, France<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Cadillac is coming into Europe with fire and ice.<\/p>\n

General Motors Co.’s iconic luxury brand scored a front-row start at France\u2019s famed 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race over the weekend, propelled by its earth-shaking V-8 engine whose impact could be felt 130 miles away in Paris, where Cadillac\u2019s first showroom has opened showcasing stealthy, electric SUVs.<\/p>\n

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#2: CADILLAC RACING, USA, Cadillac V-Series.R, Earl Bamber (NZL), Alex Lynn (GBR), Alex Palou (ESP) at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France on June 16, 2024. <\/em>Chris duMond, Special to the Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

The dual strategy opens a new, international chapter for Cadillac as an electric brand amplified by good ol\u2019 American performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our opportunity to return (to Le Mans) for the first time in 20 years,\u201d John Roth, vice president for Global Cadillac, said track-side ahead of the 24-hour epic. \u201dWe had a great podium performance last year (placing third) and super opportunity to showcase our engineering excellence to an ever-growing global fan base.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"24<\/figure>\n
24 Hours of Le Mans 2024: Cadillac chief John Roth is using Europe’s most famous sportscar race to promote Cadillac’s entry into the market. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/figure>\n

But whereas Cadillac\u2019s last effort in 2000-02 fizzled on the track and in the showroom, the 2024 effort was much more focused, with significant company backing.<\/p>\n

On the racing front, Cadillac\u2019s V-Series.R entries in the top Hypercar class have already established themselves as one of the best race cars in the world with four championships in North America\u2019s IMSA series in the past seven years. Cadillac Hypercars followed a third-place, podium finish in their 2023 Le Mans debut with an impressive, three-car entry in 2024 \u2014 the fastest of the squadron qualifying on the front row and leading 61 laps before dropping to 7th<\/sup>\u00a0at race end.<\/p>\n

On the product front, Cadillac is taking a page from Tesla Inc. The luxury brand is coming into Europe as a fresh, EV-only brand, selling cars directly to consumers through company-owned retails stores in urban retail spaces \u2014 its operations unburdened by government emissions regulations like those facing European legacy automakers.<\/p>\n

\"24<\/figure>\n
24 Hours of Le Mans 2024: the Cadillac display in the infield showed off a Cadillac Optiq (pictured) and Lyriq EV as well as selling Caddy merchandise. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe are entering Europe at an ideal time,\u201d said Cadillac President of Europe Jaclyn McQuaid. \u201cFirst, we have exceptional EV portfolio starting with the Lyriq and Optiq and more product coming. Second, the population in Europe is interested in EVs at a higher rate than interest in other parts of world. And third, we have governments that are supportive. It\u2019s the perfect storm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Europeans have already embraced Cadillac Hypercars storming around France\u2019s most storied racetrack. The #2 Cadillac piloted by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and IndyCar superstar Alex Palou entertained fans by swapping the lead throughout the race with Porsche Penske, Ferrari, and Toyota Hypercars \u2014 its distinctive, normally-aspirated V-8 roaring above the turbocharged machines.<\/p>\n

The V8-powered V-Series and battery-powered Lyriq and Optiq models may seem an odd couple, but Roth sees them as complementary on a continent that prizes speed and luxury.<\/p>\n

The V-Series.R actually competes in Le Mans\u2019 wicked-quick hybrid class \u2014 employing battery power to exit the pits before lighting off the V-8 for 200-mph laps on course.<\/p>\n

\"Cadillac<\/figure>\n
Cadillac Paris City store. SIMON RAINER PHOTOGRAPHER, GM<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cWe translate our performance excellence on track to what we do around aerodynamics, tires and efficiency in our electric production cars,\u201d said Roth. \u201cMany of our engineers who are working on the Cadillac on track translate that back to engineers in Michigan \u2014 and back to EVs. Endurance racing allows us . . . to learn quickly as engineers \u2014 and to respond to evolving knowledge that we put into our vehicles on the street.\u201d<\/p>\n

That knowledge extends to the European sales side where Cadillac is, for the first time in its history, selling directly to customers.<\/p>\n

\"2424 Hours of Le Mans 2024: Jaclyn McQuaid is the head of Cadillac of Europe. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe started last year in Switzerland and Sweden with a direct-to-consumer model,\u201d said McQuaid. \u201cThen we launched stores earlier this year in Germany and in France. Starting with Lyriq, which is on sale now, and we just introduced Optiq at our flagship Paris store.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cadillac are distinct on track with their rib-rattling V-8s, and the #2 V-Series.R ran in the Top 5 for much of Le Mans.<\/p>\n