GM Korea to launch all-electric Cadillac Lyriq SUV in H2

GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., said Thursday it will launch the all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ SUV later this year in line with its parent firm's electrification plan.

Lyriq is GM's luxury Cadillac brand's first electric model and is powered by GM's Ultium EV battery platform. It is one of 10 electric vehicle models to be released in the South Korean market by the US carmaker by 2025, the company said in a statement.

Starting with the Cadillac Lyriq, GM Korea said most of the EVs to be launched in South Korea will come with the Ultium platform.

In a two-track strategy, GM Korea sells domestically produced and imported vehicles in Asia's fourth-biggest economy.

Its lineup is composed of two locally assembled models, the Trailblazer SUV and the Trax Crossover, and six imported ones -- the Colorado pickup, the Bolt all-electric car, and the Equinox, Traverse and Tahoe SUVs, as well as the GMC brand's Sierra Denali pickup.

The Spark mini car, Trax compact SUV and the Malibu midsize sedan were part of the lineup, but the company stopped their production last year.

Most of the models currently sold in South Korea are from the Chevrolet brand. The Cadillac brand models are available here as well but they are all gasoline powered.

From January to May, GM Korea's vehicle sales jumped 71 percent to 164,475 units from 96,068 a year earlier. (Yonhap)