It is becoming uncomfortably apparent that General Motors is having problems with the production of its two newest EVs. Both the GMC Hummer and Cadillac Lyriq are showing up in very small numbers. Especially, in the case of the Hummer, it has technically been on sale since October 2021, when it produced 15 that month. Here’s what we know.

Let’s start with the newest addition to GM’s EV, the Cadillac Lyriq. Both GM Authority and Cadillac Society claim Cadillac made over 8,000 Lyriqs last year, but shipped only 122. Cadillac’s reason is for “quality holds.” This, after some that were the first to order a Lyriq in September 2021 has already waited 15 months with nothing. For the first quarter of 2023, less than 1,000 have found homes. 

When Cadillac first opened up order books in 2021, it said the EV sold out in less than 10 minutes. Then, it opened up orders once again in 2022. Cadillac is mum about what is keeping it from making those quality fixes and delivering the EVs. It is known that it is still in the middle of producing its “Debut Edition.” So it, apparently, has not satisfied those initial orders from September 2021. 

Production and deliveries of the much-heralded GMC Hummer EV are equally puzzling. Through the end of February 2023, GMC has produced 5,500 Hummers. It was unveiled in October 2020 and began production a year later. Monthly numbers have been all over the place, with the most produced in November 2022 when GMC made 1,455. 

But then in December and January 2023, it produced none. Zero. The last information we have is that 504 were manufactured in February 2023. Part of the pullback was to integrate the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra EVs. 

In February 2022, Chevrolet announced it already had 110,000 orders for the truck. According to GMC Global Vice President Duncan Aldred, it had 90,000 Hummer reservations as of September 2022. Based on the backlog of Hummer orders, it seems beyond impossible that either Chevrolet or GMC will be able to satisfy even a small portion of those orders for a long, long time. Chevrolet says it will begin delivering Silverado EVs in the Summer of 2024. 

Cadillac says its Lyriq quality issues are due to software problems. And it also points to problems initiating production of its Ultium EV platform at the LG Energy Solutions plant in Ohio. Looking at Cadillac forums, not many are happy about the wait. Many complain about no updates or communication from GM. 

A Cadillac spokesperson recently told GM Authority, “As we transition to the model year 2024, Lyriq customers with an unfulfilled 2023 order were able to take advantage of a private offer to apply toward their 2024 Lyriq purchase or lease.” According to the forums, the offer was a $5,000 incentive. Production of 2024 Lyriqs began on March 20, 2023. 

It will now be interesting to see if GM is able to ramp up production of both its Hummer Silverado EVs and 2024 Lyriq. If not, it doesn’t paint a particularly bright picture for GM’s Ultium platform offerings.