Rightpoint Consulting LLC worked with General Motors Co. on the interior of the Cadillac Lyriq electric vehicle. Lyriq is an important part of GM’s EV efforts and part of the automaker’s plans to revamp its Cadillac luxury brand.
According to the companies, Rightpoint and GM created a “design language full of subtle animations and dimensional transitions on a 33-inch advanced LED screen” and designed “real-time 3D experiences by leveraging the Z-Axis to offer depth and dimension throughout every moment of the in-vehicle experience.”
What follows is an email interview with Gabriel Bridger, senior vice president, executive creative director at Rightpoint, and Bill Thompson, former senior manager, user interface design, at GM. The answers are from both.
What is the importance of this model for Cadillac?
This product represents a renaissance in the Cadillac brand. From how the brand / product is communicated to the public to the EV technology and of course, the user experience. The user experience builds upon what was great about previous generations and sheds the unnecessary. It focuses on the luxury that Cadillac represents and exudes those emotions throughout the physical and digital design.
How does Lyriq make an impression amid all the EV introductions?
The Lyriq team embraced the reinvention and recognized that if you want to achieve new levels of greatness, you must seek out new ways of informing your design process. New partners that offer new ideas that aren’t so bogged down with what an industry had been doing for the last 10-20 years but look to what is happening now in the world and more importantly, look to where the world is going.
When we first set out to design Lyriq, these concepts were top of mind. We knew that we needed to build upon what people loved, but also show the world that this vehicle represents a new electric era for Cadillac. From the integration of the 33-inch physical to the content that lives on it there is a harmony. A harmony between the features like vehicle info, how the information was architected and how you interact. Delivering electric luxury for Lyriq is truly represented by the synergy between comfort, elegance, and convenience.
What technology makes Lyriq different from other EV models?
Dual Plane HUD represents an advancement in HUD tech for Lyriq. It has a near plane that holds speed and range data as well as a far plane that literally draws navigational and safety information on the road in front of the vehicle thereby increasing a driver’s situational awareness.
Ultium represents faster charging and more capability. Fewest number of the largest cells possible. Simple, lightweight which allows battery for optimization depending on configuration. That battery data is represented in the illumination of the charge port, the peek-in charging screens as well as the energy application while underway.
Drive Mode Enhancements – Previously drive modes were a small telltale with a line of text in the Cluster that somewhat less that intuitive. That part of the experience was reimagined and presented to the user via Real-time 3D (Unreal) technology. This gives the user more context, more control and provides a space for personalization via My Mode.
Will the Lyriq’s technology migrate to other, lower-priced EVs from GM?
Only time will tell, but if we step back and take a look at GM’s history with other technologies like Super Cruise, 2 step lift-gates for full-size pick-ups and way back to the Cadillac’s introduction of the first Column-mounted shifter in 1938, sharing tech and features where it makes sense appears to be a trend.
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