GM will begin production next week on the Cadillac Lyriq, the brand’s first EV model

An undated handout photo shows the new Cadillac Lyriq, one of the electric vehicles that General Motors Co said on October 20, 2020, that its Spring Hill, Tennessee, factory will begin to produce.

GM will begin production next week on the customer units of its EV vehicle, the Lyriq, which will be the first electric vehicle to be delivered to drivers.

Rory Harvey, vice president of Cadillac, said that production will start as planned despite the shortage of chips.

Lyriq has been protected as we worked our way through it, Harvey told reporters Tuesday, signaling how important the launch is to the company.

The first of a new lineup of electric cars and SUVs for the brand is the Lyriq, which starts at $59,990.

Harvey said he expects the product to arrive on dealer lots in May.

One of the first of GM's next-generation Ultium EV architecture was unveiled by Cadillac in August 2020. The company has called the vehicle its new technology lead, to take on legacy automakers that are releasing EV.

More than 220,000 people have asked for additional information on the car, and the company has seen massive interest in the Lyriq. He wouldn't say how many reservations Cadillac had.

Harvey said that they are looking to increase capacity fairly significantly from where the previous plan of record was.

The illuminated Cadillac crest on the Lyriq show car.