Cadillac Notably Absent From 2022 Chicago Auto Show

Cadillac was selected to sit at the 2022 Chicago Auto Show, an interesting decision given that many rivals chose to bring the vehicle to show.

First held in 1901, the Chicago Auto Show is the largest auto show in North America, with the 2022 show marking its 114th.^th edition. The event, which attracted around 100,000 attendees, kicked off last week on February 12^thand lasts until February 21^st. Cadillac was the only brand under the umbrella of its parent company, General Motors, that was not present at the show. The other three GM brands – Buick, Chevrolet and GMC – all have vehicles on display. The brands presented their new electric vehicle offerings such as the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV and the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup, allowing exhibitors to get to know the vehicles.

Luxury brands that were present at the exhibition included Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Lincoln. Lincoln brought its full lineup, including the Corsair (XT4 rival), Nautilus (XT5 rival), Aviator (XT6 rival) and the full-size Navigator SUV in direct competition with the Cadillac Escalade. Lexus features most of its lineup, led by the new LX aiming to take on the Escalade, as well as the IS battling CT5. The same thing happened to BMW, which showed off its all-new iX, all-electric SUV and i4 electric sedan.

Cadillac’s decision not to enter the Chicago Auto Show is puzzling, given that it prevents the luxury marque from showing off its upcoming electric crossover, the Cadillac Lyriq. The Lyriq will launch later this year as a model year 2023 vehicle, representing the luxury brand’s first fully electric offering. The luxury electric crossover will match the other debut EVs on display. That said, it’s certainly possible that Cadillac didn’t see the need to carry the Lyriq, given that the crossover had already attracted a lot of interest.

While that might be the case with the Lyriq, one would think Cadillac would be interested in promoting other vehicles, including the CT4 and CT5 sedans or the XT4, XT5 and XT6 crossover range. It should be noted that the inventory of all five vehicles is very limited as a result of the ongoing shortage of microchips, which Cadillac has navigated by prioritizing its limited supply of chips to the Escalade, its most profitable vehicle. Limited supplies may be the reason for Cadillac’s absence in Chicago.

In addition, Cadillac also failed to show off its ultra-high performance sedans, the CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing, by bringing them to the show. Other high-performance vehicles, such as the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, BMW M3 and M4, plus various Mercedes-AMG models, were at the show, so Cadillac may fail to reach the mainstream audience.

This isn’t the first time the American luxury brand has chosen to ignore the Chicago Auto Show – they’ve also been absent from the venue in 2021 and 2020.

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