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Cadillac Lyriq vs Ford Mach-E vs Tesla Model Y: Features, price, and tech comparison

(Credit:Cadillac/Ford/KITT/Instagram)

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GM has entered the premium all-electric crossover SUV market, and its flagship vehicle is the rather eye-catching Cadillac Lyriq. Poised to hit the roads in the first half of 2022, the Lyriq will be entering an market already saturated by formidable opponents like the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the best-selling Tesla Model Y.  

With the competiton in the EV SUV market in mind, it’s important to know how the Cadillac Lyriq stacks up against two of the strongest entries in the premium all-electric crossover segment today. Below is a comparison of the Cadillac Lyriq, the Ford Mustang Mach-E (both in SR and ER variants), and the Tesla Model Y Long Range Dual Motor AWD. 

Size and Weight

The Cadillac Lyriq is quite a hefty vehicle, dwarfing the Mach-E and the Model Y with its 196.7-inch length, 77.8-inch width, and a 121.8-inch wheelbase. In comparison, the Mach-E has a length of 186.0 inches, and width of 74.0 inches, and a wheelbase of 117.0 inches. The Model Y has a length of 187.0 inches, a width of 75.6 inches, and a wheelbase of 113.8 inches. The Lyriq is precisely the same height as the Model Y at 63.9 inches, making it taller than the Mach-E, which has a height of 63.0 inches. 

All this size translates to the Cadillac Lyriq’s curb weight, which also stands far above the Mach-E and the Model Y. The Lyriq has some serious heft at 5,610 pounds, while the Mach-E and Model Y are far lighter at 4,394-4,890 pounds for the Ford and 4,416 pounds for the Tesla. 

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Interior Dimensions and Cargo Space

While the Cadillac Lyriq is significantly larger than the Mustang Mach-E and the Model Y outside, it is comparable to its two rivals when it comes to the interior. While it edges out its rivals in legroom, shoulder room, and hip room, in terms of headroom, the Lyriq is actually behind its competitors, with 38.6 inches in the front and 37.7 inches at the rear. Despite being smaller physically, the Mach-E features a front headroom of 40.4 inches and rear headroom of 39.3 inches. The Model Y has significantly more headroom than the Lyriq as well, with 41.0 inches at the front and 39.4 inches at the rear. 

This trend continues all the way to the Lyriq’s cargo space when its second-row seats are folded down. With this setup, the Lyriq boasts 60.8 cubic feet of cargo space, which is slightly higher than the Mach-E’s 59.7 cubic feet, but significantly behind the Model Y, which offers a whopping 68 cubic feet of cargo space with the second-row seats folded down. 

Battery and Estimated Range

The Cadillac Lyriq features a large 100 kWh battery, which GM notes should provide the all-electric SUV with about 300 miles of range. The Mustang Mach-E offers two battery sizes: a 75.7 kWh standard range unit that gives drivers about 211 miles of range and a 98.8 kWh extended range battery that provides 300 miles of range. The Model Y taps into Tesla’s vast experience as an all-electric car maker by drawing out 326 miles of EPA-rated range with a 75 kWh battery pack. 

Performance and 0-60 Times

GM noted that the Lyriq’s electric motor produces 340 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. GM’s estimates might seem conservative when compared to the Mach E, which produces 346 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque in its ER AWD version, and the Model Y Long Range, which has 384 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque. GM is also yet to release the 0-60 mph figures for the Lyriq, though Roadshow estimates that the vehicle, thanks to its large size and lower power, would likely be significantly slower than both the Mach-E Extended Range AWD and the Model Y Long Range, which boast a 5.5-second and 4.8-second 0-60 mph time, respectively. 

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Driver-Assist Technologies

GM’s brochure for the Lyriq notes that the all-electric SUV is equipped with the company’s award-winning Super Cruise, “the first truly hands-free driver assistance feature for compatible roads.” Super Cruise is impressive, though it only works on pre-mapped roads, and it requires users to have an active Cadillac Connected Services plan. Super Cruise-equipped vehicles like the Lyriq include 3 years of connectivity to support functionality, after which a Connected Services Plan must be purchased. 

Ford, for its part, has recently announced its BlueCruise, a Level 2 driver-assist technology that also, in the carmaker’s words, offers a “true hands-free driving experience while in Hands-Free Mode that does not require a driver’s hands to stay in contact with the steering wheel, unless prompted by vehicle alerts.” Mach-E customers would be able to purchase BlueCruise software, including a three-year service period, for $600 in the second half of 2021, when the service is expected to launch. 

Last but not least, the Tesla Model Y is equipped with basic Autopilot for free, though customers could opt-in for the carmaker’s Full Self-Driving suite for a $10,000 charge. Basic Autopilot includes key functions like Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer, while FSD includes advanced features like Navigate on Autopilot with Auto Lane Change, Autopark, Summon, and Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control. Unlike Ford and GM, however, Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD suite are, in their current iteration, not hands-free. 

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Price 

The Cadillac Lyriq stays true to its brand, starting at $59,990. That’s far more expensive than the Mustang Mach-E, which starts at a more modest $43,995. The Tesla Model Y Long Range slots right in the middle of the Lyriq and Mach-E, with its current starting price of $51,690 including destination charges. 

Check out the Cadillac Lyriq’s brochure below.

My23 Lyriq PDF Brochure v14 Final by Maria Merano on Scribd

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Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Tesla intertwines FSD with in-house Insurance for attractive incentive

Every mile logged under FSD now carries a documented financial value—lower risk, lower cost—based on Tesla’s internal driving data rather than external crash statistics alone.

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tesla interior operating on full self driving
Credit: TESLARATI

Tesla intertwined its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) suite with its in-house Insurance initiative in an effort to offer an attractive incentive to drivers.

Tesla announced that its new Safety Score 3.0 will automatically have a perfect score of 100 with every mile driven with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) enabled.

The change is designed to boost customers’ average safety scores and deliver noticeably lower monthly premiums.

The move marks the clearest link yet between Tesla’s autonomous driving technology and its proprietary insurance product. Tesla Insurance already relies on real-time vehicle data—such as acceleration, braking, following distance, and speed—to calculate a Safety Score between 0 and 100. Higher scores have long translated into cheaper rates.

Under the previous system, however, even brief manual interventions could drag down the average, frustrating owners who rely heavily on FSD. Version 3.0 eliminates that penalty for supervised autonomous miles, effectively treating FSD-driven segments as the safest possible driving behavior.

The incentive is immediate and financial. Drivers who keep FSD engaged for the majority of their trips will see their overall score rise, potentially shaving hundreds of dollars off annual premiums.

Tesla framed the update as a direct response to customer feedback, many of whom had complained that the old scoring model punished the very behavior it was meant to encourage.

For now, the program applies only to new policies in six states: Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, Virginia, and Illinois.

Existing policyholders are not yet included, a point that drew swift questions from the Tesla community. Many owners in other states, including California and Georgia, expressed hope that the benefit would expand nationwide soon.

The announcement arrives as Tesla continues to roll out FSD Supervised updates and push for regulatory approval of more advanced autonomy. By tying insurance savings directly to FSD usage, the company is putting its own actuarial weight behind the technology’s safety claims.

Every mile logged under FSD now carries a documented financial value—lower risk, lower cost—based on Tesla’s internal driving data rather than external crash statistics alone.

Tesla has not disclosed exact premium reductions or the full rollout timeline beyond the six launch states.

Still, the message is clear: the more drivers trust FSD Supervised, the more Tesla Insurance will reward them. In an era when legacy insurers remain cautious about autonomous tech, Tesla is betting that its own data will prove the safest miles are the ones driven hands-free.

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Elon Musk

Tesla finalizes AI5 chip design, Elon Musk makes bold claim on capability

The Tesla CEO’s words mark a strategic shift. Tesla has long emphasized software-hardware co-design, squeezing maximum performance from every transistor. Musk previously described AI5 as optimized for edge inference in both Robotaxi and Optimus.

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Credit: Elon Musk | X

Tesla has finalized its chip design for AI5, as Elon Musk confirmed today that the new chip has reached the tape-out stage, the final step before mass production.

But in a brief reply on X, Musk clarified Tesla’s AI hardware roadmap, essentially confirming that the new chip will not be utilized for being “enough to achieve much better than human safety for FSD.”

He said that AI4 is enough to do that.

Instead, the AI5 chip will be focused on Tesla’s big-time projects for the future: Optimus and supercomputer clusters.

Musk thanked TSMC and Samsung for production support, noting that AI5 could become “one of the most produced AI chips ever.” Yet, the key pivot came in his direct answer: vehicles no longer need the bleeding-edge silicon.

Existing AI4 hardware, which is already deployed in hundreds of thousands of HW4-equipped Teslas, delivers safety metrics superior to human drivers for Full Self-Driving. AI5 will instead accelerate Optimus robot development and massive Dojo-style training clusters.

The Tesla CEO’s words mark a strategic shift. Tesla has long emphasized software-hardware co-design, squeezing maximum performance from every transistor. Musk previously described AI5 as optimized for edge inference in both Robotaxi and Optimus.

Now, with AI4 proving sufficient, the company avoids costly retrofits across its fleet while redirecting next-generation compute toward higher-value applications: dexterous robots and exponential training scale.

But is it reasonable to assume AI4 enables unsupervised self-driving? Yes, but with important caveats.

On the hardware side, the claim is credible. Tesla’s FSD stack runs end-to-end neural networks trained on billions of miles of real-world data. Internal safety data reportedly shows AI4-equipped vehicles already outperforming average human drivers by a significant margin in controlled metrics (collision avoidance, reaction time, edge-case handling).

Dual-redundant AI4 chips provide ample headroom for the driving task, leaving bandwidth for future model improvements without new silicon. Musk’s assertion aligns with Tesla’s pattern of over-provisioning compute early, then optimizing ruthlessly, exactly as HW3 once sufficed before HW4 scaled further.

Unsupervised autonomy, meaning Level 4 or higher, is not solely a compute problem. Regulatory approval remains the primary gate.

Even if AI4 achieves “much better than human” safety statistically, agencies like the NHTSA demand exhaustive validation, liability frameworks, and public trust.

Tesla’s supervised FSD has shown rapid gains in recent versions, yet real-world edge cases, like construction zones, emergency vehicles, and adverse weather, still require driver intervention in many jurisdictions. Competitors like Waymo operate limited unsupervised fleets, but only in geofenced areas with extensive mapping. Tesla’s vision-only, fleet-scale approach is more ambitious—and harder to certify globally.

In short, Musk’s post is both pragmatic and bullish. AI4 is likely capable of unsupervised FSD from a technical standpoint. Whether regulators and consumers agree, and how quickly, will determine if Tesla’s bet pays off.

The company’s capital-efficient path keeps existing cars relevant while pouring future compute into robots. If the safety data holds, unsupervised autonomy could arrive sooner than many expect.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk signals expansion of Tesla’s unique side business

Long envisioning the Tesla Diner as more than a charging stop, Musk has clearly adopted the idea that the Supercharger and Restaurant combo is a good thing for the company to have. It’s a blend of classic American drive-in culture with futuristic Tesla flair, complete with a 1950s-inspired design, movie screens, and on-site dining.

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tesla diner
Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has signaled an expansion of Tesla’s unique side business, something that really has nothing to do with cars or spaceships, but fans of the company have truly adopted it as just another one of its awesome ventures.

Musk confirmed on Wednesday that Tesla would build a new Diner location in Palo Alto, Northern California. After hinting last October that it “probably makes sense to open one near our Giga Texas HQ in Austin and engineering HQ in Palo Alto,” it seems one of those locations is being set into motion.

Long envisioning the Tesla Diner as more than a charging stop, Musk has clearly adopted the idea that the Supercharger and Restaurant combo is a good thing for the company to have. It’s a blend of classic American drive-in culture with futuristic Tesla flair, complete with a 1950s-inspired design, movie screens, and on-site dining.

He first floated broader expansion plans shortly after the LA opening in July 2025, noting that if the prototype succeeded, Tesla would roll out similar venues in major cities worldwide and along long-distance Supercharger routes.

Earlier hints included a confirmed second site at Starbase in Texas, tied to SpaceX operations, underscoring the Diner’s role in enhancing Tesla’s ecosystem behind vehicles.

The Los Angeles location on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood has served as a high-profile test case. Opened in July 2025 at 7001 Santa Monica Blvd., it features the world’s largest urban Supercharging station with 80 V4 stalls open to all NACS-compatible EVs, over 250 dining seats, rooftop views, and 24/7 service.

The retro-futuristic building replaced a former Shakey’s and quickly became a destination. Tesla reported selling 50,000 burgers in the first 72 days—an average of over 700 daily—drawing crowds with Cybertruck-shaped packaging, breakfast extensions until 2 p.m., and movie screenings.

Palo Alto stands out as a logical next step for several reasons. As Tesla’s longstanding engineering headquarters in the heart of Silicon Valley, the city is home to thousands of Tesla employees, engineers, and executives who could benefit from a convenient, branded gathering spot.

The area boasts high EV adoption rates, dense tech talent, and heavy traffic along key corridors, making a large Supercharger-diner an ideal fit for both daily commuters and long-haul travelers.

Proximity to Stanford University and the innovation ecosystem would amplify its appeal, potentially serving as a showcase for Tesla’s vision of integrated mobility and lifestyle experiences. It could be a great way for Tesla to recruit new talent from one of the country’s best universities.

If Tesla and Musk decide to move forward with a Palo Alto diner, it would build directly on the LA prototype’s momentum while addressing Musk’s earlier calls for expansion near core Tesla hubs.

Whether it materializes as a full confirmation or evolves from these hints remains to be seen, but the pattern is clear: Tesla is testing ways to make charging stops memorable. For EV drivers and enthusiasts alike, a Silicon Valley outpost could blend cutting-edge tech with nostalgic comfort, further embedding Tesla into everyday culture. As Musk’s comments suggest, the future of the Diner looks promising.

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