Smaller, but not small
Cadillac does not waste any time when it comes to electric models. After the Celestiq and the Escalade IQ, which had the ‘q’ added to its name in a somewhat forced manner, the slightly smaller Optiq will soon follow. We are now officially seeing that car from China for the first time.
For those who missed it: Cadillac will become a kind of electric billboard for parent company General Motors. Based on a new EV platform, the brand has already launched über-limousine Celestiq, über-SUV Escalade IQ and the slightly smaller, but still very sturdy Lyriq crossover. The fourth model in the series will be the Cadillac Optiq, which is again one step below the Lyriq.
That does not mean that this is a nice, handy hatchback. We previously saw an extensive photo series of the Optiq, and we also reported that the car is 4.82 meters long. This makes it about the same length as a Kia Sorento, which is seen as a very large SUV in Europe. As the smallest car in the electric Cadillac series, the Optiq is also the most interesting new Cadillac for Europe, where the Lyriq will also be sold.
The Lyriq is largely visible on Cadillac’s official teaser image, although a corner is missing due to the yet-to-be-revealed cars next to it. So there is more in store, but the Optiq comes first. We see Cadillac’s now well-known EV style, with quite striking vertical light units and many sharp lines. At the same time, the Optiq looks a bit more stocky and therefore SUV-like than the Lyriq, which with its elongated body is more crossover than SUV.
The Optiq comes to us from China and that is of course no coincidence. China is an important market for Cadillac, which is also introducing a new rear-wheel drive version of the Lyriq there. The brand has of course not yet said anything about specific information for the European market. We recently learned that the Lyriq costs around 85,000 euros in Switzerland, so with a price tag well below that level, the Optiq quickly enters a slightly more common (premium) segment.
*Update*
The Optiq has now also been made public in America, even in a much better image. The orange car leaves little to the imagination, but Cadillac is still keeping specifications under wraps. These will follow in 2024, the brand reports.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl