Q-Tip: Cadillac Introduces 2026 Vistiq

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

The onslaught of all-electric vehicles into the Cadillac lineup continues unabated with the introduction of this, the three-row Vistiq.


Said to slot between the Lyriq and Escalade IQ, the Vistiq can be thought of as taking the XT6’s lot in life compared to that model’s stature against other gasoline-powered cars in the Cadillac showroom. Details such as power and battery size weren’t disclosed today but a quick glance at this car shown today reveals a ‘600’ badge on its rear hatch, a detail which provides plenty of clues.


In case you need a reminder, someone deep within the bowels of Cadillac thought it was a great idea to place badges on the rumps of all its vehicles indicating total torque output in newton-meters, rounded to the nearest 50th because why not. In this case, ‘600’ works out to roughly 450 lb-ft of twist, a sum (and badge) also appearing on the smaller two-row Lyriq crossover. With this in mind, there’s an excellent chance at least some trims of the Vistiq will have roughly 500 horsepower and 450 lb-ft torques. 


In that Lyriq, a 102.0-kWh battery pack provides just over three hundred miles of driving range on a fully charged battery as per the federal eggheads measuring this type of stuff. As such, this larger and heavier three-row Vistiq could slide in just under the 300-mile limbo bar, a performance which would put it in line with the three-row Kia EV9. The fact we’re talking about Cadillac and Kia in the same breath is a development not lost on us.

Styling of the Vistiq takes much from its Escalade IQ larger brother, with a shield of sorts living on the front fascia where a grille would usually reside on a gasoline-powered car. Scads of LEDs line its face and will likely animate themselves in some sort of Vegas approximation when the owner approaches with key in pocket. Around back, the weirdo taillamp arrangement has been lifted almost wholesale from the Escalade IQ, creating a vertical look that’s separated about halfway up the D-pillar and massively flared at its bottom. This reminds us of the old Mirai, and not in a good way.


Promoted as a 2026 model, there’s a solid chance we’ll see this thing in the metal at an auto show sometime in the next calendar year - along with more items featuring the letter Q.


[Images: Cadillac, Toyota]


Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by  subscribing to our newsletter.

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

More by Matthew Guy

Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 45 comments
  • Varezhka Not the biggest surprise, considering that the new 500 is a platform sibling of a similarly sized (but dead) Opel Adam. And Italy, its biggest market, is not the best market for BEVs. Curious if it will be the same 1.2L I3 mild hybrid as the bigger 600.
  • El scotto Does it have buttons for HVAC and infotainment controls? Steering wheel controls count.
  • SCE to AUX Fiat USA is a joke, and may not exist in 2026. They could put a Hemi in a 500 and nobody would buy it.
  • SCE to AUX "CEO Atsushi Osaki said Subaru remains committed to its horizontally opposed engine because it's a brand-building icon....Mazda CEO Masahiro Moro said his company will develop future versions of its trademark rotary engine to run on carbon neutral fuels and combine with electrified hybrid setups."These statements say a lot about how lost these companies are.[list][*]Subaru sticks with the boxer because it's an 'icon', not because of any technical merits?! Sad - the boxer is a loud, inefficient engine - so they're right. Does anyone actually buy a Subaru for the boxer engine?[/*][*]Mazda predictably killed the rotary range extender on the extinct MX-30 because it couldn't pass emissions. That's the story of its life. It's a terrible engine, but Mazda slavishly wastes money on it every year.[/*][/list]
  • El scotto Please ohhh please Abarth most of them. Well, OK some pastel ones too.
Next