Cadillac's EV lineup will further expand with a compact SUV called the Optiq.
In a brief announcement Friday, the General Motors luxury brand confirmed the Optiq as the "entry point for Cadillac’s EV lineup in North America," sitting below the Lyriq. Further details will come next year, meaning the Optiq is likely to launch as a 2025 model.
Today's lowest-priced Cadillac is the CT4 sedan, starting at about $35,000. But the Lyriq, the only Cadillac EV currently on sale, is much pricier. The 2024 Lyriq starts at $59,990 and has an expanded lineup of trim levels and options this year, following a limited launch for the 2023 model year.
2024 Cadillac Optiq
The Lyriq is made at GM's former Saturn plant in Tennessee. GM hasn't said yet where the Optiq will be built but it will likely be made in North America to qualify for the EV tax credit applying to SUVs and crossovers priced under $80,000.
Cadillac announced it was going all-EV and shifting to model names in place of alphanumeric combinations like CT4 back in December 2019, but it's been rather slow-going in the shift so far, with only one EV offered, in relatively limited volume (although starting to pick up now).
The Optiq is one of three Cadillac EVs that the brand had said would debut in 2023, with all three scheduled to go into production in 2024, with specific launches varying by market. Also among them is the 2025 Escalade iQ revealed this summer. Cadillac's Celestiq flagship, revealed last year, is also due to go into production at the end of the year.
