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
  • Golden2husky This was a common topic at work - kids learned how to drive, and now another car is needed. I was amazed at all the excuses made about how their kid must have a new car. Used cars are a "risk" for breakdown, they are not as safe, etc...which is all BS of course. How much difference in safety is there between a new car and the same model that is five years old? Maintained cars don't break down very often. I've driven cars for far, far longer than most and have been towed exactly twice in my entire driving career (about 800,000 miles). While I wouldn't put my daughter into a 15 year old car and let her drive across the country, I would be fine with a 5 year old car that was well cared for. Let's be realistic - new drivers are likely to get into a fender bender - why do that to a new car. I was thrilled to get an 8 year old car for college back in the day even though my folks could afford to buy all of us new cars if they wanted to. If you Want to buy your kid new, go ahead. Just don't freak out when they come home with a fresh dent.
  • CanadaCraig Can you eventually go to prison for driving without a licence in the US?
  • CanadaCraig To hell with the UAW.
  • CanadaCraig First I'll answer the question. YES. Toyota, Mazda and Subaru are doing the right thing. That said... If only those pushing for an all EV world would care as much about the 1 BILLION earthlings that make less than $1 a day.
  • Redapple2 All this BEV investment. A bigger impact (less oil consumption) would have been made if we had made PIG UP trucks smaller since 2000 and not HUGEr. (And raised gas tax by $2-3/gallon.)
Next