Arts & Sciences? The 2025 Cadillac Optiq EV is aimed at Millennials, with lots of vibes
- As a compact electric SUV, the Optiq joins the GM Ultium electric vehicle lineup that includes the Blazer EV, Equinox EV and Lyriq
- Prices start at around $50,000 — and the Mexican-made Optiq will qualify for tax incentives
- Cadillac promises a fully charged driving range of about 300 miles
Cadillac has revealed an electric vehicle for its GM luxury brand that doesn’t look too low-key in terms of size, technology or price.
The Cadillac Optiq 2025 According to Cadillac, it will cost about $54,000 including destination when it arrives later this year with a range of about 300 miles. While that price won’t be as affordable as the XT4 ($39,090 base price), Cadillac’s gas-powered compact SUV, if it qualifies for the $7,500 EV tax credit it will equivalent to today’s XT5 SUV (base price $47,290) while offering more cargo and passenger space.
Green Car Reports was able to get their hands on the Optiq a few weeks ago and from first impressions, the car strips away the last remaining design touches of the Cadillac’s long-standing Art & Science The themes focus on chiseled corners, sharp edges and straight lines. With the Optiq, the brand is aiming for softer side lines, a lower roofline and a more rounded roofline. At the front, it’s less dramatic and chiseled than the rest of the lineup, including the larger Cadillac Lyriq EVand the Optiq cleverly relies on lighting—rather than actual sharp edges—to maintain a sharp look and accommodate a more aerodynamic shape.
Cadillac Optiq 2025
Optiq Design Aviation and Lighting Rules
“A sporty, aerodynamic look is a key focus of the Optiq,” Cadillac design director Hoon Kim told me. “That’s why we try to keep it as low as possible.”
There are many details to linger on. Cadillac also used a diagonal laser engraving process for the grille area, to establish a light signature and precisely print a graphic pattern on the rear panel—on acoustic glass—that corresponds to the Cadillac logo. All Optiqs will have a fixed glass roof.
Cadillac Optiq 2025
One of the most interesting design features is the way the taillights seem to visually drop down onto the rear pillars, appearing to disappear momentarily under the corners of the beltline and then reappear below.
It is somewhat surprising that in this era of “limited” EV skateboard design, the Cadillac Optiq sticks so closely to the shape its cousin, the Chevy Equinox EV. The Optiq shares that model’s 116.3-inch wheelbase and approximately 190-inch length, as well as its 85-kwh battery pack.
Cadillac Optiq 2025
The Optiq has AWD, Blackwing performance connectivity
Likewise, it opts for a front-biased all-wheel drive system, with a more powerful permanent magnet motor at the front, generating around 200 horsepower, while an induction motor powers the rear wheels. Supports capacity of about 90 horsepower. That allows it to drive like a front-wheel drive car when traveling at a steady speed, and this combination delivers estimated efficiency. 300 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque.
According to Cadillac officials, while Lyriq is aimed at prestige, Optiq is more about the sporty, youthful, dynamic side of Cadillac. With a performance engineer who was part of the team that created the Blackwing models, Cadillac wanted to give the Optiq a sportier experience, extending to the car’s ride and handling. Meanwhile, towing capacity will be 1,500 pounds and hitch attachments will provide a means to carry other types of equipment.
Cadillac Optiq 2025
The Optiq will offer Tour, Sport and Snow/Ice modes, along with personalized My Mode settings. One-pedal driving mode will allow the vehicle to slow down and stop without touching the brake pedal under certain driving conditions. At the time of the preview, Cadillac was still reviewing the engine sounds for the cabin and confirmed that they would be different from the Lyriq.
New charging port for Cadillac electric vehicles
Another difference compared to the Lyriq is the charging port door. It’s a new, simplified design that will appear on other upcoming Cadillac electric vehicles—including the Cadillac Escalade 2025 IQ—and the headlights will quickly display your charge status as you move.
Cadillac Optiq 2025
Cadillac says charging times and a nice interior are among the top concerns of that crowd; it aims to recover 79 miles in 10 minutes in DC fast charging mode but doesn’t state a maximum charge.
What sets the cabin apart are a number of special decorative touches—including patterned accent fabrics made from 100% recycled materials and a PaperWood veneer made from tulip wood and recycled newspaper . Yes, you can still read some of it.
Returning Support for “Older Millennials”
Cadillac targets first-time luxury car buyers with the Optiq and considers the target buyers to be “older Millennials” in their late 20s to 30s (and yes, some Millennials are already in the top 40). For them, it brings comfort. There are massage seats and seats with generous back support, with a new design adapted from one developed by GM in Europe but made wider.
Cadillac Optiq 2025
Cadillac Optiq 2025
Cadillac Optiq 2025
Cadillac Optiq 2025
The roomy front floor takes advantage of the flat battery pack underneath and a relatively low cargo floor, but there’s no front trunk (or rear trunk). The back seat has plenty of legroom, but my head touches the back of the glass roof frame.
GM claims the 33-inch display has 9k resolution and can project more than a billion colors. Even though it is the center point of the dash, it Does not support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto but there’s a “built-in Google infotainment experience”—which means you’ll need to sign up to get dedicated data coverage for the car instead of sharing it from your phone. GM also looked at the break between display and switchgear and came up with Optiq hard buttons for climate control.
Cadillac Optiq 2025
Cadillac Optiq 2025
Cadillac Optiq 2025
GM will equip the Optiq with Super Cruise driver assistance technology for three years, along with adaptive cruise control, an automated parking system and a full suite of active safety features.
The Optiq is one of many GM electric vehicles coming from Mexico
The Optiq will be produced in Mexico starting this fall, at the same Ramos Arizpe plant that produces the Chevy Equinox EV and Blazer EVwith Honda’s opening statement. Production will also soon ramp up in China, and GM is targeting China, the US and Europe as key markets.
Luxury and Sport trim levels of the Optiq will be offered, but Cadillac has not yet confirmed all the differences.
Cadillac Optiq 2025
As GM rolls out more Ultium electric vehicles and especially more Ultium electric vehicles, including the larger Lyriq, 1980s GM and the luxury Cimarron on shoelaces come to mind. How do you make electric cars more distinctive while avoiding badge engineering awkwardness? We’ll have to wait and see later this year, when Cadillac will share more specs and feature details. But for now, the Optiq’s super comfortable, sharp interior is a great sign that the brand has gotten there.
