Cadillac announces two new EVs
Cadillac is delivering on its promise to bring more right-hand drive EVs to the Australian market.
US luxury car brand Cadillac has announced a doubling of its fledgling Australian model lineup with the arrival of two new premium electric SUVs, the Optiq and Vistiq.
The new luxury electric vehicles (EVs) are both due in 2026 when they will join Cadillac’s existing Australian lineup which currently comprises the Lyriq and Lyriq-V.
The Lyriq was confirmed for Australia in November 2023, when it was hailed as being the first of a promised wave of factory-built right-hand drive battery electric vehicles from the GM luxury brand.
However, as at the end of February 2025, none have been delivered to customers with a Cadillac spokesperson saying the company was sitting on about 9,000 expressions of interest and that first deliveries were expected to begin in March.
Cadillac Vistiq Sport EV interior.
Like the Lyriq, the just-announced Cadillac models are both factory-built in right-hand drive, with the Vistiq manufactured alongside the Lyriq in GM’s Spring Hill Tennessee plant, while the Optiq is built at the automaker's GM Ramos Arizpe plant, in northern Mexico.
What are some of Vistiq and Optiq features?
The Vistiq is described as a three-row SUV offering luxurious electric motoring for larger families, while the Optiq will act as an exciting new entry point to the Cadillac range in Australia, sitting below the five-seat Lyriq in terms of size.
At 4,820mm in length, 2,126mm in width and 1,644mm in height, the Optiq is similar in size to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV and slightly larger than the market-leading Tesla Model Y.
The Cadillac Optiq EV is the smallest Cadillac to date.
It’s positioned to sit below both the five-seat Lyriq SUV (4,996mm, 2,207mm and 1,623mm) and the seven-seat Vistiq.
Despite being the smallest Cadillac to date, the Optiq should offer exhilarating performance courtesy of dual electric motors delivering outputs of 220kW/480Nm, while its 85kWh battery endows it with 480km driving range and the ability to fast-charge at up to 150kW.
Sitting above both the compact Optiq and the mid-size Lyriq, the seven-seat Vistiq will be the largest model in Cadillac’s electric range, and will target the likes of the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.
Measuring 5,222mm in length, 2,203mm in width and 1,804mm in height, the Vistiq is longer even than a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series (4985mm) and an Audi Q7 e-Tron (5052mm) so should offer a roomy and luxurious passenger space.
Performance is via twin electric motors which Cadillac stopped short of releasing details of, but which in the US comes with a standard dual motor all-wheel drive system delivering a muscular 459/880Nm. That’s enough grunt to shift the 2,870kg Caddy from 0–60mph (96km/h) in a blistering 3.7 seconds.
How much will the new Cadillacs cost?
No pricing was released with the announcement, but with Lyriq pricing starting at $117,000 locally and rising to $155,000 for the Lyriq-V, expect the new models to come in either side of that.
That could see the Optiq starting from just over $100,000 and the Vistiq priced closer to $160,000.
Like rivals Tesla, Genesis and a growing number of other brands, Cadillac is pursuing an online sales model while also establishing dedicated ‘Experience Centres’ in Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland to allow customers to see the vehicles first-hand.
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