Cadillac Pins Hopes on 2025 Optiq For BEV Volume

The 2025 Cadillac Optiq could turn out to be extremely well-timed for the look of the battery-electric-vehicle market later this year and into 2025. Well equipped. Sufficient range. And Optiq looks like a strong value with a starting price of $54,000 for a legit luxury look and brand.

The 2-row, 5-passenger BEV CUV comes with 300 miles (483 km) of range on a charge, and the ability to add 79 miles (127 km) of range in 10 minutes.

Though John Roth, vice president, Global Cadillac, has stated it is entirely possible that General Motors’ luxury brand will still be selling some internal-combustion vehicles, a reversal of the previously stated “all-EVs-by-2030” plan, the heart of the lineup will be BEVs: Lyriq, Escalade IQ, Celestiq and the 2026 Vistiq.

“Cadillac has always defined American luxury, and Optiq is an example of how our bold, innovative spirit is propelling us into the EV future,” Roth says. “Over the past five years, Cadillac has welcomed approximately 1 million new customers to the family globally, while our percentage of younger buyers has increased 5% in the U.S. Optiq will be an important gateway to attract luxury EV intenders to Cadillac as we look to offer a fully electric portfolio by the end of the decade.”

Optiq includes an 85-kWh battery pack with a standard dual-motor all-wheel-drive propulsion system that produces 300 hp and 354 lb.-ft. (480 Nm) of torque. It also comes with GM’s Super Cruise with three years of service.

Among the key options are:  Regen On Demand, a driver-controlled braking feature that allows the driver to slow down or stop the vehicle with a dedicated, pressure-sensitive paddle located on the steering wheel;

We have not had the opportunity to drive the Optiq yet, but the vehicle comes with differing selectable drive modes: Tour for everyday driving; Sport for enhanced, nimbler road driving and improved steering; Snow/Ice to prevent wheel spin; and My Mode which personalizes the driving experience with adjustable braking responsiveness and steering feel.

Exterior styling is handsome. The silhouette suggests a fastback, with wheels pushed out to the corners. Optiq has a fixed glass roof, and a blacked-out grille. As many companies are doing more with lighting, Optiq takes this feature to another level with a choreographed sequence when the driver approaches and exits the vehicle.

Speaking of colors, the 33-in. (84-cm) advanced LED display on the dash, says Cadillac, has 9K resolution projecting over 1 billion colors. We’re not sure the human eye can separate that many colors, but okay.

Standard safety and driver assistance technologies include adaptive cruise control, Blind Zone Steering Assist, Enhanced Automatic Parking, Forward Collision Alert and several others.

On the sound front, there is a standard 19-speaker AKG Audio System and Dolby Atmos.

Optiq will be on sale in 10 international markets including Europe.

Cadillac Snapshot

In 2023, Cadillac's CT5 sedan was the brand’s best-selling passenger car in the U.S., with 18,600 units delivered, a 17% increase from the previous year. The Lyriq BEV was the only other Cadillac model to see significant growth, with reservations surpassing 240,000, and 9,000 units delivered. Cadillac’s best-selling and most-profitable vehicle was the Escalade SUV, which posted 41,700 sales, per Wards Intelligence. Cadillac’s gasoline-powered vehicles continued to decline, with the CT4 sedan seeing a 1.4% decrease in North American deliveries to 9,144 units.