Although you have likely not seen the vehicle in person yet, it is likely to become something that you see a lot of. And Cadillac has now announced a performance variant

By Gary S. Vasilash

In the compact luxury EV crossover segment Cadillac has an exceedingly fine entry in its Optiq. (One problem it may have, however, is the name: might some people not find its pronunciation troubling and so as not to embarrass themselves, go to the Audi store that’s next door and ask about the Q4, instead?)

The vehicle has a powertrain that provides 300 hp and an EPA estimated range of 302 miles.

It has an interior with an innovative freshness that undoubtedly will help skew Cadillac’s mature ownership numbers far lower.

And with the second row up it provides 26 cubic feet of cargo capacity—57 with it down—so there is actually more than a modicum of utility provided, an important consideration for one’s daily existence with a vehicle.

Right out of the box there were 1,716 Optiqs sold in the first quarter—502 more than the Cadillac CT4, so that’s saying something (although it is a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison, as the CT4 is a sedan with an internal combustion engine).

Undoubtedly planning to juice that number, today Cadillac announced there will be a 2026 Optiq-V series vehicle.

Details are, well, non-existent (beyond “Cadillac engineers delivered a unique package prioritizing precision, dynamic suspension and tight steering,” which is pretty much marketing-speak).

One thing that is likely the case is that the 2026 Optiq-V will have a non-trivial bump in its starting MSRP (according to Cadillac.com, the starting price for a 2025 Optiq is $52,895), not only because of what the Cadillac engineers have done, but because the Optiq is produced at a GM plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.