The Cadillac Optiq will go on sale in the United States later this year as a 2025 model. Despite the imminent debut, however, the American luxury automaker only published two official photos so far showing the exterior of what is essentially the Lyriq’s smaller brother.
But don’t fret–China is here to rescue this whole situation. Again.
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Caddy's entry-level EV gets Lyriq bling inside
The upcoming Cadillac Lyriq, which will be the American luxury automaker's most affordable EV when it goes on sale later this year, borrows much of the tech and upscale design from its bigger brother, the Lyriq crossover.
Photos published during an online presentation ahead of the official debut at the Beijing Auto Show later this month show a pretty upscale cabin for the Equinox EV's cousin, with plenty of ambient lighting and a curved display cluster.
We first learned about the Optiq from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) last year, and now the General Motors-owned automaker slipped the first interior shots of the upcoming electric crossover in an online presentation, according to Autoblog.
Just like the exterior design, which is similar to the Lyriq, the interior of the Optiq is heavily influenced by its bigger brother. There’s a curved display encompassing both the digital instrument cluster and the infotainment screen, just like in the Lyriq.
Under the air conditioning controls, the Chinese-market Optiq has an open cubby, whereas the Lyriq comes with an enclosed storage bin, and there are two USB-C ports to the left of the cubby.
The floating rotary dial and cupholder area are pretty much the same as on the Lyriq, but because the Optiq is smaller, the armrest is slightly different.
That’s not to say that these similarities are bad. The Cadillac Lyriq is quite posh and the Optiq is expected to offer a similar experience albeit in a smaller and somewhat more affordable package.
Gallery: Cadillac Optiq China-Spec
Cadillac’s new entry-level EV is 189.8 inches long, 75.3 inches wide and 64.7 inches high, with a 116.3-inch wheelbase that’s exactly the same as the Equinox EV with which it shares the GM’s BEV3 platform. By comparison, the Lyriq is 196.7 inches long, 77.8 inches wide and 63.9 inches tall, while the wheelbase measures 121.8 inches.
The American marque hasn’t released any pricing or technical details for the upcoming 2025 Optiq, but we know from regulatory filings in China that the compact electric crossover will be available with either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive powertrains.
The base model in China comes with a single, rear-mounted motor that makes 201 horsepower (150 kilowatts), followed by a 241 hp (180 kW) RWD version. Meanwhile, the all-wheel drive powertrain is capable of delivering 283 hp (211 kW) and 343 pound-feet of torque.
Pricing-wise, the 2025 Cadillac Optiq is expected to be cheaper than the Lyriq, which starts at $58,590.
