Cadillac's more affordable, Australia-bound EV getting major power bump – report

Deliveries of the Cadillac Optiq only started in the US earlier this year and it isn’t launching in Australia until 2026, but already the mid-size electric SUV is in line for a major update.

GM Authority reports the Optiq will get a new entry-level single-motor rear-wheel drive variant for 2026, bringing more power – if less torque – than the sole powertrain available in the US at the moment, a dual-motor all-wheel drive configuration.

The dual-motor option is reportedly getting a major power bump too, despite the recent reveal of a new high-performance Optiq-V flagship.

Cadillac is launching the mid-size Optiq and the large three-row Vistiq in Australia in 2026 to bookend the Lyriq, first customer deliveries of which commenced earlier this year. The Lyriq lineup will gain a hot V-Series variant in 2026, though the Optiq-V hasn’t been confirmed for our market.

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The new base rear-wheel drive variant will reportedly produce 232kW of power and 450Nm of torque – up 8kW but down 30Nm compared with the current dual-motor all-wheel drive variant.

It’ll reportedly continue to use the same 85kWh nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) battery, with estimated range of 483km on the US EPA cycle.

The dual-motor all-wheel drive Optiq will reportedly receive a bump in power and torque to 328kW and 675Nm, up 104kW and 195Nm on the current model.

That still leaves breathing room for the upcoming Optiq-V flagship, which will pump out 387kW/880Nm, making it good for a claimed 0-60mph (0-96km/h) sprint time of 3.5 seconds using launch control.

The General Motors BEV3 dedicated EV platform underpinning the Optiq – as well as the Cadillac Lyriq and Vistiq, and the Chevrolet Blazer EV and Equinox EV – supports front-, rear- and all-wheel drive configurations.

Unusually, the Blazer EV has offered all three simultaneously.

The Optiq is getting a rear-wheel drive entry variant for Mexican-produced models, despite the Chinese-built Optiq lineup opening with a single-motor front-wheel drive variant.

Other than the substantial powertrain lineup changes, GM Authority doesn’t note any other changes to the Optiq for 2026, apart from a new paint colour.

GM has previously announced certain vehicles equipped with its Super Cruise hands-free driver assist system will gain a hands-on lane centring assist feature for 2026.

However, it’s unclear if the Optiq is among these, and whether this feature will be available in Australia considering GM doesn’t offer Super Cruise here. Notably, the Australian-market Lyriq offers only lane-keep assist despite lane centring aids being commonplace here.

Production of the 2026 Optiq is reportedly set to begin on August 25, 2025 at GM’s Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico.

Cadillac has yet to announce pricing and specifications for the Optiq in Australia.

It’s set to slot in under the Lyriq price-wise, though by how much remains unclear. The BMW iX-rivalling Lyriq opens at $122,000 before on-road costs in Australia.

The Optiq measures 4820mm long, 2126mm wide and 1644mm tall, making it 176mm shorter, 81mm narrower and 21mm taller than the Lyriq, but still longer and wider than the Audi Q6 e-tron mid-size electric SUV.