New Cadillac Optiq EV leads American brand’s UK return

While its V8-powered luxury barges have been a hit at home in the USA for numerous decades, Cadillac is yet to crack the UK market. With a number of previous failed attempts including the Seville STS, CTS and even the Saab-based BLS, this American luxury brand is taking yet another roll of the dice, but there’s a big difference this time around.

Gone are the alarmingly thirsty cars of the past, as the new Cadillac Optiq EV will be spearheading the brand’s return to our shores. This fully-electric coupe-SUV returns an official 300 miles on the USA’s EPA rating, courtesy of an 85kWh battery pack, and we’d expect it to achieve similar results when it undergoes WLTP tests. 

Measuring 1,644mm in height and 4,820mm in length, the Optiq is a slightly unusual size, but it’ll still face plenty of healthy luxury electric SUV competition when it arrives. The Lexus RZ and Audi Q4 e-tron are just two established names that this new arrival will need to top, let alone other offerings from the likes of BMW and Mercedes.

In order to give the European names a run for their money, Cadillac has made real efforts to bring its interior technology and design right up-to-date. The Optiq EV’s centrepiece is a whopping 33-inch OLED screen, and this is accompanied by a swooping dashboard and physical controls for some regularly-used functions like climate control. 

One other model will be accompanying the Optiq EV into the world of right-hand drive, and this is a fully-electric car, too. The Cadillac Lyriq is a distinctive coupe-SUV that also offers around 300 miles of range. This model is already on sale in Europe, and it costs around £70,000 to buy in Germany. 

Both cars are based on Cadillac’s new Ultimum platform, which takes a lot of complexity out of building these American cars in right-hand drive form. It’s this simplified approach that Cadillac believes will make its latest UK relaunch a much more successful one, and more electric cars are set to arrive in the near future.