The inside of the Cadillac Optiq, the American luxurious model’s new entry-level electrical SUV, has been revealed.
The Common Motors-owned model, which can re-enter the Australian market this yr, has confirmed the Optiq will seem at this month’s Beijing motor present, which begins on April 25.
We anticipate Cadillac to lastly publish specs for the brand new SUV presently, although we do know from an earlier Chinese language Ministry of Business and Data Expertise submitting that it’ll provide 150kW or 180kW outputs.
The Optiq measures 4822mm lengthy, 1912mm extensive and 1642mm tall on a 2954mm wheelbase, which makes it 72mm longer, 66mm narrower and 18mm taller than a Tesla Mannequin Y.
Earlier than the Optiq’s in-person debut, Cadillac has launched a raft of inside photographs of its Mannequin Y rival.
The Optiq carefully resembles the bigger Lyriq inside, all the way down to the door-mounted energy seat controls and the digital instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen neatly built-in in a single wraparound meeting.
There are some key variations from its bigger sibling, nevertheless.
The pictured instance options daring, metallic blue trim working from one facet of the sprint by to the centre. This matches the darkish blue textured inserts on the decrease half of the doorways.
The compartment below the centre stack controls doesn’t have a door like within the Lyriq, whereas the floating centre console has a special form.
The Optiq debuted in November 2023, and whereas GM hasn’t formally confirmed it for our market, it has trademarked its title regionally.
It has additionally trademarked the Vistiq and Escalade iQ nameplates. These are bigger electrical SUVs becoming a member of the Cadillac secure.
The Lyriq will spearhead the model’s return to Australia late this yr, nevertheless it mightn’t be alone in Cadillac showrooms for lengthy.
Common Motors (GM) Australia and New Zealand managing director Jess Bala advised CarExpert in March that bulletins of latest Cadillac fashions past the Lyriq will come “in the direction of the tip of the yr, early subsequent yr”.
“We wish to get [the] Lyriq out and do an superior job with [the] Lyriq first as properly,” mentioned Ms Bala.
“We do wish to clearly give that unbelievable automotive its time as properly, but in addition wish to give everybody the boldness figuring out that it’s not only one entry, we now have extra wonderful vehicles coming.”
In response as to whether the Optiq, Vistiq and Escalade iQ are the subsequent automobiles coming to Australia, Ms Bala mentioned “there are extra EVs coming, clearly we’ll affirm what they’re at a later date”.
She stopped wanting confirming whether or not all these automobiles will come right here.
“I’ll say that simply from a course of standpoint, every time we, GM, have new automobiles coming in, trademark a reputation as a result of we’ve determined properly upfront what our automobiles are going to be referred to as,” mentioned Ms Bala.
“We do usually exit globally and trademark them in all places as a result of within the occasion we do resolve to carry a automobile someplace, we wish that consistency to be there from a model standpoint.”
Cadillac intends to persist with an electric-only technique in Australia. It’s aiming to be EV-only by 2030 globally.
The model will launch with three retail shops, or ‘Cadillac Expertise Centres’: Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and Auckland in New Zealand.
Executives have made a number of mentions of Cadillacs promoting in “unique volumes”, although Ms Bala has been smitten by its possibilities.
“It’s going to do extremely properly right here,” mentioned Ms Bala late final yr, saying Cadillac will attraction to luxurious automotive consumers who wish to stand out and who think about themselves trendsetters.
Regardless of all of the speak of “unique volumes”, Ms Bala mentioned pricing of its debut mannequin in Australia, the Lyriq, wouldn’t be lofty.
“It’ll be priced competitively inside that mid-sized SUV [segment],” mentioned Ms Bala, confirming the Lyriq will battle equally sized electrical SUVs from European luxurious manufacturers just like the BMW iX.
The corporate wouldn’t affirm pricing, however the Lyriq begins on the equal of round A$90,000 within the US.
Along with promoting automobiles by separate retail areas, GM indicated there might be a special after-sales expertise for Cadillac automobiles vis-à-vis these bought in GMSV showrooms.
“We’re all about offering an elevated luxurious expertise to that buyer from the minute they could enter their particulars in a web site or go to considered one of our Cadillac Expertise Centres, right through to buy and past that,” mentioned Ms Bala.
“As a result of we all know that your buy doesn’t finish the minute that we hand you the keys to your automobile, it’s an ongoing relationship that we wish to preserve and supply one thing that could be very constant.
“A really high-end buyer expertise, type of like that ‘white glove’ that you’d anticipate as a luxurious buyer to get.”
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