The launch schedule slipped just a bit, but the Cadillac Optiq is finally here — or there, rather, in China, where it debuted online before meeting the public at this month’s Beijing Auto Show. Cadillac debuted the exterior in November, a wider online reveal now lets us look in the cabin. The steering wheel and curved display for the digital cluster match the larger Lyriq. Below the instrument panel beltline, the two design diverges. The Optiq’s central area features a horizontal trim element that can illuminate with ambient lighting, they match rows of illuminated horizontal lines in the door cards. The lower expanse is concave instead of convex, with an open cubby under the HVAC controls as opposed to enclosed storage. Two USB-C ports to the left of the cubby will spare occupants from having to fish around in a pocket to plug in. The infotainment rotary dial and cupholder area looks the same as on the Lyriq, but because the Optiq’s arm rest is thinner, there’s a new design between the seats and the two elements are joined in a different way.
Back outside, animated clips at Cadillac’s Chinese site show how the Optiq’s U-shaped DRL pattern will differ from the stylized wreath found on the Lyriq.
The Optiq sits on the same BEV3 platform as the Chevrolet Equinox EV and Buick Electra twins. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) listed the Optiq as having the same 116.3-inch wheelbase as the Equinox EV. Around the rest of the car, the China-market Optiq stands 189.8 inches long, 75.3 inches wide, and 64.6 inches high; compared to the Equinox EV, the Cadillac’s roof sits an inch higher, the other dimensions are less than an inch apart. Compared to our Lyriq, the Optiq is about seven inches shorter and 2.5 inches narrower, but here again, its roof sits nearly an inch higher. The compact CUV weighs 4,850 pounds and maxes out at 112 miles per hour.
The site CNEVpost reported on two Optiq trims for China, separated by a tenth of an inch in roof height. Both come with a single Ultium electric motor turning one of the axles. One trim produces 201 horsepower, the other trim 241 horsepower. We expect at least one AWD trim in the U.S. that would match the 288 hp and 333 pound-feet of torque in the related Chevrolet Blazer EV.
Cadillac’s U.S. site says the Optiq is coming here later this year as a 2025 model. We should find out more about it at the Beijing show on April 25.
