Cadillac has confirmed that the Optiq, its smallest and most affordable electric model, will get the high-performance V treatment for the 2026 model year. The hot-rodded crossover is expected to offer a more powerful drivetrain, several chassis updates, and sportier styling.
Cadillac is a luxury brand and none of its current offerings could be called “cheap,” but the Optiq starts at about $55,000, making it the entry level option in the lineup. Even the Optiq Sport 2 trim, with options, lists at under $60,000. The next model up, The Lyriq, starts at about $60,000 and the already-announced Lyric-V starts at $80,000. It stands to reason that the Optiq-V may land in the $70,000 neighborhood, close in price to the similarly positioned (performance practical EV) Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
And while it’s a little funny to think about cross-shopping a Cadillac and a Hyundai—the Ioniq 5 is no 1985 Excel. And there aren’t all that many four-door sport-oriented electric vehicles on the U.S. market.
Although they’re dark and tightly cropped, the preview images released by the General Motors-owned brand can’t hide some of the design cues that will differentiate the Optiq-V from the Optiq that went on sale for 2025. Up front, there’s a V-specific grille, a V-specific insert in the lower part of the bumper, and air intake-like trim pieces next to the headlights. We’re not sure if these actually let air flow through the front end (to cool the brakes?), or if they’re there because “high performance” equals “air intakes” in the cosmos of performance car design.
Out back, the biggest change looks like a carbon fiber spoiler and, of course, a V-emblem on the right side of the hatch. There’s undoubtedly more to the Optiq-V than we’re seeing, including bigger wheels and a host of interior changes, but we’ll need to be patient to find out more. More information should be dropping in early June—Cadillac is hosting a media briefing to give us some details on the car on June 2.
It’s not exactly far-fetched to speculate that the Optiq-V will be more powerful than the standard Optiq, which is rated at 300 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. How much more power Cadillac can dial in remains to be seen, but an output in the vicinity of 400 hp doesn’t sound all that unreasonable or particularly difficult to achieve. The V will also surely post a much quicker zero-to-60-mph time, but range will take a hit.
Cadillac stressed that the V treatment isn’t merely about straight-line speed. While details are vague, the company tells us that it developed the Optiq-V to deliver “a dynamic suspension and tight steering.” We’ll reserve our judgement until we take one for a spin.
Additional details about the Cadillac Optiq-V, including pricing and availability, will emerge in the coming weeks, and sales will start for the 2026 model year. When it lands, the Optiq-V will join the Lyriq-V in Cadillac’s growing range of performance-oriented electric crossovers.
Facebook Conversations