This is Cadillac’s new entry-level EV, the $54,000 Optiq crossover

Enlarge / The Cadillac Optiq is the brand’s next EV, slotting underneath the electric Lyriq in the range. (credit: Michael Teo Van Runkle)

Earlier this month, Cadillac showed off the all-new, all-electric 2025 Optiq to select media in downtown Los Angeles. The Optiq will slot in below the larger Lyriq, Celestiq, and Escalade IQ SUVs but is still based on GM’s steadily proliferating Ultium electric vehicle architecture.

Having driven no fewer than five different Ultium-based vehicles in the past year, I visited the Optiq preview, hoping to learn how Cadillac can differentiate this compact crossover from other offerings in an increasingly competitive segment. I also wanted to see whether GM has effectively made the case for EV converts who are looking at entry-level options versus a lower price point for the similarly specced Chevrolet Equinox EV.

In person, the Optiq’s exterior styling continues the language established by Lyriq and Celestiq, if toned down to a slightly less-aggressive futuristic level. Straked patterns on the angular, faded quarter panels make for a nice touch, though the details looked two-dimensional, as if they were stickers, until I got up close enough to inspect the use of real glass layering.