Cadillac Confirms That a V-Series Optiq EV Is on the Way

The Cadillac Optiq will be getting a high-powered performance V-Series version, Cadillac confirmed on Wednesday, making it the second all-electric V-Series Cadillac.

The Optiq “has earned the V-Series badge,” Cadillac said in a statement. The statement also promised that the 2026 Optiq-V would deliver “a unique package prioritizing precision, dynamic suspension, and tight steering for an exhilarating driving experience.”

The Optiq is an all-electric compact or subcompact SUV that is supposed to be Cadillac’s big push into the EV mass market—a space occupied by the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Volvo EX30, and Audi Q4 E-Tron. The Optiq is a joint venture with GM and SAIC, a Chinese manufacturer, and the car was first released in China in 2023 and in America two years later.

The Optiq is manufactured in China and Mexico, and it’s likely that tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump gave GM some pause about how it wanted to continue selling the Optiq, in addition to a general cooling in the American market for EVs. Cadillac’s statement on Wednesday indicates that GM still has big plans for the Optiq and also plans to keep Cadillac’s V-Series of performance cars going well into the future.

Cadillac did not reveal any specifications about the new Optiq-V or price, but the first all-electric Cadillac V-Series, the Lyriq-V, is one of the quickest Cadillacs of all time, capable of going from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. The Optiq currently makes the equivalent of 300 horsepower, less than half of what the Lyriq-V makes, suggesting that the Optiq-V will make significantly more than 300 horsepower as well.

The V-Series was launched over two decades ago as a response to BMW’s M cars, Mercedes-AMG, and Audi Sport, among other luxury performance divisions. The V-Series has produced cars like the ATS-V, which got stellar reviews from car journalists, but V-Series cars have also often failed to reach the sales heights that Cadillac was hoping for.

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Part of that is a decades-long malaise surrounding Cadillac, along with American luxury in general, now best represented not by the Detroit brands Cadillac, Lincoln, Buick, or Chrysler but by Tesla. With its all-electric V-Series cars, Cadillac is taking another swing at standing out by emphasizing performance, in conjunction with its entry into Formula 1 next year.