Cadillac unveiled its most affordable luxury EV so far, the 2025 Optiq, on Wednesday. Cadillac’s new Optiq is the “new luxury entry point” for EV buyers, but can it keep up with Tesla’s Model Y?
The new 2025 Optiq will join Cadillac’s growing lineup of electric cars. Cadillac’s EV portfolio includes the Lyriq, Escalade IQ, Celestiq, and Vistiq launching next year.
Cadillac has been teasing a cheaper electric SUV to sit below the Lyriq as the brand’s entry-level EV.
Compared to other Cadillac electric cars, like the $340K Celestiq or $130K Escalade IQ, the Optiq is aimed at a new segment of buyers.
With a growing number of younger buyers in the US, Cadillac’s new Optiq “will be an important gateway to attract luxury EV intenders” to the brand. Cadillac confirmed its goal of offering a fully electric portfolio by 2030.
Meanwhile, the Optiq will be sold in 10 regions, including Europe, as Cadillac looks to revamp overseas sales.
Cadillac promises its new entry-level EV will feature “several segment-leading features” and remain true to the Cadillac brand as it looks to stand out in a sea of luxury SUV rivals.
Cadillac Optiq EV (Source: Cadillac)
Cadillac’s Optiq EV is the new entry-level luxury EV
With a 6″ shorter wheelbase, the Optiq is more agile and fun to drive than the Lyriq. “The Ultium Platform allows us to fit enough muscle into a smaller package to provide a thrilling performance, delivering a sensation of isolated precision,” chief engineer John Cockburn explained.
Powered by an 85 kWh battery pack with standard dual-motor AWD, the Optiq offers up to 300 miles Cadillac-estimated miles of range. It can also add up to 79 miles of range in 10 minutes with DC fast charging.
Cadillac Optiq entry-level electric SUV (Source: Cadillac)
Cadillac’s new Optiq EV features a vented rear spoiler, diffuser, and other elements to boost aerodynamics (without compromising the SUV’s design).
Other exterior elements add to the Optiq’s sporty design, such as a fixed-glass roof, signature black crystal grille, and upgraded rear quarter panels. The Optiq also features signature lighting, so you are met with a light show when you walk up to or exit the vehicle.
Cadillac Optiq interior (Source: Cadillac)
The high-tech interior includes a 33″ diagonal advanced LED display with 9K resolution, Super Cruise driver assist as standard, advanced radar, camera, ultrasonic sensor tech, and Google built-in. It also comes loaded with segment-leading cargo space and second-row space.
At 190″ long, 84″ wide (with mirrors), and 65″ tall, the Cadillac Optiq will rival Tesla’s Model Y (187″ long x 76″ wide x 64″ tall) and other luxury electric SUVs in the segment.
Cadillac Optiq electric SUV interior (Source: Cadillac)
The AWD system packs an estimated 300 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. Cadillac’s Optiq EV will be available in two trims: Luxury and Sport, with starting prices around $54,000 (including destination fee).
Cadillac says Optiq production will begin in late fall, with European specs and sales set for later this year.
Cadillac Optiq electric SUV (Source: Cadillac/ YouTube)
Electrek’s Take
Can Cadillac’s new Optiq EV compete with top-selling luxury rivals like Tesla, BMW, or Mercedes-Benz?
GM hopes Cadillac’s most affordable EV can help spark sales growth. Between the Optiq, Chevy Blazer EV, Equinox EV, and Silverado EV, GM has a strong slate of electric cars rolling out.
CEO Mary Barra calls 2024 the “year of execution” after battery production hurdles led to missed sales targets last year.
Barra believes the battery issues are “behind us now” as it looks to ramp EV sales this year. With production of the current Chevy Bolt EV/EUV ending last December, GM is looking to fill the massive hole.
GM aims to build 200,000 to 300,000 Ultium-based EVs this year, about 20 times more than last year. The company sold less than 14,000 Ultium models last year, with the other +62,000 being the Bolt.
Can Cadillac’s new Optiq help revamp the brand and compete with luxury EV rivals? Drop us a comment below to let us know your thoughts.
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A team of white hat European hackers using their brains, keyboards, and a couple of bits and baubles from eBay managed to take control of a 2020 Nissan LEAF and violate just about every privacy and safety regulation in the process.
The best part: they recorded the whole thing.
Budapest-based cybersecurity experts PCAutomotive were able to exploit a number of vulnerabilities in a 2020 Nissan LEAF that enabled the white hat team to geolocate and track the car, record the texts and conversations happening inside the car, playing media back through the car’s speakers, and even (this is the genuinely terrifying dangerous part) turning the steering wheel while the car was moving. (!?)
Maybe the scariest part of this hack, however, is how seemingly easy it was to pull off by starting with a “test bench simulator” built using parts from eBay and exploiting a vulnerability in the LEAF’s DNS C2 channel and Bluetooth protocol.
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The PCAutomotive team gave a hugely detailed 118-page presentation of their exploit at black hat Asia 2025, which we’ve included at the bottom of this post, in case the original link goes dead. If you’re into that sort of thing, the fun stuff starts around page 27. And, if you’re not, just know that all the vulnerabilities were disclosed to Nissan and its suppliers between 02AUG2023 and 12SEP2024 (p. 116/118), and the “attack” itself can be seen in the video below that. Enjoy!
Summary of vulnerabilities
CVE-2025-32056 – Anti-Theft bypass
CVE-2025-32057 – app_redbend: MiTM attack
CVE-2025-32058 – v850: Stack Overflow in CBR processing
CVE-2025-32059 – Stack buffer overflow leading to RCE [0]
CVE-2025-32060 – Absence of a kernel module signature verification
CVE-2025-32061 – Stack buffer overflow leading to RCE [1]
CVE-2025-32062 – Stack buffer overflow leading to RCE [2]
PCA_NISSAN_009 – Improper traffic filtration between CAN buses
CVE-2025-32063 – Persistence for Wi-Fi network
PCA_NISSAN_012 – Persistence through CVE-2017-7932 in HAB of i.MX 6
Unfortunately, this is also one of those posts that some of the more clueless anti-EV hysterics will point to and say, “See!? EVs can get hacked!” But the reality is that virtually any car with electric power steering (EPS), electronic throttle controls, brake-by-wire, etc. can be hacked in a similar way. But, while steering a target’s car into an oncoming semi might be a great way to pull off a covert CIA assassination, the more worrying issue here is the breach of privacy and recording – unless you want to spend some time in El Salvadoran prison, I guess.
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A major new EV battery factory is being built in Sunderland, bringing 1,000 new jobs with it. AESC, Nissan’s battery partner, is behind the £1 billion ($1.33 billion) plant, which will boost the UK’s EV battery production by six times, enough to power 100,000 electric cars annually.
The 12 GWh capacity plant, AESC’s second battery plant in Sunderland, will be powered by 100% net-zero carbon energy. That big jump in capacity helps position Britain as a global player in EV manufacturing while pushing forward the country’s net-zero goals.
The investment is getting a serious financial lift from the British government. Through a combination of support from the National Wealth Fund and UK Export Finance, the project is unlocking £680 million in financing from major banks, including HSBC, Standard Chartered, SMBC Group, Societe Generale, and BBVA, that covers the construction and operation of the battery factory. Another £320 million is coming from private investment and fresh equity from AESC. On top of all that, the government’s Automotive Transformation Fund is pitching in with £150 million in grant funding.
This deal follows closely on the heels of the new UK-US trade agreement announced a day earlier, which cuts car export tariffs from 27.5% down to 10% for up to 100,000 UK-made vehicles – nearly the total number exported last year. That move could save car companies hundreds of millions of pounds and help protect good-paying jobs in manufacturing hubs like Sunderland.
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Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves visited AESC in Sunderland, where she met with staff and local leaders to discuss what this means for the Northeast and the British car industry.
“This investment follows hot on the heels of yesterday’s landmark economic deal with the US, which will save thousands of jobs in the industry,” Reeves said.
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It’s about the future of their jobs. Ford workers at two plants in western Germany are set to go on strike on Wednesday, their works council chief said on Monday.
Ford is facing a worker strike in Germany
In November, Ford announced it would cut around 4,000 jobs in Europe by 2027 as part of a restructuring, primarily in Germany and the UK. That’s still about 14% of its European workforce.
The American automaker said the move comes after it has incurred “significant losses” in recent years and a “highly disruptive market” with new EVs quickly gaining market share.
Ford blamed slower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles and a weak economic situation. It also plans to slow production at its Cologne EV plant, where the electric Explorer and Capri are built.
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Last week, IG Metall members voted in favor of “industrial action” with 93.5% of votes in favor of a strike. “Ford must act now—otherwise, we will go through with it,” said Kerstin D. Klein, Chief Representative of IG Metall Cologne-Leverkusen.
Ford Explorer EV production in Cologne (Source: Ford)
Ford is facing an influx of new competition, including Chinese EV makers like BYD. BYD’s overseas sales are surging with a fifth straight month of growth in April.
BYD even outsold Tesla in Germany last month, with 1,566 vehicles registered. In comparison, Tesla had just 855, and Ford saw 9,534 registrations.
Ford’s electric vehicles in Europe from left to right: Puma Gen-E, Explorer, Capri, and Mustang Mach-E (Source: Ford)
On top of this, Ford, like most of the industry, is preparing for more disruption with Trump’s auto tariffs. After releasing Q1 earnings last week, Ford warned that the tariffs could cost up to $2.5 billion this year.
During Ford’s earnings call, CFO Sherry House said that recent EV launches in Europe, including the Explorer, Capri, and Puma Gen-E, helped more than double Model e’s wholesale volume in Q1.
After early success in the US, Ford also launched its “Power Promise” promotion in Europe, offering EV buyers a free home charger and several other perks.