The 2026 Cadillac Optiq-V Enters Production Later This Year

by Chris Teague

Published: June 10th, 2025

the 2026 cadillac optiq v enters production later this year

General Motors’ EV sales have grown significantly, with Chevrolet now gunning for Tesla’s top spot. Cadillac has announced a few new models in recent months, and the latest is the Optiq-V, a rowdier version of the brand’s Chevy Equinox EV-based SUV.

The 2026 Optiq-V will arrive with 519 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, giving it a 3.5-second 0-60 mph time in the fiercest drive mode setting. It will also feature launch control, Brembo front brake calipers, and Super Cruise will come standard. Cadillac also equips a V-Mode driving system that lets the driver configure a custom drive mode, which is accessed using the “V” button on the steering wheel.

Range takes a slight hit from the most efficient regular Optiq models, reaching 275 miles on a charge. The V will also be Cadillac’s first vehicle to leave the factory with a Tesla North American Charging Standard port (NACS).

As is tradition for Cadillac at this point, the Optiq-V will feature a large 33-inch touchscreen, but Apple CarPlay or Android Auto will not be available. Despite that oversight, the SUV gets a load of other desirable features, including a 19-speaker AKG Studio stereo system, super Cruise, and Google Built-In, which offers Google Maps, Assistant, and some Play Store features.

Cadillac priced the 2026 Optiq-V at $68,795. Production starts this fall ahead of sales in several countries.

[Images: Cadillac]

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Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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2 of 4 comments

El scotto on Jun 10, 2025

Good Christ! Those two-tone seats are nasty.

1 Reply
Dana on Jun 11, 2025

Now make it a wagon instead of an SUV. It looks like every other SUV on the road.

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