The Cadillac Optiq is one step closer to Australia, this week receiving government approval ahead of a launch sometime during 2026.
The mid-size electric luxury SUV will slot in under the Lyriq, Cadillac’s debut model in Australia, where customer deliveries commenced early this year.
A look at the government certification documents reveals a single powertrain: a 224kW dual-motor all-wheel drive configuration.
That matches up with Optiqs exported to Europe and the model year 2025 (MY25) Optiq sold in North America, the latter of which has been superseded by an updated MY26 lineup that’s also built in Mexico.
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Still powered by an 85kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NCM) battery with a 150kW maximum DC charging rate, the MY26 Optiq gains a single-motor rear-wheel drive configuration producing 232kW of power and 450Nm of torque – up 8kW on the MY25 Optiq AWD, though down 30Nm.
There’s still a dual-motor all-wheel drive option in the US for MY26, and it’s received a huge bump in power and torque to 328kW and 675Nm.
An even hotter Optiq-V, which has previously been ruled out for Australia, pumps out 387kW and 880Nm and has other performance enhancements including adaptive dampers.
Despite the extra performance, range doesn’t change much for MY26. It’s 486km on the stricter US EPA cycle for the MY25 AWD, 482km for the MY26 RWD, and 451km for the MY26 AWD.
It’s unclear if Cadillac will launch the Optiq in Australia with the less powerful dual-motor AWD setup and introduce the MY26 powertrain later.
Only a single variant appears in the Australian Government approval documents, weighing 2379kg and offering maximum braked towing capacity of 680kg.
It’s possible Cadillac could do as it has with the Lyriq in Australia, which is offered with effectively one level of standard equipment but with slightly different trim details across Sport and Luxury nameplates.
The Optiq measures 4823mm long, 1912mm wide and 1644mm tall on a 2954mm wheelbase.
While that makes it smaller than the Lyriq, it’s still 30mm longer and 20mm taller than a Tesla Model Y on a 64mm longer wheelbase, though it’s 70mm narrower than Australia’s top-selling electric SUV.
It’s unclear how Cadillac will price the Optiq in Australia. For 2026, around US$8000 (A$12,000) separates the most affordable members of each model range.
In Australia, the list prices of the Lyriq Luxury and Sport were $122,000 and $124,000 before on-road costs, respectively, until Cadillac recently introduced a deal bringing sharper pricing.
Applying to new and demonstrator MY25 Lyriqs purchased by private buyers between now and February 28, 2026, Cadillac is advertising both model grades at $91,300 before on-roads, bringing it under the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) threshold for ‘fuel-efficient’ vehicles, which qualifies it for a fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption.
On-road costs are limited to stamp duty, registration, compulsory third-party insurance, and plate fees, with drive-away pricing ranging from $94,066 to $98,693 depending on the state or territory. It’s worth noting this is a special offer, and Cadillac has yet to announce MY26 Lyriq pricing for Australia.
While we expect the Optiq to undercut the Lyriq, how it’ll be priced relative to other luxury-brand electric SUVs is unclear.
Audi’s similarly sized Q6 e-tron is priced from $99,900 before on-road costs, while Lexus’ similarly sized RZ has a base list price of $121,059 plus ORCs.
It’s unclear if RZ pricing will be sharpened with an updated due next year, given its Toyota- and Subaru-badged platform-mates have received significant price cuts.
In addition to the Optiq, Cadillac will also introduce a hot version of the Lyriq called the Lyriq-V, plus the flagship Vistiq SUV. The latter will be the only Cadillac model available in Australia with a third row of seats.
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