Cadillac targets UK with Optiq EV
Autocar UK|June 05, 2024
American brand's Audi Q4 rival to go on sale this autumn; larger Lyriq set to follow
SAM PHILLIPS
Cadillac targets UK with Optiq EV

The new Cadillac Optiq will be launched later this year as the first car in General Motors' new UK market offensive.

Positioned as the "luxury entry point" into Cadillac's electric line-up, the battery-powered SUV will rival the Audi Q4 E-Tron and BMW iX3 when it lands this autumn.

The larger, BMW iX-chasing Cadillac Lyriq SUV, which is on sale in some European markets already, will join it soon after.

The new offensive comes seven years after GM in effect pulled out of Europe following the sale of Opel-Vauxhall to the PSA Group (now Stellantis).

Since then, GM has maintained a limited import operation for the Chevrolet Corvette and Cadillac XT4 crossover, which is the only car the upmarket brand officially sells in the UK at present.

However, in 2021, the American giant created a new European division, with its HQ in Zürich, Switzerland, and has been gearing up for an all-electric reinvention, spearheaded by Cadillac.

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