This morning, Cadillac has confirmed that it’s adding a fifth all-electric SUV to its lineup. The 2026 Cadillac Vistiq will be slotted somewhere in the middle of Caddy’s EV SUVs above the Lyriq but under the Escalade IQ.
News about this new SUV is impressively thin. Cadillac’s press release is roughly four paragraphs long, and one of them is dedicated to a different EV. However, there are still a few bits of information to gobble up.
Just last month, Cadillac unveiled the 2025 Optiq, which will serve as Cadillac’s entry-level EV. Toss in the flagship Celestiq, and we’re beginning to see a full lineup of electric Cadillac SUVs with seemingly granular changes in size. Once all of these EVs launch, the lineup will start with the Optiq. Cadillac hasn’t released pricing information for the Optiq, but it will be reasonable to expect it to launch for a price under the $58,590 Lyriq. If you want a Cadillac EV with three rows but don’t want to go to the around $130,000 Escalade IQ, that’s the spot that will be filled by the Vistiq. The cherry on top is the $340,000 Celestiq, making the Vistiq right in the middle of its siblings.
The Vistiq marks Cadillac’s third EV reveal this year. Based on its design and size you can sort of estimate from the photos, we would call this an electric equivalent to something like the XT6. It’s also notable that the design is pretty restrained compared to the Cadillac EVs of the recent past. Pricing hasn’t been announced for the Vistiq, but it would be fair to estimate a price higher than the $58,590 Lyriq but lower than the $130,000 Escalade IQ. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cadillac lands somewhere in the middle with a price of around $80,000 or so.
Here’s a picture of the XT6 in case you’ve forgotten:
Again, Cadillac is light on details, but the Vistiq will ride on GM’s scalable Ultium platform. It would also make sense for this SUV to be assembled at the Spring Hill, Tennessee facility where the Lyriq is currently assembled. Cadillac adds a statement:
“VISTIQ adds another compelling EV to the Cadillac lineup, reinforcing our commitment to an electric future,” said John Roth, vice president of Global Cadillac. “Our brand now has an EV entry in most luxury segments, offering customers a range of choices, and Cadillac EVs will cover most luxury SUV segments across critical global markets in the next two years.”
Cadillac’s expanding lineup of EVs is part of the General Motors plan to not only unveil 30 new EVs by 2025, but to also put 1 million EVs on the road per year by 2025. If GM is serious about that ambitious plan, it’ll need all the help it can get.
For now, that’s all we have. Cadillac says further details, including features, specifications, and pricing, will be revealed next year. Is this the shortest article I’ve ever written for this site? Probably!
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Vistiq sounds like eyeball fungus medication.
No thanq you.
In Q3 2023, Cadillac delivered about 1000 Lyriqs per month from the Tennessee facility where they plan to make the Vistiq. For reference, in the last month, Fisker delivered 450 Oceans.
Cadillac is not technically selling vaporware (the Lyriq physically exists) but something is extremely not right. I’ve read about supply chain and tooling holdups, but at some point we have to question where incompetence stops and intentional sabotage begins, right? Do they actually want to sell the Vistiq, or do they just want to make a big show about it for investors?
Are you just assuming the Lyriq is in-demand or am I missing something? There seem to be plenty of these on dealer lots. Why would they make more if they can’t sell what they have?
It’s handsome. I’d debadge it immediately.
Really just a guess, but I think it has to do with Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. That sent me down the rabbit hole. Originally named Wapuwoc, meaning “white mountain of the first light.”by the Wabanaki People or the “People of the Dawn Land.”[4] Also interesting is the character of Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, a shameless self-promoter who had already appropriated the “de la Mothe” portion of his name from a local nobleman in his native Picardy, thereafter referred to himself as Antoine de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, Donaquec, and Mount Desert.
Once at the summit, enjoy spectacular views of the stars as you carefully walk along the Cadillac Summit Loop. Bar Harbor, Frenchman Bay, and the Cranberry Islands can also be seen from the trail.
Cadillac Press Release:
“After 120 years, we are officially out of vehicle ideas, so we would appreciate if you would just focus on our dumb model names. FYI, we don’t know what they mean, either.”
Yeah, these names are pretty terrible. I do like the way the front end looks on this most out of the new Caddy EVs. Its nice. But man it all falls apart on that tail end. It looks like a bad ripoff of a Kia or Hyundai for some reason, I’m not sure why. But I have long hated Caddy taillight design. I’ve always thought if I owned any of like the last 3 Escalade generations, I would remove the taillights and swap them out for Yukon filler plates and lights instead.
Shaq called, he wants his naming gimmiq baq.
This is the deal he made so that we could forget about “Kazaam!”
The naming convention makes every car sound like a fragrance by Dennis Feinstein
I’m a Caddy loyalist for life, but I’ll be damned if all the new names aren’t straight from a Key And Peele sketch. It’s like there CUE infotainment program has some dirty laundry on upper management.
All I want is one good sedan to stay that doesn’t cost the same as 5 shitty retired USCG cutters. Just one.
I guess that you can Cadilliq my balls, cap-i-tan.
It’s a walq-off!
You should listen to your friend Marq Tucqer- he’s a cool dude.
These new Cadillacs are a bit IQy.
Sooner or later they’ll put out enough models to resolve that rear end design
Worked for Lexus and their front end design
Middle child? The car’s name should be “Malcolm”.
“Malqolm” in Caddilaqese.
or Jan
Cadillac’s naming conventions are making me a little siq.
Hello everyone! Thomas is out driving a cool car, so I’m taking his spot as the newsperson while also writing my usual fare. I think he will be returning Monday to deliver the news in his characteristic style. 🙂
At some point, are they planning to change the brand name to “Cadilliq”?
That would be Fantastiq
I think everyday is April Fools at CADILLIQ but no one realizes it.
LYRIQ, VISTIQ, CELETIQ, OPTIQ, uh the person in charge of the Escalade IQ is surely to get a bad performance review…. hello it’s the ESCALIQ
They should just go the whole hog: Qadilliq
I’m not sure the Vistiq has enough taillights in that photo. What are the odd horizontal lights below the window supposed to do?
It’s the battery meter, only the people behind you know how far you can go until needing a charge.
If you count those individually and all the lines on the corner lights, it may be a record for the number of taillights technically. If only there was a taillight expert available to verify if its a new GBOWR.
Love it. Maybe we need a “wrong answers only” thread for those horizontal tail lights.
Clearly it’s a visual sound level meter to let the people behind you know how hard the bass is dropping.
Love the idea, but is it to late to name it the VistEQ….
When I read the name, I immediately heard “Do not take Vistiq if you are allergic to Vistiq. Possible side effects of Vistiq include…”
Cadillac better be careful as they might get sued by big pharma for taking some of their nonsense names off the board.
If I knew then what Cadillac would call their cars now, all the while of poking fun at Johann…..I would take it all back. These names are a fucking joke.
I’ll take silly names over alphanumeric soup any day.
The Cadillac Bisquiq*
The Cadillac Nestlequiq
The whole naming convention can Sukmadiq
It’s almost enough to make me miss the old alphanumeriqs.
Can’t wait for the El Doradiq, the Devilliq, Sevilliq, CTS-Viq, and even the elusive Allantiq
Don’t forget the Fliqwood.