Cadillac Optiq Getting More Horsepower, RWD Option For 2026

Just a year after it went on sale, the starting point for Cadillac’s growing electric lineup is reportedly going to get some big changes. Cadillac is clearly looking to appeal to more buyers with features like a new rear-drive model for the Optiq and a whole lot more horsepower for all-wheel drive models. Plus an even quicker Optiq-V is set to join the lineup. And with that new rear-driver in the lineup, the electric replacement for the gas XT4 is probably going to get a fair bit cheaper, too.

More Power Will Likely Come With More Range And A Lower Starting Price

The news of the changes for 2026 comes from GMAuthority. We’ve reached out to Cadillac to confirm, and we’ll let you know when the updates move from reported to official. For now, it appears Cadillac’s new rear-drive Optiq EV will get 315 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. Not only is it 80 horsepower more than the gas-powered XT4, it is 15 horses more than the 2025 Optiq dual-motor AWD model. But losing an electric motor also loses 22 pound-feet of torque.

The RWD Optiq will have the same 85 kilowatt-hour battery as the AWD model. There isn’t an official range number yet, but it should beat the 302 miles that the AWD model managed for 2025, thanks to less weight and higher efficiency.

Don’t worry about the AWD model suddenly becoming the slow one, because it will get an update as well. In fact, it’s getting an extra 140 horses and 144 torques, bringing its total up to an impressive 440 and 498 respectively. That’s not exactly chump change.

Of course, if that’s not enough, there is always the 2026 Cadillac Optiq-V. That model, which was announced earlier this month, gets a beefy 519 hp and 650 lb-ft. Put it in the aptly named Velocity Max mode, and it’ll hit 60 mph from a standstill in just 3.5 seconds.

Expect The Updated EV This Fall

The report covers some more boring changes. Crystal White Tricoat will be replaced by Vibrant White, which is the kind of thing that will be noticed by approximately zero people. Cadillac has confirmed that the Optiq-V will get an NACS charge port for Tesla Supercharger access. It was the first GM vehicle officially announced with that plug, which is expected on more GM EVs in 2026. Based on that, it’s extremely likely that Cadillac will switch the standard Optiq’s charge port as well. Though that’s speculation on our part at this time.

According to the report, dealers will be able to start configuring the 2026 Optiq on the 26th of June. Order processing starts July 24, and production begins on August 25. Expect it to take about a month for the EVs to go from the start of production to their arrival at dealers.

Related

Cadillac EVs Are Getting A Big Audio Improvement

All 2026 models get it, and even some 2025s.

As for pricing, the 2026 Optiq-V will start at $68,795. We don’t have figures for the rest, but the 2025 model starts at $52,895 plus destination. The RWD model will likely be cheaper than that starting price, but with assembly at GM’s Ramos Arizpe factory in Mexico, we’re not sure how tariffs could affect it.

Source: GMAuthority