May the $54,000 Cadillac Optiq Be a Large Hit? – CleanTechnica – Uplaza

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May the Cadillac Optiq be the subsequent huge factor within the US EV market?

Cadillac is an attention-grabbing model. Way back, when my dad and mom and grandparents have been younger, it was the luxurious model in the USA. It was king of the hill. However, progressively, new choices got here onto the market and Cadillac grew to become increasingly related to … grandparents. It just about appeared just like the model was dying. Nevertheless, the Escalade got here onto the scene, shortly grew to become probably the most distinguished automobiles of rappers, celebrities, and nation golf equipment, and the model has carried out fairly properly for itself. (To be trustworthy, I used to be stunned to seek out out the Escalade first hit the market in 1999 — I believed it was a bit older than that.)

Lately, Cadillac’s XT line (XT4, XT5, and XT6) has been fairly in style. One thing type of between and XT automobile and an Escalade, however electrical and much more luxurious, is Cadillac’s first totally electrical mannequin, and it’s been kicking butt. In reality, no different auto model in nation has extra of its gross sales coming from pure electrical automobiles than Cadillac — and that’s all of the Lyriq. Within the first quarter, 16.4% of Cadillac’s US gross sales have been gross sales of the Lyriq. Now, Cadillac is popping out with a barely extra inexpensive EV, the Cadillac Optiq, beginning at about $54,000. It’s a bit of smaller, and appears extra like a competitor to the XT line.

Word that sells about 50% extra of its XT automobiles than Escalades. The Escalade has about double the gross sales of any single XT mannequin, however the three of them collectively add as much as about 50% extra. Naturally, a part of that undoubtedly comes from the truth that the Escalade is considerably costlier than the XT4, XT5, or XT6, however that’s additionally the case for Cadillac’s electrical automobiles. The Lyriq and Optiq are a lot nearer in worth to the XT line than the Escalade. (By the best way, there’s an electrical Escalade coming, the Escalade IQ, and it’s estimated to begin at about $50,000 greater than the the traditional Escalade — $130,000 versus simply over $80,000. I’ll come again to that in a minute.)

Bringing the Optiq to market tells me a few issues. For one, it tells me that Cadillac is critical about promoting EVs (if that wasn’t already clear). If Cadillac wasn’t critical about this, it might simply promote the Lyriq. Bringing one other EV to market that’s only a couple thousand {dollars} cheaper doesn’t make sense in case you’re attempting to maintain EVs to a distinct segment class and nook of your dealerships. Having the Lyriq and the Optiq, like having the three XT automobiles, tells folks Cadillac is behind EVs and providing you with choices, with even pretty small variations in an effort to jack up the mannequin rely, have extra EVs on heaps, and attraction to extra market segments. Frankly, Cadillac might have simply rolled out one other model of the Lyriq — however that is advertising, it’s attempting to promote EVs!

Additionally, whereas the worth of the Optiq is presently estimated to begin at $54,000, one has to suppose that it might come down in worth in a while when it’s being mass produced. Reducing its worth might stimulate extra purchases and create extra of a distinction between it and the Lyriq in an effort to push consumers into the segments they’re extra drawn to.

Tech Crunch even notes that the Optiq could also be focused at hipsters! “The latest is the 2025 Optiq, a mid-size crossover that could finally snag the young, hipster customers Cadillac has longed for. With a base price of $54,000, it’s the cheapest in the EV lineup, and its design has enough special touches to stand apart from the rest of its portfolio.” Word that that is near the worth area of a Tesla Mannequin Y. If a reasonably rich “hipster” needs an EV that stands out a bit greater than the tens of millions of Mannequin Ys on the highway, or doesn’t wish to purchase an EV from an organization CEO who has endorsed Donald Trump, growth — the Optiq is staring them proper within the face.

And let’s come again to that Escalade IQ. You don’t roll out a brand new mannequin that’s $50,000 greater than your top-end mannequin with out pondering, and much more so when that is an EV and is constructing on the enormous legacy model of the Escalade. Cadillac 100% needs to be seen as an EV chief and an organization that’s going all-in on EVs. (It in all probability additionally needs a few of these sweetly insane revenue margins accessible up in cloud territory.) Cadillac is telling folks: Oh, you need the fanciest new factor on the block? That’s an EV. However even in case you can’t afford the Escalade IQ, we’ve bought this Optiq over right here you’ll love.

Oh yeah, and we haven’t even talked in regards to the Celestiq, which doesn’t have a listed MSRP and you must inquire about if you wish to purchase it.

By the best way, the Optiq is being produced in Mexico, which, it seems, not too long ago elected a feminine local weather scientist as its subsequent president. Speak about progress! Am I jealous? Am I in all probability very jealous? Don’t ask me if I’m jealous! “The automaker’s Mexican subsidiary has finally confirmed that the all-new Cadillac Optiq will be manufactured at the GM Ramos Arizpe plant, the company’s most advanced factory in the country that was modernized to produce next-generation fully electric vehicles,” GM Authority writes. “A pair of GM Mexico executives confirmed to Cluster Industrial that the Mexican plant is preparing to begin production of the Cadillac Optiq in the last quarter of the year.”

“The Ramos Arizpe Complex received a $1 billion investment in 2021 for the production of electric cars, as the fifth General Motors North America plant to produce EVs,” mentioned GM Mexico’s Communications Division to native press. “Recently, Cadillac announced in Paris the launch of Optiq, which will also be produced in the Ramos Arizpe plant in the last quarter of the year.”

I’ve to present huge kudos to Cadillac on the Optiq. It’s a horny EV filled with the options and luxe you’d anticipate from a Cadillac and at a considerably inexpensive worth. I look ahead to seeing them throughout my Florida suburb as an alternative of all the XT4, XT5, and XT6 crossovers I see, and I look ahead to monitoring its quarterly gross sales progress.

All photos courtesy of Cadillac.