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2025 Cadillac OPTIQ unveiled: 300-mile range, 300 horsepower, $54,000 starting price

Head-on view of 2025 Cadillac OPTIQ in Monarch Orange, featuring Cadillac vertical lighting signature, sleek LED headlamps and the black crystal shield grille design.

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General Motors brand Cadillac unveiled its OPTIQ all-electric luxury SUV today, giving more information on specifications, including range, horsepower, starting price, and features.

The OPTIQ features numerous best-in-class ratings, including cargo capacity and second-row spaciousness, but people have been waiting for the stuff that truly matters, like range and performance ratings.

Cadillac said today that the estimated range of the OPTIQ will be 300 miles, and it will feature a standard dual motor all-wheel-drive powertrain.

“Cadillac has always defined American luxury, and OPTIQ is an example of how our bold, innovative spirit is propelling us into the EV future,” Vice President of Cadillac Global, John Roth, said. “Over the past five years, Cadillac has welcomed approximately 1 million new customers to the family globally, while our percentage of younger buyers has increased 5% in the U.S. OPTIQ will be an important gateway to attract luxury EV intenders to Cadillac as we look to offer a fully electric portfolio by the end of the decade.”

Performance

The OPTIQ includes an 85 kWh battery pack, 330 horsepower, and 354 lb-ft of instant torque, giving drivers and passengers a true EV experience with performance metrics. Additionally, 300 miles of range will be what Cadillac estimates to be standard at a full charge, and DC fast charging will give 79 miles in about ten minutes.

It will also feature Regen on Demand, which is described as “a driver-controlled braking feature that allows the driver to slow down or stop the OPTIQ with a dedicated, pressure-sensitive paddle located on the steering wheel.”

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With One-Pedal Driving, the OPTIQ will be able to convert kinetic energy back into the battery pack, giving more range to the vehicle through normal driving behavior.

Exterior Details and Design

One of the most groundbreaking features of the OPTIQ is its design, which is “sporty and youthful,” flowing with the help of glass and black crystal.

GM describes the four pillars of its unique exterior design:

  • Roof Encompassing Glasswork: The fixed-glass roof enables a seamless transition from glass to sheet metal.
  • Black Crystal Grille: OPTIQ’s signature black crystal grille incorporates the Cadillac vertical signature lighting and includes a laser-etched pattern within the grille that offers an understated, high-tech feel.
  • Rear-Quarter Panel: OPTIQ’s rear quarter panel window design is achieved through a Cadillac-first precision pattern in acoustic laminate glass. The graphic pattern is found throughout OPTIQ and aligns with the Mondrian crest in a nod to classic Cadillac styling.
  • Signature Lighting Choreography: When the driver approaches or exits the vehicle, their key fob begins a choreographed lighting sequence to greet them.

Interior Features

The interior of the vehicle is about as unique as the outside and features state-of-the-art, modern designs and features that give a high-tech design.

“OPTIQ’s bold design leverages the Cadillac standard for luxury while remaining youthful, sporty, and innovative. Its expressive detailing, integrated technology and welcoming interior gives drivers a true immersive experience,” Executive Director of Cadillac Design, Bryan Nesbitt, said.

The already-mentioned segment-best in cargo capacity and second-row spaciousness comes to the forefront.

In addition to that, the OPTIQ will feature a 33-inch diagonal LED display with 9k resolution and over 1 billion colors, Super Cruise driver assistance tech as a standard, advanced radar, camera, and ultrasonic sensor technology, standard safety features like adaptive cruise control, Blind Zone Steering Assist, and Enhanced Automatic Parking, Google built-in compatibility, and standard 19-speaker AKG Audio System and Dolby Atmos.

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Trims and Pricing

Luxury and Sport trims will be available, both offering two distinct looks that the driver can decide on. Pricing will start at $54,000, but Cadillac strictly states that the dealer will set the final price.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla Robotaxi app update now tells riders if Cybercab is the better choice

Tesla’s Robotaxi app now shows ETAs, wait times and availability for Cybercab and Model Y.

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Concept art of a Tesla Cybercab in Las Vegas Strip as rendered via Grok

Tesla has rolled out a new vehicle selection screen in its Robotaxi app, and it puts the numbers riders care about most in front of them before they book.

Version 26.11.0 of the app shows the estimated arrival time, the expected wait and current availability for each vehicle option on a single screen, according to a video shared by @gheeunit  on X on November 7. Riders deciding between a Cybercab and a Model Y Robotaxi can now compare those figures side by side instead of picking a car first and learning how long it will take afterward.

Tesla first gave riders that choice on September 3, the day paid Cybercab rides began in Austin. The original version of the screen listed the Cybercab, which seats two, next to the Model Y, which seats four. A later build, 26.8.2, added a seating capacity indicator so groups knew which car would fit them. What it did not show was whether choosing the Cybercab meant standing on the curb a few extra minutes.

That question matters more now than it did two months ago. Tesla had 45 Cybercabs on the Texas DMV roster when rides started. By late October the state listed 573, alongside 631 Model Ys, and community trackers logged a record 1,576 Cybercab sightings across Austin on Halloween alone. With two large fleets sharing one service area, the closest car and the quickest pickup are not always the same vehicle.

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Inline availability also changes what happens when demand spikes. If no Cybercab is free nearby, the rider sees that on the selection screen rather than after trying to book one.

For now the comparison is mostly an Austin feature. Riders in Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth and the Florida markets are still matched with Model Y vehicles, though Tesla said on its third quarter earnings call that Cybercab rides would launch in Dallas this month.

The update follows a steady run of smaller changes to the rider experience. Late last month Tesla brought a quiet mode that blacks out the cabin screen to Model Y Robotaxis after first testing it in the Cybercab, and it has stretched Austin service to run from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.

The Cybercab side of that selection screen is about to get much busier. Elon Musk said this week that Tesla will wind down Cybertruck production at Gigafactory Texas around the middle of 2027 to make room for more Cybercab output, and Tesla has said it is aiming to get Cybercabs to customers by the end of this year.

Tesla has not published official release notes for version 26.11.0.

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Tesla is ending Cybertruck production

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Credit: diagnosticdennis/Instagram and @smile__no via Tesla Owners of Santa Clarita Valley/X

Tesla is ending Cybertruck production sometime in mid-2027, according to CEO Elon Musk.

Musk made the announcement on X last night, which came as a shock to many. He said that the Cybertruck will end production “to make room for increased Cybercab production” at Gigafactory Texas.

It is a huge blow to the fans of Tesla who have come to love the Cybertruck and identify with it as a symbol of their fandom. It has been the best-selling electric pickup, but it has had an underwhelming sales performance in terms of what was expected. This is mostly due to Tesla not meeting the prices it planned to offer the Cybertruck, as its unveiling and actual release were four years apart.

Overall, the responses were mixed. Some fans understood the move toward Cybercab production, especially as Tesla is truly pushing the autonomous future through its Robotaxi platform. However, others did not understand it.

“Damn, how many Cybercabs do you guys need?” one response read. Another said it was “Sad but understandable.”Even analyst Gary Black had responded to the news, stating he hoped Tesla planned to replace it with a traditional pickup design.

It doesn’t seem like that will be the case.

Tesla is so hell-bent on delivering autonomy and eventually providing a driverless service that owning a car seems like an arbitrary idea, according to their thesis. Instead, Cybercabs will be available to pick you up and drop you off on demand, safely, without any human help.

As a result, Tesla has thinned its lineup considerably, and one can only ask where the vehicle lineup goes from here. Eventually, it seems like Cybercab could be the only vehicle that Tesla will sell.

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SpaceX’s next Starship flight set to make history on Friday the 13th

SpaceX is targeting Friday, November 13 for Starship Flight 15 and its first ship catch.

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SpaceX is targeting Friday, November 13 for Starship Flight 15, the mission the company plans to use for its first attempt at catching the ship itself with the launch tower.

SpaceX Vice President of Launch Kiko Dontchev shared the date on stage at the UP.Summit on Thursday, according to Ars Technica’s Eric Berger, who was in attendance. It is the first launch target to come directly from a SpaceX executive. Until now, the public schedule had relied on FAA air traffic planning slides, which listed Flight 15 for no earlier than November 8 and later November 12. SpaceX has not posted an official mission page yet, and no launch time has been shared.

The date lands inside the window Elon Musk sketched out last month. Speaking at Giga Texas on October 10, Musk said the flight would “probably launch a little bit before Thanksgiving,” as Teslarati reported. On SpaceX’s third quarter earnings call ten days later, he confirmed that Flight 15 would try to catch both the Super Heavy booster and the ship, and put the odds of a successful ship catch at “more likely than not.” SpaceX also aired an animation of the maneuver during that webcast, showing the ship swinging vertical over Starbase before dropping into the tower’s chopsticks.

The hardware is ready. Booster 22 fired all 33 of its Raptor engines for a full duration static fire at Pad 2 on October 25. Ship 42 followed with a single engine burn simulating a deorbit maneuver on October 26 and a 60 second firing of all six engines the next day, according to NASASpaceflight. Ship 42 had already rehearsed the catch in September, when the Pad 2 arms lifted it into position and crews connected the quick disconnect arm while the vehicle hung from the tower.

The remaining hurdle is regulatory. The FAA’s Starship page does not yet list a Flight 15 license. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in October that, after “significant constructive engagement with the FAA,” she expects the license to cover a return to the launch site and a tower catch for both stages. Bringing the ship home means a reentry path that heads toward land, rather than ending over open ocean as every Starship flight so far has.

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SpaceX has caught Super Heavy three times, on Flights 5, 7 and 8, but the ship comes back from orbital velocity and has never been caught. Flight 14 on September 28 was the first Starship to reach orbit, deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites before splashing down despite an early engine shutdown that Musk blamed on engine computer software.

Musk has called a successful ship catch “the first time that there’s been full recovery of an orbital class rocket,” and he has already named the step after it: a Flight 16 where both the booster and the ship fly again. NASASpaceflight reports that Ship 43, the next vehicle in line, is set for static fire testing in December.

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