Cadillac’s Electric Push Includes the Opulent Velocity Concept

Though General Motors overall has shown some ambivalence about the pace of electric vehicle introductions—first canceling the entry-level Bolt, then reinstating it last year (though for an undisclosed date)—Cadillac is all in.

To prove it, the company is introducing a full range of new plug-in models in top-to-bottom market segments. Luxury is definitely covered. GM sold just over 75,000 electric vehicles last year, up 93% from 2022. The Cadillac electric line currently includes the Lyriq (a luxury-minded SUV that starts at US$57,195); Escalade IQ (a very fancy three-row that, later this year, will start at US$130,000); Celestiq (an ultra-luxurious limited-edition sedan, starting at US$350,000); and Optiq (an entry-level electric SUV for 2025, slotted below the Lyriq), starting around US$45,000. And let’s not forget the forthcoming 2026 Vistiq, a three-row SUV to complement the iQ. No price yet. And did you notice they all end in “IQ”?

Cadillac sold approximately 9,000 Lyriqs in 2023, with 3,800 of them moving in the last quarter. That made the Lyriq the best seller among electric compact luxury SUVs. Admittedly, a few qualifiers there: The Lyriq is also offered in China, and sales there climbed 60% in 2023.

Departing from the IQ convention is a new show car, the Opulent Velocity, which Cadillac has only shown in a teaser photograph and video. In the latter, a blurred image of the car races past. Speculation is that it will be a luxurious sedan like the flamboyantly styled Celestiq, but possibly more conventionally designed and with an emphasis on performance.

The Opulent Velocity concept car is in part a celebration of Cadillac’s V-Series, which presents performance versions of popular models. Recent offerings include the 2025 CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing. These are brute-force supercharged V8 sedans. The US$96,000 Blackwing version produces 668 horsepower and 659 pound-feet of torque, coupled to a (rare these days) six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic.

The 2025 Optiq will be the entry-level electric Cadillac SUV
Cadillac

Phil Dauchy, global head of brand strategy and international marketing at Cadillac, points out that the company’s performance series is now 20 years old.

“The V-Series cars perform at the top of their segments,” Dauchy says, adding that the V-Series nomenclature will remain as the brand goes electric. But the EVs with lots of power are already there. “If you buy a Lyriq Sport all-wheel drive right now you get a car with more than 500 horsepower,” he says.

The electric lineup now is heavy on SUVs, but Dauchy says that Cadillac’s current CT4 and CT5 sedan models are performing very well in the marketplace. “There is a significant piece of the luxury market that is sedans, including in China,” he says. “Cadillac remains dedicated to its sedan lineup.”

The 2026 Vistiq is slotted between the Lyriq and Escalade IQ.
Cadillac

Dauchy declined to say how many people have bought those pricey Celestiqs. “It’s not about the sales numbers, though we have an internal sales goal,” he says. “We intend to produce fewer than we can sell. We want a vehicle that is hard to get. We also want a unique buying experience, with prospective buyers coming out to the Cadillac House in Warren, Michigan and choosing colours and fabrics and working with a concierge.” This bespoke approach has worked well for other luxury brands, from Rolls-Royce to Maserati.

Spokeswoman Stephanie Obendorfer says the concept will not be featured at the New York International Auto Show , which runs through April 7. “We look forward to sharing more details on Opulent Velocity later this year,” Obendorfer says.

Specialised venues—such as the recent Amelia Island and Audrain concours events—are a better fit for showing exclusive cars like Opulent Velocity, Dauchy says.

All of Cadillac’s new models will be electric going forward. Internal-combustion cars will remain in the lineup until the end of the decade. But the pursuit of performance remains. EVs today are the world’s fastest cars off the line, even if they don’t always excel at top speeds. The Celestiq, though its emphasis is on luxury, reaches 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, and its two electric motors produce 600 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque.

Aston Martin builds all of its cars with a peak blend of performance and luxury. Still, their six-figure creations can lean more aggressively into one side or the other of that simple recipe.

For example, the DBD707 SUV hides a 4-litre V8 engine capable of 697 horsepower, but its overall size and endless creature comforts nuzzle a little closer to luxury’s embrace. The small-batch Valour muscles up on the performance scale with its prized manual transmission and 5.2-litre, 705 horsepower V12 power plant. Meanwhile, the recently redesigned DB12 is the company’s best attempt at splitting the performance-luxury gambit right down the middle.

Amid all of those supercar machinations, the Aston Martin Vantage sneaks away to play as the most performance-centric car coming out of the Gaydon, England, factory. Redesigned for 2025, the US$191,000 coupe reasserts itself as the most dedicated “driver’s car” in a very driver-friendly line. Should this be in pounds first?

During a road drive and speed testing event at Spain’s Circuito Monteblanco about an hour outside of Seville, the new Vantage proved itself as Aston Martin’s most accessible track-day companion.

Aston Martin is the most accessible day-track companion. Aston Martin

A first look at the latest addition to its very elite Warwickshire family pulls the eyes right to the newly extended rear wells that jut out around 21-inch, forged alloy wheels. While widening the car’s haunches, the wheel positioning reduces unsparing weight and gives the new Vantage a much more athletic pose.

Beyond that muscular base, the Vantage continues the modern Aston Martin styling tradition of riding the razor’s edge between aggression and sophistication. While the car’s Italian and Swedish rivals opt for prominent fins and big scoops, Aston’s designers keep the lines low, wide, and balanced from the signature highlighted grille to the understated aerodynamic spoiler.

In the performance specs department, the Vantage now packs an AMG-built, 4.0-litre, V8 twin turbo, front-mid mounted engine, capable of 656 horsepower, and a top speed of 202 miles per house and a 0 to 60 mph time of 3.4 seconds.

According to James Owen, Aston Martin’s senior manager of Vehicle Engineering, if the DB12 is the automaker’s distinguished overachiever, the Vantage is its less responsible, but equally attractive pugnacious sibling.

“The DB12 is a sports tourer and is positioned in the market as a GT,” Owen says. “It’s important for us to differentiate between Vantage and the DB12—to make sure that difference is clear for buyers and enthusiasts”

Owen describes the larger, pricier DB12 (starting MSRP of US$245,000) as more refined, while he considers the 2025 Vantage as playful and passionate. He even uses the word “brutish,” if such a term can be used for a technology-stuffed, six-figure sports car.

“The word that we keep hearing when talking about the Vantage is ‘fun,’” Owen adds. “That’s what we wanted to hear. We wanted to create a car that pulls at the heartstrings because it’s so enjoyable to drive. But, we wanted it to have a challenging character to it.”

Previous versions of the Vantage fit that punkier image. While always built for speed and powerful acceleration, the last couple editions of the Vantage were a little more harsh. The steering seemed more aggressive—demanding more input from the driver. The suspension felt tighter, deliberately transmitting more of the road’s surfaces and imperfections into the driver’s backside. If any current car in the Aston Martin line is a direct descendant of the automaker’s racing pedigree at Le Mans or in F1, it’s the Vantage.

Still, amid all this talk of driving fun and racing performance, Owen is quick to remind drivers that the Vantage is still an Aston Martin— steeped in the company’s signature identity of sophistication as the grownup’s more dignified supercar.

“The Vantage also has that added feature in its wheelhouse,” Owen explains. “Yes, it will respond to a driver pushing it in a racing scenario, but—with the technology we built into the car to stabilise the body at its most comfortable driver mode settings – the Vantage is still a very pleasant place to be.”

In keeping with such pleasantness, the interior of 2025 Vantage bears no resemblance to any race car. Handmade and stitched Haircell Leather stretches in all directions in any colour the buyer prefers. The Sports Plus Seats are 8-way adjustable with heat or cooling on demand. The complete infotainment suite featuring the official Aston Martin Audio system from Bowers & Wilkins is a step up from the previous Vantage (and the current DB12).

The interior includes an infotainment suite featuring the official Aston Martin Audio system from Bowers & Wilkins. Aston Martin

Once the internal comforts and engineering feats come together, the experience behind the wheel is a sensual union of car and operator. Acceleration is smooth, yet immediate. The cornering is focused and nimble, and its rear-wheel drive allows for just enough play for the occasional drift at speed in turns.

A key piece of Aston Martin technology makes the Vantage’s elite performance potential accessible to more drivers. The ESP System (Electronic Stability Programme) debuted in the DB12, and the Vantage adopts the tech to its driver mode system. ESP takes information from multiple sensors around the vehicle, feeding the accelerometer data into a computerised concept of the car’s driving conditions and the ability of the operator.

Resulting algorithms react to those conditions, road surface issues, available grip, etc., tightening up the vehicle where necessary to aid the driver and offer as much feel and performance as the given operator can manage.

In its completed package, the 2025 Vantage is aimed at a specific buyer demographic—the driving enthusiast who puts thrills ahead of all-out creature comforts.

“For each project at Aston Martin, we have a customer profile in mind,” Owen says. “They have defined interests that highlight their demographic. For the Vantage, we consider a buyer who is perhaps new to the brand and looking into the ‘entry level’ Aston Martin. That’s a buyer who isn’t concerned with having a backseat or the DB nameplate. He or she thinks performance first and foremost.”