Cadillac’s new Optiq-V is coming this autumn... with 519bhp

This is the brawny new Optic-V, the hot version of Cadillac’s cosy crossover, and it’s due to hit shelves in the autumn. American shelves, that is, not UK ones. Dang and blast.

It’s the second instalment in Caddy’s ‘V’ performance EV portfolio – following the Lyriq, you'll remember – and the numbers are not to be scoffed at: 519bhp and 650lb ft from its dual-motor/all-wheel drive setup.

Activate the launch control and ‘Velocity Max’ driving mode, and 0-62mph is sorted in around 3.5 seconds.

Cadillac’s also tightened up the steering, enhanced the suspension and thrown in Brembo calipers at the front for a stronger show around the twisty bits.

As for the battery, its 85kWh pack is supposedly good for 275 miles of range. The Optiq-V is also the first GM-built vehicle to get a dedicated NACS charging port for use with Tesla’s supercharger network, and means a 10-minute pit stop should regain 70 miles.

Elsewhere, you’ll spot a ‘V-Mode’ button on the steering wheel to save your various driving settings, sorta like BMW does with its ‘M’ driver modes. There’s also a ‘Competitive Mode’ which enables a ‘unique sound experience’, though we’re yet to know if this means a typically synthesised e-motor rumble or a series of whale noises.

On the design front, the Optiq-V gets a new front fascia with a mesh lower grille, a more aggressive front splitter, rear diffuser and boot lid wing. You can get all this lot in carbon as an optional extra. 21in satin graphite alloys with low-profile summer tyres are dropped in as standard, with blue brake calipers concluding the exterior changes.

Internally, the base colour is black with a choice of blue or grey accents, and the fabric pattern is darker than the non-V car. There’s a fair bit of carbon fibre on the centre console, and a more performance-y steering wheel in place.

Generic traits include a panoramic glass roof, 19-speaker AKG Dolby Atmos audio system and a 33in diagonal LED display. Yes, 33in. Household TVs were that size in the not-too-distant past.

Google software will be included from launch, so you’ll have access to Maps and the virtual Assistant for… assistance with Maps. Standard Super Cruise technology is programmed in, and supplemented by many radars, cameras and sensors to deploy the various safety technologies. Blind Zone Steering, Forward Collision Alert, you know the deal.

Pricing for the Optiq-V starts at an MSRP of $68,795 - subject to change depending on the usual freight charge, dealer fees, additional whale noise choices and so on.