General Motors has just confirmed the all-new, fully electric Cadillac Optiq and Cadillac Vistiq in right-hand-drive configuration for Australia and New Zealand.
The automaker officially confirmed that it will expand Cadillac’s zero-emission vehicle lineup in Australia and New Zealand with the addition of the right-hand-drive Cadillac Optiq and Cadillac Vistiq, which are scheduled to arrive in the region during the 2026 calendar year. The new RHD Optiq and Vistiq are a natural step that will drive growth for the luxury brand in Oceania’s largest and most important countries.
“We made a commitment that Cadillac’s incredible all-electric product portfolio would be a truly global offering, and that story begins in Australia and New Zealand with the right-hand-drive Lyriq and Lyriq-V,” said Vice President Global Cadillac, John Roth. “I’m thrilled to confirm the addition of the Optiq and Vistiq, both of which have been planned and engineered to be built in RHD from their inception, and which will build on Cadillac’s electric momentum in the ANZ region,” he added.
Notably, this is the first time the company has formally confirmed the upcoming Cadillac Optiq and Cadillac Vistiq RHD as part of its global growth strategy. The official announcement comes more than a year after GM Authority exclusively previewed that the Cadillac Vistiq will expand the brand’s right-hand-drive vehicle portfolio, as part of a series of Cadillac RHD electric models for Australia, New Zealand, and other global markets.
In fact, the global confirmation of the all-new Cadillac Optiq and Cadillac Vistiq RHD was made at a special brand event in Tokyo, Japan, to highlight Cadillac’s commitment to the global right-hand drive markets starting with Australia and New Zealand. With the announcement, the brand implicitly confirmed that it plans to launch the new zero-emission RHD crossovers in the Japanese market and very soon in the United Kingdom as well.
The right-hand-drive Cadillac Optiq and Cadillac Vistiq will be officially introduced in Australia and New Zealand early next year, when both models are scheduled to go on sale through Cadillac’s online retail and flagship stores in those countries. The RHD 2026 Vistiq will be built alongside Cadillac Lyriq units at the GM Spring Hill plant in Tennessee, while the RHD Optiq will be built at the GM Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico.
Comments
I’m sure those Aussies are doing cartwheels. Not.
I am sure they are actually.
About 8% (10% if you include PHEV’s) of new car sales were pure EV’s in 2024 and are growing quickly.
Nice to hear that Cadillac will be making their vehicles right hand drive for certain markets.
Not really. PHEV sales are through the roof, because of tax incentives (pre-tax salary sacrifice) but these are expiring at the end of March (if memory serves). BEV sales stalled because the market is already saturated.
It will be nice to have another option to the current bland Euro and Japanese offerings. The Lyriq is a nice looking vehicle and well appointed.
Please no more EVs, just send the real Cadillacs with V8s. Or/And bring Holden back, so we can make cars in Australia for Australia.
So GM wants back in to the Australian market after taking $1.6b from Australian taxpayers in subsidies, on the commitment to stay and produce the next Commodore (large sedan) model in Australia. What they in fact did was shutter GM Holden giving the reason that building RHD was too expensive for such a small market. Yet they now think it’s not? GM could offer a great car at a great price and I feel the majority of Australians would tell GM to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.
When GM give any sort of commitment – they’re lying.
Fully electric – really. Totally absolutely not what the market wants or needs. These vehicles will fail miserably in Oz and NZ. The decision to market fully electric vehicle’s was obviously made by the DEI types that dominate GM these days. I have driven Holden’s all my life (60 yrs) and still do, most of them purchased new (about 18 in all) Due to the way GM withdrew from Oz l will never buy a new GM product ever again!!!
Will spit on every one i see. Gm can stay in America