Cadillac’s electric performance attack! Move over SUVs, outrageous hypercar could be headed our way as well
The news around Cadillac’s return to Australia has so far been all about SUVs, but stand by for an accelerating emphasis on performance.
General Motors global design chief Mike Simcoe, who has oversight of Cadillac as part of his role, has hinted a properly wild hypercar is on the way to combat the likes of the Mercedes-AMG One.
And Cadillac will also unveil a new concept called V-Series Opulent Velocity this year, which will likely showcase an electric path forward for Cadillac’s internal-combustion high-performance sports sedans.
Currently, they are marketed under the V Series label and topped off by the Blackwing iterations.
“Cadillac is committed to performance,” Melbourne-born Simcoe told Australian media.
This is a direct contrast to the focus Cadillac has had on SUVs since GM announced it was being reborn as an EV-only brand in 2019.
While the flagship is the handbuilt Celestiq luxury saloon, every electric model revealed since then has been an SUV, starting with the Lyriq that will be the launch vehicle in Australia later this year, the smaller Optiq, the larger Vistiq and the gigantic Optiq IQ.
“Could we build a hypercar? Yes. Would we like to build one? Yes. Are we building one? That would be giving too much away,” Simcoe said.
Asked about a Cadillac hypercar’s Aussie prospects he added: “If there was a hypercar no doubt we would [bring it to Australia].”
The addition of a hypercar would seem to make sense for Cadillac, as it is currently engaged in a bid to pair with the Andretti Global racing team to enter F1 in 2026.
There has been a recent trend of F1-affiliated car makers developing road-going hypercars.
The limited edition $5 million Mercedes AMG One coupe launched in 2023 uses an adapted 746kW version of the 1.6-litre V6 petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain employed by the Mercedes-AMG F1 team.
The One is capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of 352km/h.
Meanwhile, the Red Bull F1 team will debut its $10 million RB17 track-car developed by F1’s leading designer Adrian Newey within weeks at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Cadillac also races prototype sports cars in the world endurance and US sportscar championships.
“Whether it’s ICE or whether it’s EV, Cadillac is committed to performance,” Simcoe said. “Otherwise we wouldn’t be having the conversation around Formula One and we wouldn’t have branded it the way we have.”
Intriguingly, Simcoe was not prepared to rule out an ICE component in a future Cadillac hypercar’s powertrain.
This makes sense as both F1 and global sports cars racing use petrol-electric hybrid powertrains.
And it also aligns with Cadillac global leader John Roth’s recent statement that ICE could stay in the portfolio beyond the previously proposed 2030 deadline
“No it [hypercar] wouldn’t have to be [electric], but it could be,” Simcoe said.
But the Opulent Velocity teaser video published in March makes it clear that concept is electric.
“The intent [of V Series Opulent Velocity ] is to continue to talk about Cadillac and Cadillac style,” said Simcoe.
“It would be silly of us to ignore that as part of Cadillac’s brand value at the moment is performance.”
