Sub-Lyriq Cadillac Electric Crossover Spotted Testing Once Again

Cadillac Society has been closely following the development of small Cadillac electric crossover that will slot beneath the Lyriq in the luxury marque’s EV lineup. Back in August 2022, Cadillac Society spies captured the first photos of a prototype as it underwent testing in Michigan, giving us a first glimpse of its exterior, albeit obscured by heavy camo. Now, we’ve spied the small electric crossover again from an even closer angle, lending us an even better glimpse of the forthcoming luxury EV’s styling.

Unfortunately, the camo wrap leaves quite a bit to the imagination, hiding the finer details of the vehicle’s body. Looking closely at the front fascia, we see a curved aesthetic that wraps around the fascia from fender to fender. We also see the flat “grille,”, which will likely incorporate an elaborate LED display as per the luxury marque’s EV design language, taking after the likes of the Cadillac Lyriq, Cadillac Celestiq and Cadillac Escalade IQ, as we recently pointed out. 

Also visible on this Cadillac electric crossover prototype are a set of placeholder headlights affixed to outer edges of the front fascia. They are arranged in the luxury marque’s signature vertical formation. Look closely and you’ll see a set of turn signal indicators placed above the vertical lights, just below the hood.

Though we don’t have a picture of this Cadillac electric crossover from the side, we can still see make out some key details, including the relatively short dash-to-axle ratio along with a set of double six-spoke wheels with silver and black accents. There’s also a set of flush door handles, similar to those seen on the Lyriq.

The rear of this Cadillac electric crossover prototype has some interesting elements. First is a strange element affixed to the top of the crossover’s rear glass. Protruding significantly from the rest of the body, this bit appears to be the model’s Center High Mounted Stop Lamp, or CHMSL. The reason it looks out of place, it seems, is that this prototype is missing the rear spoiler that will cover the CHMSL in question.

Lower, a small wing is affixed to the liftgate, just below the rear glass. This feature appears to be a small spoiler that doesn’t run the width of the rear end.

We can also see two tiers of placeholder taillights. The first set bookends the liftgate’s glass, creating a set of ridges; it’s unclear if this set will or won’t make it to production. The second, meanwhile, is located lower within the model’s rear fascia. Below these, we can see a set of horizontally-oriented reflectors.

The luxury marque has filed to trademark Lumistiq, Ascendiq, Vistiq, and Optiq as names for future Cadillac electric vehicles, one of which could find its way to this small luxury crossover. Whatever it ends up being named, this vehicle will likely be built at the Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico, and would be the first Cadillac to roll off the line at that particular facility. It will ride on the BEV3 platform, which is currently found beneath the Lyriq.

We’ll bring you any and all information about Cadillac’s upcoming small electric crossover, so be sure to subscribe to Cadillac Society for ongoing Cadillac news coverage. We also invite you to join the latest discussions in our Cadillac forums.