There’s been talk of a performance-oriented all-electric Cadillac Lyriq for quite some time now, but the American luxury carmaker has yet to unveil such a creation. However, that doesn’t mean that the GM-owned marque isn’t thinking about the future of its V-Series moniker in the age of electrification.
Say hello, then, to the Cadillac Opulent Velocity Concept (yes, that is its real name, pinky swear!), an all-electric performance vehicle that will be unveiled later this year as a celebration of “the past, present, and future of Cadillac and its performance brand, V-Series.”
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Cadillac plans on keeping its V-Series brand in the EV age
The Cadillac Opulent Velocity concept is the first all-electric model from the American automaker to wear the V-Series badge that's associated with high-performance models.
This first teaser doesn’t show too much, to be honest. The video portrays a blurred vehicle approaching at speed and then passing by the camera while making some noise. We don’t know if that’s just some computer-generated nonsense or if the car will actually have a fake exhaust sound like the Dodge Charger Daytona.
As for the photo, it’s pretty clear that this is, indeed, a Cadillac (the text was already on the photo, we didn’t add it.)
Jokes aside, it’s no coincidence that the teaser dropped today. 20 years ago, in March of 2004, Cadillac launched the V-Series brand at the Sebring International Raceway, where the CTS-V.R race car won the SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge GT race.
During the past two decades, the V-Series name has been synonymous with big engines–whether we’re talking about V8s or V6s–speed, and performance. It’s what AMG is like for Mercedes-Benz, only made in America.
However, as Cadillac plans to go all-electric by the end of 2030, the V-Series moniker will have to transition to battery power just like the rest of the automaker’s portfolio. And here’s where the Opulent Velocity comes into play.
According to the American automaker, the name of the performance EV concept represents the duality of the Cadillac brand itself. The company says that it has a “revered sense of opulence,” while the Velocity part of the name envisions “the future of a high-velocity performance driving experience.” In other words, it will be luxurious and fast.
How fast? We don’t know for sure. For context, the most powerful version of the all-electric Lyriq currently offers 500 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque from its dual-motor powertrain, so we expect the first V-Series-branded EV to pack a meaner punch, as is the case with the combustion-powered CT4, CT5, and Escalade.
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
