The Latest Breaking News from InsideEVs

China’s electric carmakers are outclassing their Western competition so much that it’s almost not news at this point. But their technological supremacy hit such a crescendo in recent weeks that even people who aren’t car nerds had no choice but to perk up. 

The Optiq is Cadillac’s entry-level electric crossover. With a starting price of around $55,000, it’s also the cheapest EV in the American luxury automaker’s portfolio, so it has the biggest potential to become a best-seller.

This year, global trade is undergoing major restructuring amid President Trump’s tariffs on America’s trading partners. The historically strong transatlantic partnership between the U.S. and Europe is now faltering amid the trade war. China might be looking for ways to pull Europe closer, especially with regard to electric vehicles.

America's renewed love of tariffs seems predicated on the idea that the rest of the world wants—needs, even—the kinds of goods we make. And cars are certainly a big part of that plan. But what if the rest of the world turns to someone else for that instead? Maybe, say,…