Cadillac has started the marketing tour de force for its latest passenger car – the all-electric Celestiq shows up in Cadillac’s latest video ad trying to prove that land yachts are not dead yet. However, the only thing people wonder about this quirky sedan is how many Tesla Model S Plaids they can buy for $340k.
Obviously, the bespoke luxury sedan isn’t going to sell in spades. But Cadillac maybe doesn’t even need to – it’s just an image exercise that aims to provoke a visceral response from potential customers. Then, when they inquire about this all-electric Cadillac, they also find out there are more sensible options, such as the base 2025 Optiq with standard AWD and Super Cruise plus 300 miles of range.

Of course, let’s not forget that the Cadillac Lyriq mid-size crossover SUV was one of GM’s first Ultium-powered EVs, and above it will reside the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ, the all-electric version of the ultra-popular truck-based full-size luxury SUV. But tucked in between them, there is also a sensible and practical three-row all-electric Cadillac, the 2026 Vistiq.

Not much is known about it – other than the fact that judging by the first official photos, it looks exactly like a smaller Escalade IQ. Otherwise, there’s no word on specifications, pricing, or the interior design – but most likely, more details will arrive after Cadillac wraps up with the official market launch of the bigger and more expensive Escalade IQ.

However, maybe not everyone is satisfied with the Vistiq – especially the dreamy folks that reside across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. For example, Vince Burlapp (aka vburlapp on social media or burlappcar.com) is a prolific virtual artist who loves to dream of all the latest models across the wide-ranging automotive realm, and now he’s adamant that Caddy’s 2026 Vistiq would be better off with an alternative design language.

As he was expecting “much more” from the styling point of view, the pixel master decided to do something digital about it because the real Vistiq, “a model that is still almost a year away from going on sale, just doesn’t look inspiring or very modern.” So, the CGI expert proceeded to explore the “ton of possibilities a larger three-row EV SUV opens” with an illustration that “includes a few retro design cues.” It’s also a lot sportier, so his alternate Vistiq has morphed into a contemporary coupe-SUV.

In his mind, that’s the approach needed to take on the EV SUVs of the world – like Rivian’s R1S, Kia’s EV9, Hyundai’s upcoming Ioniq 7 or 9 and the Genesis version, and more. He also hopes that Lincoln will also come up with a much cooler new three-row all-electric SUV, by the way. So, do you like it or not?