General Motors has confirmed that its decision to relaunch Cadillac in the UK is being questioned, despite telling reporters in 2025 that the US brand would return here “soon”.
Cadillac’s comeback was set to be spearheaded by its all-electric Lyriq, which is a rival to the BMW iX5 and the Mercedes EQE SUV.
The second Cadillac model expected to arrive on UK shores was the Optiq EV, a joint venture model developed by Cadillac and Chinese Giant SAIC-GM. The C-segment SUV is aimed squarely at the Tesla Model Y, the Kia EV6, and other similar-sized cars.
Last but not least in Cadillac’s comeback plans was the all-electric Vistiq, a three-row seven-seat model comparable to the Volvo EX90 and the recently launched Genesis GV90.
Its dealer network was planned to be a series of online-based ‘pop-ups’ not dissimilar to Polestar’s, where the three EVs would be sold alongside its existing Corvette models. However, since last year, Cadillac has set up just one new dealership for its right-hand-drive (RHD) electric models and that isn’t in the UK. Charles Hurst in Dublin, Ireland, now sells the Lyriq, the Optiq, and the Vistiq.
In London, the GM-authorised Clive Sutton dealership continues to sell imported, left-hand-drive (LHD) Escalades. The lack of a substantial dealer network means that from July 2025 to March 2026, just 20 Cadillacs were sold to UK buyers. Just 16 of them were EVs.
Speaking to Autocar, a GM spokesperson explained: “As the UK market and EV landscape continues to evolve rapidly with new competitors emerging, we are actively reviewing our future Cadillac plans to ensure they remain aligned with market conditions and customer demand, and we will continue to assess future opportunities accordingly.”
The pivot is part of Cadillac rethinking its wider global strategy. By 2030, it planned to go electric-only. Now, however, it will begin launching its next generation of internal combustion-powered models from spring 2027 and into 2028.
Cadillac left Europe in 2017 following a continued period of poor sales. It returned to the continent in 2021 with the Lyriq, which is currently sold in France, Sweden, and Germany for around €79,000 – approximately £68,000.
It remains difficult to see whether GM’s second-oldest brand can now gain traction amongst European EV buyers.
BYD recently launched its premium Denza brand here. Meanwhile, competitors including Volvo, BMW, and Mercedes have regained significant ground in the EV landscape with either new or heavily upgraded line-ups.
