It’s been 20 years since Cadillac last offered a model in the UK, but two years ago it was scheduled to make a return with a trio of new EVs. We were excited to see how it would fare in the UK and Europe, where Cadillac has historically struggled to gain a foothold in the same way that it has in North America. But now, it seems that Cadillac's plans for an electric takeover in the UK are on hold.

The Cadillac Lyriq, GM’s latest flagship electric SUV, was set to pave the way for the Optiq and Vistiq with Mercedes-rivaling luxury and more than 300 miles of range. However, after two years of waiting, there are no firm UK launch dates for any of the upcoming electric models, with the company saying the UK and European market and EV landscape are changing rapidly.

Back in 2022, Cadillac announced it had plans to become electric-only by 2030. However, just four years later, the carmaker has announced a whole new generation of ICE-powered Cadillacs from spring 2027 through 2028. That includes new generations of the XT5, CT5 and XT6 models, which will sit alongside Cadillac's EV range. It's not yet been confirmed whether these will be available in right-hand drive for markets including Europe and the UK. 

Maybe the change of plans isn't so shocking or unexpected since, between July 2025 and March 2026, there was a grand total of 20 Cadillacs registered in the UK - of which only 16 were electric. That’s no real surprise, either, as Cadillac currently has only one official right-hand-drive sales outlet in the UK and Ireland - Charles Hurst in Dublin. Even if Cadillac was to join the UK market in full force, it would be up against well-established European brands that have already been building EVs for years, so it'd need a fully formed plan and functioning dealer network to get the cars out there. 

Anyway, the disappointingly anticlimactic semi-launch of Cadillac in Europe doesn't mean that Cadillac is giving up on EVs. The Lyriq, Optiq and Vistiq still seem to be a big part of GM’s luxury future, and that’s a good thing considering how much Nicola liked the Optiq. However, it is clear that Cadillac doesn’t want to put all of its eggs in one electric basket - and may also be rethinking its plans to fully commit to Europe - and is opting to move forward with a mixed powertrain lineup, instead.

Has Cadillac fallen behind in the EV revolution, and by extension, has it left it too late for a successful UK launch? Leave us a comment on Nic's Cadillac video, to let us know what you think.