Cadillac is testing a new, smaller, entry-level compact electric vehicle. What will it be called? We take a look at this new prototype our spy photographer recently captured.

Our spy photographer reports:

We just got the world’s first look at Cadillac’s new entry-level, compact EV testing in early prototype form.

The downsized EV test car comes just over a week after Cadillac showed the world a concept for its range-topping Celestiq—a flagship model said to cost north of $300,000 when it begins production, sometime in the next couple years. Unlike the hand-built Celestiq, this new compact EV will slot below the Cadillac Lyric. Automotive News reports that the new small Caddy will be built at GM’s Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico, while other reports say it will be built alongside the Lyriq at GM’s Orion plant, at least for North American consumption.

This new prototype looks like a downsized version of Cadillac’s Lyriq EV, with key details consistent with Cadillac prototypes. The prototype’s length, wheelbase, and width are all smaller than the Lyriq, but the new EV appears to be a bit longer than Cadillac’s XT4.

Prototype Details Consistent With Cadillac EVs
The prototype showcases vertically-oriented placeholder lighting in the front-fascia, and dual-level placeholder lighting on the rear—both on the rear-fascia, and running up the prototype’s D-pillar. Very similar lighting was applied to the initial prototypes for the Lyriq, suggesting that Cadillac’s EV-specific lighting design will be applied in some form to this new, small EV offering.

At the rear, we see a thin, vertical third brake light at the top of the backlight—a unique design detail shared with the Lyriq. That brake light is topped by a strange “winglet” but that may be a temporary detail which may give way to the more traditional roof-mounted spoiler atop the rear hatch. Only time, and more prototype sightings will tell us what’s in store for that design detail, as testing progresses.

Design Details Clearly Different From Cadillac Lyriq

We have supplied three images comparing this compact EV to an early Lyriq prototype. While the Lyriq and its new compact counterpart share the basic basic layout of their side-window-profiles, , the differences in design and scale are apparent. The compact EV’s windshield looks flatter, and more steeply-raked, and its shorter hood leads into uniquely-sclupted front fenders.

The front-door cut-line hits the A-pillar quarter window in the middle, while the Lyriq’s cut-lne reaches all the way to the tip of the A-pillar. The compact Caddy has smaller door openings, a shorter wheelbase, and an upswept belt line that pinches the rear-side-window openings, compared to the Lyriq. The side mirror placement also differs from the Lyriq: the new compact EV has mirrors mounted lower on the door, while the Lyriq’s mirrors are slimmer and jut out higher on its waistline.

Cadillac is moving away from its alphanumeric naming scheme, and the iq-themed naming convention of its coming EV lineup have likely been foreshadowed by recently secured trademarks. A few names that Cadillac has trademarked are Ascendiq, Lumistiq, or Vistiq. Whether any of these will be applied to this new compact EV is uncertain, but the analysts at AutoPacific are betting on the Ascendiq badge to grace Cadillac’s entry-level EV.

Whatever it’s called, production should begin in late- 2024, as a 2025 model.