BRIEFLY: Cadillac Optic, Lucid, NIO, Cybertruck & more | 18 Sep 2025

BRIEFLY: Cadillac Optic, Lucid, NIO, Cybertruck & more | 18 Sep 2025 EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs · Sep 18, 2025

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It's EV News briefly for Thursday, September 18th.

Everything EV in less than five minutes.

If you don't have time today for the full show,

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The 2026 Cadillac OPTIQ is getting a big adjustment in its power train,

gaining a new base single motor,

rear-wheel drive trim, that's 315 horsepower,

more than the dual-motor all-wheel drive.

With the top OPTIQ-V, now 519 horsepower,

range estimates stand at 300 miles for the rear-wheel drive version,

and the base price is now lower as well.

BMW will begin assembly of the new iX3

in its innovative Debrecen plant in Hungary,

using what they say digital-first planning

and delivering 90% fewer CO2 emissions

compared to the other BMW factories.

The newer-class facility runs purely on renewables.

Lucid Motors is transforming its King Abdullah Economic City facility

from kit assembly into being a full vehicle production factory,

preparing for 155,000 annual vehicle capacity.

Lucid Gravity SUV now supports a comprehensive

towing safety and convenience package,

following the software update.

UX 3.3 is what you're looking out for,

a new trailer brake control, hitch view,

and remote trailer light check.

Owners can also test new security features

like live view and drive recorder.

Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi deepen their ties in Europe,

assigning the Ampere plant in France

to make the upcoming Nissan Micra

and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross small electric vehicles.

The new full electric SUVs debut

on the Ampere platform late this year.

Renault completed a $1.16 billion share offering

using proceeds for EV tech investment,

network expansion, and balance sheet strengthening.

Renault is one of the Chinese companies doing really well.

The vehicles are incredible,

and even they have one eye on,

well, more than one eye, on simple survival.

The Tesla Cybertruck and Model 3 achieved good crash ratings

from the IIHS, though neither qualified,

and this certainly will hurt, I think, Tesla,

neither got awarded the top safety pick

due to the headlight glare from the Cybertruck

and the rear passenger seat belt in the Model 3.

Well, Tesla made structural changes to the Cybertruck

after April 2025, affecting the results.

Both vehicles' test scores were very strong, though.

They're not bad vehicles in the slightest.

The EU and nine member states are launching

what they call the Clean Transport Corridor Initiative

to rapidly expand EV truck-charging networks,

fast-tracked grid approvals,

and streamlined permitting of the order of the day.

China and Poland are exploring

some trade and export licensing agreements

for Chinese rare earth products

aiming to support Poland's EV industry.

Both governments' joint document

highlighting today their intent to cooperate deeper.

UK supermarkets increased their EV charger installations

by 34% since January last year,

Tesco and Aldi leading the way.

Ford will eliminate 1,000 jobs at its Cologne EV facility

and move to a single shift in the face of the demand

for Ford EVs being more sluggish than they hoped.

There's a whole bonus episode in the Patreon feed,

by the way, about Ford's future in Europe,

and I think in a day or two,

that flicks over to being on the free ad-supported feed,

where you may be listening to this to look out for that show.

Tiger Motors has launched two electric jet skis,

the Orca P2, a two-seater,

and the Orca WX3, three-seater jet ski.

That's so cool.

And talk about rage-quitting,

a Tesla engineer that's been there eight years,

just left the business and didn't miss a beat

in accusing the CEO of harming the mission

and criticizing his leadership

on political and company issues.

Wow, that's briefly...

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that helps you find the right product,

fast and hassle-free.

And you know that when the first problem of the day

is a clanking blower motor,

there's no need to break a sweat.

With Granger's easy-to-use website and product details,

you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along.

Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com, or just stop by.

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you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference.

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they need at the start of their shift.

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Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com, or just stop by.

Granger, for the ones who get it done.

If you're an HVAC technician and a call comes in,

Granger knows that you need a partner

that helps you find the right product,

fast and hassle-free.

And you know that when the first problem of the day

is a clanking blower motor,

there's no need to break a sweat.

With Granger's easy-to-use website and product details,

you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along.

Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com, or just stop by.

Granger, for the ones who get it done.

If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant,

you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference.

That's why hands down you count on Granger for auto-reordering.

With on-time restocks,

your team will have the cut-resistant gloves

they need at the start of their shift.

And you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand.

Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com, or just stop by.

Granger, for the ones who get it done.

About this episode

Cadillac's 2026 OPTIQ is set for a significant powertrain update, introducing a new single motor rear-wheel drive option with 315 horsepower. Meanwhile, BMW's iX3 will be assembled in Hungary with a focus on sustainability. Lucid Motors is ramping up production capacity while enhancing its Gravity SUV's towing features. The Tesla Cybertruck and Model 3 received strong crash test scores but missed top safety picks due to specific issues. The episode also covers developments in EV infrastructure and job cuts at Ford's Cologne facility amidst sluggish demand.

BMW iX3 (G08) Cadillac Optiq Lucid Gravity Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Nissan Micra Tesla Cybertruck Tesla Model 3

Original notes

It's EV News Briefly for Thursday 18 September 2025, everything you need to know in less than 5 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.

Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the EV News Daily Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/EVNewsDaily
2026 CADILLAC OPTIQ GETS BIG POWERTRAIN ADJUSTMENT https://evne.ws/4mmBPci
BMW BEGINS IX3 PRODUCTION IN DEBRECEN https://evne.ws/47OBJqm
LUCID PLANT IN SAUDI ARABIA BEING UPGRADED AND EXPANDED https://evne.ws/3VR9eB0
LUCID GRAVITY SOFTWARE ADDS TOWING FEATURES https://evne.ws/4mkGGuo
RENAULT-NISSAN-MITSUBISHI EV PRODUCTION TIE-UP MOVES AHEAD https://evne.ws/47P1OFE
NIO COMPLETES $1.16 BILLION EQUITY OFFERING https://evne.ws/3VSJynt
TESLA CYBERTRUCK AND MODEL 3 GET “GOOD” IIHS CRASH RATINGS https://evne.ws/4psWlKV
EU LAUNCHES CLEAN TRANSPORT CORRIDOR INITIATIVE FOR ELECTRIC TRUCKS https://evne.ws/420McLD
CHINA, POLAND DISCUSS RARE EARTH EXPORTS https://evne.ws/41X6q8W
SUPERMARKETS INCREASE EV CHARGERS BY ONE THIRD https://evne.ws/4ptH1ha
FORD CUTTING 1,000 JOBS AT COLOGNE EV PLANT https://evne.ws/4nGqXHn
TAIGA UNVEILS ORCA P2 AND WX3 JET SKIS https://evne.ws/3I31yIP
TESLA ENGINEER QUITS, PUBLICLY CRITICIZES ELON MUSK https://evne.ws/3I1tkp6

EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs

Martyn Lee

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