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Anyone looking for a poorly-lit teaser of the Cadillac ELR is in luck! Cadillac just released this image in advance of the car’s debut at NAIAS in a few weeks. In addition to the CUE system, the ELR will also get a bigger battery pack and a more powerful motor to help differentiate itself from its plebian sibling, the Chevrolet Volt.
27 Comments on “Cadillac Teases ELR...”
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Call me interested, but if it is priced out at say $60K (same as a base Tesla S with a base price for 2013 of $59900) I would be more inclined to go with the Tesla – there is just more cachete.
Bigger battery means more weight, so will additional luxury appointments. Hmmmmm….
If only Tesla offered a gasoline-backup version of the Model S, then they’d really take off. A lot of people are weary of an EV without extended range. I LOVE the Model-S, but when it comes down to it, i have no way of knowing what I’d be in store for buying one. Maintenance costs, possibility of running out of energy on the road, etc.
If you want a Tesla with a gasoline backup, then buy a Fisker. That will never be Tesla’s game.
As a Leaf driver, I can tell you that there really aren’t any maintenance costs, other than THE BIG ONE – eventual battery pack replacement. No belts, no sensors, no exhaust, no starter, no fuel system, no oil, no filters. The Leaf does have two small coolant systems – one for the motor and one for the HVAC. Other pure EVs are probably similar.
As for running out of energy on the road, you learn very quickly what the behavior of your car is – and the true meaning of its range readout – and plan accordingly. Anyone running an EV dry isn’t planning very well.
I do applaud them for offering a coupe, but I don’t think anyone “needs” the car at a 60K price point, any purchases will be for pleasure not necessity. Cars you “need” can look like Frankenstein, as Camry has shown us, and still sell. Cars you “want” should be dead sexy and desirable, not seeing it here.
Are you ‘not seeing it here’ because you literally cannot see the car or do you somehow know what the production vehicle that is being revealed in January actually looks like?
The profile in the above photo looks just like the ELR on Cadillacs website with rear view mirrors added. The shadows are probably hiding more practically sized wheels too, but the looks of this car aren’t exactly a mystery.
Profile looks like the last gen Eclipse, which wasn’t my favorite, or maybe the G6 coupe, neither of which is nothing to emulate in a supposed classy brand. I can see an obnoxious looking headlight from the front-side and the position of what appears to be the door handle looks very early W-bodyish (perhaps its just body cladding). I had hopes after ATS was released that they could tone down the homely polarizing styling, just from the silhouette it seems my hopes have been dashed.
Thanks Captain Obvious…I realize that the ELR won’t morph into a Nissan Cube-like box from concept to production.
I just thought it was funny that @28 made a comment about ‘not seeing it here’ when looking at a picture taken in the dark.
Right back at you, Captain Obfuscation. I’m sure there is actually some magical number of wheel spokes Cadillac has selected for the production car that will make it drop dead sexy in spite of the concept car that matches the production car’s profile being an amorphous lump.
From what I am seeing right now it is really going to suck for Cadillac if Honda releases a Civic Hybrid Coupe.
Two words: Ford Probe.
DITTO.
I agree 1000%. That is exactly what I see here in the lines – 1989 Ford Probe.
This pic doesn’t do it justice as it is taken at a higher angle.
http://autopolis.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/probe.jpg?w=600
This is the first time I agree with APaGttH on TTAC.
Yeah I could see first gen Probe. I initially saw a last gen Eclipse or Pontiac G6, but I think Probe is the winner.
There’s no additional tax incentive for a bigger battery pack but there is a weight penalty. It would be preferable to get weight and performance gains from adding lightness and decreasing drag.
Can they shift to a lighter/smaller Range-Extending ICE to save some weight? The current Volt gas engine is pretty unremarkable as far as its technology goes. However, at least premium fuel in a Cadillac isn’t as out-of-place as it is in a compact Chevy.
A smaller engine wouldn’t be consistent with Cadillac’s higher-performance image. Besides, the only engine GM has in the North American market that’s smaller than the Volt’s 1.4, is the Spark’s 1.2, which is nothing special, and probably wouldn’t help make the vehicle any more efficient.
Folks are bellyachin’ about this vehicle … I like what I’m seeing. Hopefully, the body style remains a hatch, and doesn’t become a trunk with a uselessly small opening that you can’t get anything through.
The gas engine doesn’t have much to do with performance, that comes from the electric motor(s). A smaller gas engine that was higher tech would be a plus.
ELR = MEH
GM should have done this version FIRST, then brought out the Volt.
I still think this is a poor idea, and I’m surprised GM insists on pursuing it. The Volt is a money loser, and so will this be.
The ELR is out of step with Cadillac’s current image, and it risks becoming another Cimarron. I don’t think Cadillac buyers are the type willing to fool around with charging cables in order to get more than 32 mpg from their car.
Cmon gslippy, your a lot smarter than that. Calling the ELR a Cimarron???? The styling and look of that car it fantastic. Better than anything made by Tesla, at least for my eyes. Now let’s see if they worked hard enough at GM to launch it with what will be the Voltec 2.0. EV specific electric motors, a different ICE for the range extender and a better battery. If the only difference is the bigger battery with some software changes, I’ll be disappointed.
BTW saw my first Leaf ever in MN last weekend in a Target parking lot. Very cool!
@Carlson Fan: I’ve definitely called the ELR a “Cimarron” in the past, but now I’m only saying it’s a risk. :) I think both the Volt and the ELR are attractive cars, and the ELR’s looks and interior (and hopefully performance) will be distinct from the Volt. In this respect, the ELR will not be Cimarron-like.
But in terms of the charging tether and fuel efficiency obsession that come from owning an EV, this seems very un-Cadillac-like.
@Carlson Fan:
That Leaf you saw is exactly one more than I’ve seen here in western PA. My dealer told me they’ve sold a few, but I’ve never seen another one on the road. It’s a lonely existence. I may form a club with the first person I see driving one.
I have to agree, when I picture Cadillac buyers I don’t picture people who care much about fuel economy.
Backwards in the windtunnel?
Where’s the scroll wheel?
The efficiency of electric motors is wonderful. I would like to see this car with a Tesla Model S motor and a water cooled 500cc Honda MC engine.