Report: Cadillac Converj production program killed

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by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Mar 2nd 2010 at 8:15AM


2009 Cadillac Converj Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Just when it seemed like the gorgeous Cadillac Converj extended-range electric vehicle (ER-EV) was going to make it to production, it now appears that the program might be dead. Strictly speaking, although General Motors executives had indicated that the Volt-based coupe would be produced, it had never officially been announced as a production program.

Nonetheless, Bloomberg is reporting that the program has been canceled for business reasons. Apparently, Cadillac came to the conclusion that even as a Cadillac, the car couldn't be profitable with the level of amenities that customers would expect. The extra equipment would apparently have cut the electric range to only 20 miles, defeating some of the purpose of an ER-EV and its ability to cover most driver's needs without using gas. Given the slow sales high-end hybrids like the Escalade and Lexus LS600h, this may be the right move for GM.

According to Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell, there is "Nothing to be announced" and the program was "not to a point in which development would be occurring in earnest in any case." Caldwell goes on to say "There can naturally be a lot of careful review over an idea as big and ambitious as this. And that can go back-and-forth. Vehicle plans can be revised numerous times before reaching production, or being declined."

Instead of the Converj, Cadillac will reportedly focus on less expensive plug-in hybrids like the XTS concept that was shown in Detroit.

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http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/02/r...rogram-killed/

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Unveiled at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, the Cadillac Converj concept is perhaps General Motors most on-again, off-again vehicle in recent years. Based on the Chevrolet Volt, the Converj is a plug-in hybrid coupe with chiseled lines and a Wreath and Crest badge.

This production/non-production saga continues with Green Car Reports claiming "an inside source at General Motors" has confirmed the Converj is back on, meaning Cadillac is gearing up to launch the plug-in hybrid in 2013 or 2014. GCR's source says the production Converj – likely to end up with a three-letter model designation – will get a "generation 1.5 Voltec" propulsion system. If true, then the extended-range coupe will feature a slightly modified version of the powertrain that currently resides in all Chevy Volts.

We certainly have our doubts on this one, but there are two reasons to keep hope alive that the Converj will indeed make it to production. First, Green Car Reports told AutoblogGreen that the unnamed source, "has been completely on the money in the past." Second, a plug-in Cadillac makes more financial sense than a Chevy Volt. We'll wait for word from GM before we know if we should be waving hello or goodbye to the Converj this time around.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/08/12/c...n-light-again/

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When it first debuted at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, the Cadillac Converj Concept confirmed Cadillac knows how to style a sporty, luxurious hybrid--but despite talk from GM, including then-product-supremo Bob Lutz, few in the industry expected it to reach production. Now, two years after the plan was canned, it's back in the limelight--and it'll be on the road by 2013 as a 2014 year-model, according to inside information dug up by GreenCarReports.

Sporting a "Generation 1.5 Voltec" powertrain, the Converj will keep its plug-in hybrid drivetrain, but it'll likely drop the funky spelling for a more familiar three-letter name.

We still have two more years before the production Converj hits the streets, but there's every reason to look forward to its arrival. For the full details on the Converj's resurrection, read the exclusive story at GreenCarReports.

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...light-for-2014

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Cadillac has just announced that the production version of its 2009 Detroit Auto Show show star, the Converj Concept, is on the way. Dubbed ELR and borrowing technology from the Chevrolet Volt, the on-again, off-again angular coupe had been rumored anew in the last few days. Now, Cadillac has officially confirmed that development of the extended-range electric coupe is already underway.

While no specs are being given, Cadillac is confirming that the ELR will use a version of the same Voltec drivetrain as the Volt, though probably v1.5, and the on-board generator will again be a gasoline four-cylinder engine.

The Wreath and Crest brand isn't giving much insight as to why the letters E-L-R have been chosen, only saying they want to "indicate the car's electric propulsion technology" and remain consistent with the brand's three-letter naming scheme. Maybe they stand for "Electric Luxury Ride," or maybe someone over at General Motors is a big Everybody Loves Raymond fan. What do you think ELR stands for? Have your say in Comments.

Press Release

Electric Concept Car Comes to Life as Cadillac ELR

Luxury touring coupe gets extended-range electric vehicle technology

DETROIT – The innovative Cadillac Converj Concept, a dramatic luxury coupe with extended-range electric vehicle technology, is moving forward as a production car that will be called the Cadillac ELR.

Development of the ELR is just underway, so details on performance, price and timing will be announced later.

The Cadillac ELR will feature an electric propulsion system made up of a T-shaped lithium ion battery, an electric drive unit, and a four-cylinder engine-generator. It uses electricity as its primary source to drive the car without using gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions. When the battery's energy is low, the ELR seamlessly switches to extended-range mode to enable driving for hundreds of additional miles.

"The concept generated instant enthusiasm," said Don Butler, vice president-Cadillac Marketing. "Like other milestone Cadillac models of the past, the ELR will offer something not otherwise present – the combination of electric propulsion with striking design and the fun of luxury coupe driving."

Cadillac selected the name ELR to indicate the car's electric propulsion technology, in keeping with the brand's 3-letter international model naming convention.

The Converj Concept sparked the idea of combining the desirability of a grand touring coupe with electrification, said Ed Welburn, GM vice president, Global Design.

"There's no mistaking it for anything but a Cadillac, an aggressive, forward-leaning profile and proportion showcases a uniquely shaped, modern vision of a personal luxury 2+2," Welburn said.

Cadillac will reveal another new concept car on Thursday, Aug. 18, at a special event prior to the annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Cadillac also recently announced it will add two new vehicles to its product lineup in 2012, the XTS large luxury sedan and an all-new luxury compact sedan codenamed ATS.

About Cadillac

Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered a historic renaissance led by artful engineering and advanced technology. More information on Cadillac can be found at media.cadillac.com.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/08/17/c...volt-technolo/

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General Motors has confirmed production of the Cadillac ELR coupe. The American automaker has yet to announce pricing for the coupe, but an unidentified course close to the project revealed the Cadillac ELR’s price will be lower than the $57,400 Tesla Model S. It is expected that the ELR will be priced somewhere around $49,900 with options adding up to $8,000 to that base price. Other sources have predicted that the plug-in ELR will cost somewhere in the mid-$50,000 range.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...a-model-s.html

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We follow plug-in cars pretty closely here, and occasionally we manage to break stories.

One was the production green light for the Cadillac Converj electric car concept, confirmed by GM as the Cadillac ELR coupe just six days later.

So when we see an article that's ... let's say implausible ... it's hard not to write a rebuttal.

Yesterday, in the widely followed trade journal Automotive News, product editor Rick Kranz penned a piece suggesting that the Cadillac ELR would have rear-wheel drive, which he calls a "game changer" for the electric Caddy coupe. (It's subscription only, so you may not be able to read the linked piece--sorry.)

The Cadillac ELR is essentially a higher-margin vehicle using the Voltec extended-range electric vehicle platform that sits under the Chevrolet Volt. The front wheels of the Volt are powered by its 111-kilowatt (149-horsepower) electric traction motor. Always have been.

Kranz believes that to be distinctive and to resonate with the Cadillac brand, the ELR electric coupe should have rear-wheel drive.

He notes that the upcoming Cadillac ATS compact sport sedan will ride on an all-new rear-wheel drive platform, code-named "Alpha." That architecture is designed to be used underneath future Cadillac CTS and Chevrolet Camaro models too.

2012 Chevrolet Volt
Now, we're all in favor of rear-wheel drive plug-in and electric vehicles--and they certainly exist. Consider the Tesla Roadster, the 2012 Fisker Karma, and next year's Tesla Model S all-electric sedan, for instance.

But the idea that GM would create an entirely new, rear-wheel drive compact electric-drive platform is highly, highly unlikely. Right now, it has exactly one platform--its "global compact," or Delta architecture--that's been designed to accommodate the 400-pound T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack that stores energy in the Volt.

The crossbar of that T sits essentially between the rear wheels of the Volt--right where a differential and axle shafts would have to be located.

Kranz nods to the packaging issues, but suggests the pack could be raised over the rear axle. And he highlights a Cadillac description of the car as a "2 + 2" rather than a four-seat coupe.

He suggests that's "a signal that the battery pack will be eating up some of the rear-passenger space so the ELR can be offered as a rear-drive coupe."

We were sufficiently startled by this notion that we contacted our inside source at GM, who laughed out loud at the notion that the company plans to create a variation of the Alpha platform to accommodate a Voltec extended-range electric powertrain.

Then we got into the reasons why that won't happen:

A rear-wheel drive extended-range electric platform would require far more engineering resources than GM has available right now
GM wants to keep the pack as low and as central in the car as possible to achieve NHTSA five-star crash ratings for its plug-in vehicles
Mounting the battery pack above the axle would raise the center of gravity so high that any rear-drive handling advantages would disappear
The Voltec unit (including drive motor, generator, clutches, planetary gear set, and final drive) would need to be heavily reworked to allow a power takeoff for a driveshaft

All of these hurdles mean you can rest assured that the production version of the 2014 Cadillac ELR will remain a front-wheel drive plug-in coupe. Its mission is simply to boost the sale price on a few of the very pricey Voltec vehicles, to push that project closer to profitability.

We're still eager to drive it.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/...ar-wheel-drive

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After announcing its intent to go forward with a production version of the fetching Converj concept more than a year ago, all has been pretty quiet on the Cadillac ELR front – until now. We burn for this kind of drama.

The long lenses have reported in from the field with the first-ever spy shots of the ELR in prototype form. That's right, under a wrapper of black and white triangles and mystery, is the real-deal Voltified version of a new Cadillac coupe.

To recap what we know: the ELR will make use of the same basic Voltec powertrain as the Chevrolet Volt, with a four-cylinder gas engine used as an onboard generator to power the electric motor. In concept form, this Caddy boasted a solar panel bedecked glass room, though the tester here has had its roof obscured, frustrating any further intel about the production worthiness of that solar setup.

From a styling and design standpoint, fans of the Converj should feel encouraged by this prototype. The same basic fastback silhouette has made the jump from concept to reality, and the proportions seem mostly intact, too (slightly smaller wheels and longer front overhang are in evidence, but subtle). The prototype seems to have held on to the very striking beltline of the concept car, running in a sharp crease along the side bodywork from the tip of the taillight to the top of front wheel well. Of course, the exotically small side view mirrors from Converj have been axed in favor of a set that are actually, you know, functional, but that won't ruin our day.

With this prototype being so fully formed we'd expect to see the ELR hit the market in the fall of 2013 or so as a 2014 model.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/06/c...oduction-form/