There’s not going to be another generation of the Cadillac ELR extended-range electric car, as the model is being killed off, according to the president of GM’s Cadillac division, Johan de Nysschen.
I know, given the model’s great success to date, this is coming as a real surprise (/s) — sales were down 22% in 2015, to just 1024 units sold, no doubt making the company wonder if it was still worth the trouble of manufacturing and selling the vehicle.
These numbers are probably mostly the result of the model’s $76,000 price tag — as many people have previously noted, if you’ve got the choice between an ELR and a Tesla Model S (or Model X), why would you choose the ELR?
Autoblog provides more:
Caddy’s ELR extended-range plug-in won’t have any future generations, Automotive News says. The publication previously reported that the car would be around for another couple of years, but even that’s questionable, and the model could be yanked even sooner.
Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell confirmed that there won’t be a second-generation ELR.
“Subsequent generations of the car will not be developed,” he wrote in an e-mail to Autoblog. “It’s available currently as a 2016 model, and there’s no change to that status.”
…The merciful end to the ELR shouldn’t be much of a surprise, as Cadillac Chief Marketing Officer Uwe Ellinghaus went on the record in December of essentially calling the model a dud. It’s a far cry from the excitement, though, that the concept model of what was then called the Converj was unveiled to the public at the Detroit Auto Show in 2009.
Certainly true. But that was 7 years ago now. Quite a lot can change in 7 years.
Related:
i8 vs Model S vs ELR vs Panamera S E-Hybrid vs i3 (Exclusive)
Image by Zachary Shahan | EV Obsession | CleanTechnica
Yup. ELR should’ve been priced at BMW i3 Rex range (~$50K). I think they tried to lower it later, but by then, it’s too late.