When General Motors first considered building an electric Cadillac... 08/15/2011
When General Motors first considered building an electric Cadillac, the car company decided against it, but it looks as though they may have changed their minds. GM executives recently approved the production of a luxury, Cadillac version of the Chevy Volt.
The Cadillac Converj first appeared at the Detroit Auto Show in 2009, to resounding praise from Caddy enthusiasts and industry experts. The car was given the production green light and then brought to a screeching halt two months later, according to GreenCarReports.com.
GM cited two reasons for the change of plans - the automaker would likely not see profits at the projected production volumes, and the luxury features and massive weight of the Cadillac would restrict its electrical driving range as well as its appeal. The same thing happened to Lexus when it introduced the HS 250h.
If the Converj does make it through production this time, the new car won't be available until 2013 or 2014, and will certainly cost much more than the $40,000 Chevy Volt, but price is rarely a concern for Cadillac drivers. It will also likely have less impressive range than the Chevy Volt, which can run 25 miles on one charge of its back-up battery, according to USA Today.