Cadillac ELR to Be Axed
Cadillac’s slow-selling plug-in hybrid coupe won’t be a part of the brand’s future.
Speaking to AutoGuide.com at the New York International Auto Show, brand president Johan de Nysschen confirmed that the ELR will stick around in the short term, but not beyond.
“The ELR will continue through its lifecycle,” he said, however, “I don’t’ think we will create a next-generation, compact, two-door, gorgeously styled alternative powertrain successor to ELR.”
That doesn’t mean the end of green cars for Cadillac, which, says de Nysschen, “will continue to offer alternative powertrain technologies in our cars.”
In fact, Cadillac is already preparing to launch a plug-in hybrid version of its all new CT6 full-size luxury sedan. Unveiled at the New York show, the CT6 is aimed at German rivals like the BMW 7 Series. When it first hits the market it will be available with a 400 hp twin-turbo V6, as well as a choice of either a naturally aspirated V6 or a turbocharged 4-cylinder.
Introduced in 2013, the ELR sold just 1,310 units in 2014 according to GoodCarBadCar.net. So far in 2015, just 311 units have been purchased.
It’s not clear when the ELR will officially end production, however, considering it shares numerous powertrain components with the original Volt, and that car is being replaced for 2016, it could be soon.
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With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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Well if they would have "gorgeously styled" this first gen, then maybe it would have sold more. To bad it's terrible looking.
Given the historical sales of all Cadillac models ending in "LR", I think retiring the ELR might be a good idea.