Cadillac ELR 'A Big Disappointment' Admits Chief Marketing Officer
The Cadillac ELR hasn’t exactly been a hit in the marketplace, barely selling over 100 units last year.
This year has been much better for the luxury plug-in hybrid, having sold nearly 900 units through November 2015. Despite that, the ELR is being considered “a big disappointment” by the company’s chief marketing officer, Uwe Ellinghaus. Speaking in an interview with Automobile, Ellinghaus acknowledged the ELR hasn’t sold well but also admits that he wants it because it shows that Cadillac can tackle electromobility. Ultimately, the ELR is a product “that was the niche in the niche in the niche” and its volume shows.
SEE ALSO: 2016 Cadillac ELR Price Slashed by $10K
As a result, Ellinghaus said that Cadillac will no longer go down the road of the ELR, but rather add plug-in hybrid variants to “almost” all its cars. For example, one year after the launch of the new flagship CT6 sedan, the American automaker will add a plug-in version of the vehicle. This strategy will be followed by the brands future cars and SUVs. Essentially, Cadillac has conceded that it cannot emulate Tesla’s success, saying with the luxury automaker putting more focus on dealing with range anxiety, which led Cadillac to adding a combustion engine in the ELR. Meanwhile, Tesla had the belief in the electric engine being the sole engine on board with consumers embracing all-electric vehicles.
[Source: Automobile]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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The ELR is a good example of GM doing what they did before the bankruptcy. Producing niche market vehicles like the Chevy SSR and Pontiac Solstice that no one is asking for. They would have been far more successful if they had use the engine for an electric ATS, CTS, or SRX to begin with. When will they learn to stop chasing stars with niche market vehicles.
Hardly a surprise. They should have stepped back and looked at that thing.