General Motors has announced a revised Cadillac ELR. The 2016 model year edition of this slow-selling plug-in series hybrid is now US$9,000 cheaper than it was at launch.
Like the Chevrolet Volt and Opel/Vauxhall Ampera, the ELR can be an EV or a PHEV thanks to its range-extending petrol engine.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The production version of the ELR had its global debut at the Detroit auto show in January 2013. Cars began being delivered to US dealerships in December 2013. Sales have been disappointing for GM, due in part to a high price: a mere 1,310 were delivered to US customers in 2014.
In addition to slashing the car’s, GM has given the ELR a technical update and some mild external and internal changes as follows:
- updated HiPer Strut front suspension, increased front spring rates & stiffer rear axle, stiffer bushings and a front bumper rebound spring
- three USB ports, 8-inch configurable instrument and driver information displays, sueded microfibre headliner, semi-aniline full leather seating and power-assisted covered storage/cupholder in the centre console
- lithium-ion battery capacity rises from 16.5 kWh to 17.1 kWh
- EV range improves from a claimed 37 miles (60km) to 39 miles (63km)
- total range has fallen from 340 miles (547km) to 330 miles (530km)
- a full recharge from a 240V source takes approximately five hours
- engine power rises by more than 25% to 233hp (174kW) and 373 lb-ft (506Nm) of torque
- 0-60 mph (0-96km/h) drops by over a second to 6.4 seconds (with Performance Package)
- standard model’s top speed is 106mph (170km/h) but specifying the optional Performance Package increases this to 130mph (209km/h)
- Performance Package includes 20-inch wheels, front four-piston Brembo brake calipers with 13.6-inch front vented rotors & 12.4-inch rear vented rotors, a sports steering wheel plus further calibration of the Continuous Damping Control and electric power steering systems
The 2016 ELR is priced from US$58,495 after applying US federal tax credits.
Speaking at the Paris motor show in October 2014, Cadillac president Johan De Nysschen said the ELR successor would be a pure plug-in. The thinking is presumably to both comply with California’s emissions standards and to challenge one or more of Tesla’s models. This car should appear in 2018 or 2019.
