THE CADILLAC OF PLUG-IN CARS

GM board approves plug-in Cadillac hybrid –sources
Bernie Woodall (w/Matthew Lewis), November 10, 2009 (Reuters)

"The board of General Motors Co has approved a plan to produce a plug-in hybrid for the luxury Cadillac brand that will adapt technology developed for the upcoming Chevrolet Volt…

"The battery-powered Cadillac will be based on the Converj concept GM showed off in January and would become the second extended-range plug-in vehicle in GM's line-up after the Volt, which is set to launch at the end of 2010…Production of the Cadillac is not expected before the 2013 model year…"

The plug-in Cadillac concept. Notice there is a growing standardization for how the battery pack is placed in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) (click to enlarge)

"The Volt has attracted intense interest as one of the first rechargeable, battery-powered vehicles set to launch in the United States…GM officials have also downplayed expectations for the Volt's commercial success because of the vehicle's high development costs, high sticker price and limited production…From the start…GM's goal [has been] to find ways to create spinoffs that would help the automaker recoup its investment…GM hopes to sell 10,000 Volts the first year and 60,000 in the second year.

"The Volt is expected to cost about $40,000 before a consumer tax rebate of $7,500 in the United States. Even after the rebate, the Volt would be about $10,000 more expensive than the market-leading Toyota Prius hybrid…GM wanted to show that the electric car technology behind the Volt was ready for the mainstream when it chose Chevrolet as the brand for the vehicle's launch…Some analysts, however, have said the luxury Cadillac brand would have been a better fit for the Volt because premium car buyers could prove more willing to pay the higher prices the new technology will require…"

Click thru to Plug-in America's plug-in vehicle tracker and see how the world of personal transport is about to change utterly

"The Volt is being designed to be able to charge at a conventional household outlet and travel up to 40 miles (64 km) on battery power. When its lithium-ion battery is run down, a small gas-powered engine will start to recharge the battery. GM's extended-range electric vehicle technology will face competition from both pure electric cars and traditional hybrids led by the Prius…Nissan Motor Co will introduce the Leaf sedan in late 2010, an all-electric car with a range of about 100 miles (160 kilometers).

"In a departure from past practices, GM's new board is being briefed on product development plans earlier in the cycle and has become far more active in vetting that investment… Led by Chairman Ed Whitacre, the new GM board was reviewed by the U.S. Treasury after being restructured in bankruptcy with $50 billion in U.S. taxpayer funding."