GM to put electric Cadillac Converj into production
11-09-2009, 12:09 PM
#1
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GM to put electric Cadillac Converj into production
General Motors Co. has decided to produce the Cadillac Converj, an extended-range electric car using the same technology as the Chevrolet Volt, The Detroit News has learned.
Cadillac included the Converj, a concept car that wowed industry critics and the public at the 2009 North American International Auto Show, in a presentation made to the automaker's board of directors Nov. 2, according to sources familiar with the production plan.
A production date has not been set, and it likely will be a few years before consumers can buy a Converj.
A Cadillac spokesman declined comment.
Before GM emerged from bankruptcy July 10 with about $50 billion in federal aid, company executives said there were no plans to build the angular Converj.
At the auto show, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said if the Converj was approved, the production model would resemble the concept, likening it to the Chevrolet Camaro's evolution from concept to production.
Lutz said it would have been easier financially to produce a Cadillac electric vehicle first because a premium brand would command a higher sticker price, which in turn would help defray the cost of lithium-ion batteries.
The Converj will expand the number of electric vehicles offered by GM and spread the technology's cost. GM is spending more than $1 billion on the Volt program alone and opening a battery pack assembly factory in Brownstown Township. GM's German carmaker Adam Opel GmbH will produce an Ampera model in 2011 that uses the same underpinnings.
The electrification of vehicles is seen as a growth area in the auto industry, and rival automakers have launched electric vehicle plans to cut the dependence on foreign oil.
The Volt, scheduled for production in November/December 2010, will let commuters travel up to 40 miles on electric power. The engine kicks in after its battery is drained by about 70 percent to sustain the battery's remaining charge to keep the car running for several hundred miles.
The decision to build the Converj excited dealers.
Cadillac sells a hybrid version of its Cadillac Escalade, but Scott Allen, a dealer in California, hears from customers who don't normally think of the large SUV as a traditional hybrid.
"A snazzy-looking little car like that would be cool," Allen said.
Cadillac included the Converj, a concept car that wowed industry critics and the public at the 2009 North American International Auto Show, in a presentation made to the automaker's board of directors Nov. 2, according to sources familiar with the production plan.
A production date has not been set, and it likely will be a few years before consumers can buy a Converj.
A Cadillac spokesman declined comment.
Before GM emerged from bankruptcy July 10 with about $50 billion in federal aid, company executives said there were no plans to build the angular Converj.
At the auto show, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said if the Converj was approved, the production model would resemble the concept, likening it to the Chevrolet Camaro's evolution from concept to production.
Lutz said it would have been easier financially to produce a Cadillac electric vehicle first because a premium brand would command a higher sticker price, which in turn would help defray the cost of lithium-ion batteries.
The Converj will expand the number of electric vehicles offered by GM and spread the technology's cost. GM is spending more than $1 billion on the Volt program alone and opening a battery pack assembly factory in Brownstown Township. GM's German carmaker Adam Opel GmbH will produce an Ampera model in 2011 that uses the same underpinnings.
The electrification of vehicles is seen as a growth area in the auto industry, and rival automakers have launched electric vehicle plans to cut the dependence on foreign oil.
The Volt, scheduled for production in November/December 2010, will let commuters travel up to 40 miles on electric power. The engine kicks in after its battery is drained by about 70 percent to sustain the battery's remaining charge to keep the car running for several hundred miles.
The decision to build the Converj excited dealers.
Cadillac sells a hybrid version of its Cadillac Escalade, but Scott Allen, a dealer in California, hears from customers who don't normally think of the large SUV as a traditional hybrid.
"A snazzy-looking little car like that would be cool," Allen said.
11-09-2009, 12:14 PM
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Few years? Fail. Dont bother.
Delta II cars are out now across the world for over a year.
We dont even have one here yet, and the one we were supposed to get, we wont see for another year. Volt, few months beyond that.
Unless you can launch it the same time as the Volt, put it off yoru list.
Delta II cars are out now across the world for over a year.
We dont even have one here yet, and the one we were supposed to get, we wont see for another year. Volt, few months beyond that.
Unless you can launch it the same time as the Volt, put it off yoru list.
11-09-2009, 01:38 PM
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Few years? Fail. Dont bother.
Delta II cars are out now across the world for over a year.
We dont even have one here yet, and the one we were supposed to get, we wont see for another year. Volt, few months beyond that.
Unless you can launch it the same time as the Volt, put it off yoru list.
Delta II cars are out now across the world for over a year.
We dont even have one here yet, and the one we were supposed to get, we wont see for another year. Volt, few months beyond that.
Unless you can launch it the same time as the Volt, put it off yoru list.
OMG, the Orlando won't launch at the same time as the Cruze... FAIL, GM SUCKS, JUST QUIT BUILDING CARS!!!
You see, I can be annoying too.
11-09-2009, 01:45 PM
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The US seems to get the short end of the stick as far as car development is concerned. Cars like the Cruze, should be being produced here at the same time if not before the rest of the world. Instead, we get the global divisions rebadges. Cars like the converj are nice, but a 3 year wait for somethin needed last year is becoming too common with GM.
11-09-2009, 02:18 PM
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There also may be more reason the Converj is a few years off - dont jump to conclusions yet.
Originally Posted by Mustang Killer57
The US seems to get the short end of the stick as far as car development is concerned
11-09-2009, 02:29 PM
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Why ? ....its not like cars like this are exactly plentiful and I doubt there will be one on every street corner in few years either . The time line is just fine , people in a few years may even be more apt to spend a larger amount on a full electric . Hybrids are all the politcal correctness rage at the moment , but but sales of them arent exactly on fire compared to a traditional powered car .
11-09-2009, 03:10 PM
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11-09-2009, 03:35 PM
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FWIW, yesterday I met the CEO of another Silicon Valley start-up that's building a competitor to the Tesla Roadster that has slightly better performance and range and should debut in 2010 for less than $50k. (It was at SEMA last week.) It seems there will be several "real" EVs available when the Volt and Converj hit the street. These "hybrids" had better be flawless and perform well, otherwise they may not survive long.
11-09-2009, 04:00 PM
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Seems like it might somewhat compete with the upcoming Audi R4's optional full electric vehicle powertrain.
It makes sense to go ahead and premo the Volt into a Caddy... I mean it's already a 40k dollar car. You might actually more easily appeal to people with a 50k dollar electric Caddy than with a 40k dollar electric Chevy. Practical people buy Chevy, rich people buy Caddy... which one is more likely to pay an extra 15k dollar premium for an electric vehicle?
It makes sense to go ahead and premo the Volt into a Caddy... I mean it's already a 40k dollar car. You might actually more easily appeal to people with a 50k dollar electric Caddy than with a 40k dollar electric Chevy. Practical people buy Chevy, rich people buy Caddy... which one is more likely to pay an extra 15k dollar premium for an electric vehicle?
11-09-2009, 04:17 PM
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Converj and Volt arent hyrbids.
Not launching this product ASAP is a failure on GM's part.
North America is still the king when it comes to volume, and we dont get nearly the cars that should be here. Cruze should have been focused around a North American launch, not Europe. It should have been timed around the Astra, launching the two cars globally. It wasnt, and now being pushed back further for who knows why.
Converj should launch no more then a year after Volt.
And money is on the fact that it wont be a coupe, but a four door.
Not launching this product ASAP is a failure on GM's part.
North America is still the king when it comes to volume, and we dont get nearly the cars that should be here. Cruze should have been focused around a North American launch, not Europe. It should have been timed around the Astra, launching the two cars globally. It wasnt, and now being pushed back further for who knows why.
Converj should launch no more then a year after Volt.
And money is on the fact that it wont be a coupe, but a four door.
11-09-2009, 11:26 PM
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Read and learn. Hybrid just refers to it's ability to run off the battery pack, or the motor, fuel cell, etc...