The production of the Cadillac ELR, the first luxury plug-in hybrid
electric vehicle from General Motors Co, is to begin in late 2013 at the
same plant that makes the Chevrolet Volt, a top GM official said on
Tuesday. The ELR will be introduced to the U.S. market shortly after the
start of production, but GM did not announce timing of the first sales
for the Cadillac ELR. The ELR is the production version of the
concept Cadillac Converj introduced at the Detroit auto show in 2009.
Mark Reuss, GM’s North American president, announced production plants
for the ELR at an industry conference in Detroit. “The ELR will be in a
class by itself, further proof of our commitment to electric vehicles
and advanced technology,” Reuss said. “People will instantly recognize
it as a Cadillac by its distinctive, signature look and true-to-concept
exterior design.” Production of the ELR will be at the Detroit-Hamtramck
plant, which also makes the Volt and its near-twin models, the Opel
Ampera, the Vauxhall Ampera and the Holden Volt. Production of the Volt,
the Ampera and the Holden Volt resumed on Monday after being suspended
for four weeks. While auto analysts said that the suspension was in part
due to poor sales of the Volt, GM has said that the temporary plant
shutdown was to allow for some retooling for the production of the newly
designed 2014 Chevrolet Impala, which is to begin at the plant in early
2013. The plant also makes the Chevrolet Malibu sedan. Production of
the Malibu also resumed on Monday, GM said. GM said that the addition of
ELR production at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant represents a $35 million
investment and increased total investment in the plant since December
2009 to $561 million. GM officials have said that its major investment
in developing the Volt, its first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, will
pay off as it introduces more plug-in hybrid vehicles, such as the ELR.
GM officials want Cadillac by 2015 to double its 2010 U.S. sales of
147,000 vehicles, and to be competing for the top spot in the U.S.
luxury auto market by relying on the introduction of 10 new or refreshed
models, including the ELR. GM has not been tops in the U.S. luxury auto
market in 15 years. U.S. sales of GM’s luxury brand rose 3.7 percent in
2011 to about 153,000, or 63 percent of the sales of luxury leader BMW .
Through September this year, Cadillac U.S. sales were down 8.6 percent
from a year earlier to 103,512, according to Autodata Corp. Cadillac in
recent months introduced the Cadillac ATS, a compact luxury car that GM
wants to compete with the BMW 3-Series and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz
C-Class. (Reuters)
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