When whispers started getting louder about Cadillac’s plan of building a production version of the Converj Concept, a lot of people began to wonder whether this was another one of those merry-go-round statements that would be taken back pretty quickly. After all, rumors about a production version of the Converj have been going on for about two years now and on more than one occasion, General Motors has pulled the plug on the project.
But now it looks like the green light is finally on. The Cadillac Converj Concept is headed to production as the Cadillac ELR.
According to GM, the development of the ELR is currently underway and they are in the middle of testing and developing all the pertinent details of the car. Chief among this is the powertrain, which is expected to carry an electric propulsion system with a T-shaped lithium ion battery, an electric drive unit, and a four-cylinder engine-generator.
The whole set-up is pretty similar to the Chevrolet Volt where the ELR is looking into using electricity as the primary energy source with the assistance of a gas engine generator as back-up in case the batteries are all used up.
The decision to finally grant production status on the ELR was a long time in the making for GM, but in the end, the company felt like it was now time for the car to be built. ?The concept generated instant enthusiasm,? said Don Butler, VP of marketing for Cadillac.
?Like other milestone Cadillac models of the past, the ELR will offer something not otherwise present ? the combination of electric propulsion with striking design and the fun of luxury coupe driving.?
Cadillac ELR originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 19 August 2011 12:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/cadillac/2011-cadillac-elr-ar114564.html
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