Ellinghaus: No More Dedicated PHEV/EV Cadillacs After ELR
2016 Cadillac ELR
Photo: © General Motors
Cadillac announced back in April that it would kill off the ELR once it hits the end of its first lifecycle, with brand president and lover of adjectives John De Nysschen telling Auto Guide that he wasn’t under the impression that Cadillac would “create a next-generation, compact, two-door, gorgeously styled alternative powertrain successor to ELR.”
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Last month, Cadillac’s chief marketing officer Uwe Ellinghaus spoke with Car and Driver and confirmed that Cadillac will not pursue another dedicated PHEV/EV in the future. He made it clear, however, that the brand has no intention of moving away from hybrid or EV technology.
“We need to walk away from a dedicated model,” Ellinghaus said. “It needs to be a standard, in our regular lineup. The CT6 is the first Cadillac that has a plug-in-hybrid electric version, and this is the way forward.”
Indeed, the addition of a PHEV variant to the CT6 lineup all but signaled the final nail in the ELR’s coffin, and it represents Cadillac’s approach to electrified vehicle technology applications moving forward.
“I think it will end up where all-wheel drive is today, he added. “Some that want it tick the box.”
Ellinghaus also told Car and Driver that the XT5 will be flanked by four additional crossovers, including a three-row crossover, a smaller crossover to slot beneath the XT5, and possibly “an even more compact [model]” and “something between a three-row SUV/crossover-derived car and the Escalade.”
It will be interesting to see if, as Ellinghaus suggests, a PHEV powertrain is a tickable box for these future models.
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