Next voltec, what do you think of the new rumors

Not according to the myth.

I rather see someone buy this than CTS Coupe for sure. With 9 cubic feet cargo space, better than Hummer? Nope.

All I am saying is, it is not a well balanced vehicle. I am sure it is perfect for some.

 

Hmmm, does the ELR scale 2' high walls? Can one get it in drab olive grey? Can it be retrofitted with armour plates? Where is the 50 cal. gun mount hiding?

DBCassidy

 

Thought these were excellent details on the gm.media site. For example, SPORTs mode in the ELR (vs Volt) also adjust suspension.

NAIAS 2013: Cadillac ELR Reveal Remarks from Mark Adams and Bob Ferguson 2013-01-15

Electrified ELR’s Driving Experience is Pure Cadillac 2013-01-15

2014 Cadillac ELR Preliminary Specifications 2013-01-15

ELR : 207 hp (CD:135 kW, CS:154 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 N-m) of torque and weighs 4,070 lbs
Volt: 149 hp (111 kW) and 273 lb-ft (370 N-m) of torque and weighs 3,781 lbs

There are a ton of features on this car.

The gm site announcement:
http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/cadillac/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2013/Jan/13naias/elr/0115_elr.html?goback=%2Egde_147033_member_204463876

Video: GMtv Multi Player 290px

Design:

• Enhanced AT-PZEV emissions meet California’s criteria for single-occupancy access to high occupancy vehicle lanes
• Light-emitting diode (LED) headlamps, daytime running lamps and taillamps, as well as signature front and rear lighting elements
• Twenty-inch wheels paired with tires designed to balance responsive handling and a comfortable ride with efficiency
• Interior design featuring cut-and-sew accented leather incorporating sueded microfiber, chrome, wood and available carbon fiber finishes throughout
• Cadillac CUE with Navigation is standard. CUE is Cadillac’s breakthrough system for connectivity and control, using Natural Voice Recognition, capacitive touch and hand gestures used on smart phones and tablets
• Programmable charging schedules and downloadable energy efficiency reports available online and through smartphone notification charging alerts
• Cadillac’s advanced active safety features, including Safety Alert Seat, Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning, along with available Side Blind Zone Alert with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and full-speed-range adaptive cruise control
• Advanced chassis and suspension systems, including HiPer Strut front suspension, compound-crank with Watts link rear suspension and Continuous Damping Control, which adjusts damping every two milliseconds for optimal ride and handling in all conditions
• Standard premium Bose 10-channel audio system with active noise cancellation.

Interior:

• Eight-inch configurable instrument and driver information displays, offering four configurations ranging from elegantly simple to technologically enhanced information
• Auto-glide/power-assisted covered storage/cup holder in the center console
• Fold-down rear seat backs accommodate longer items, including multiple sets of golf clubs
• LED-powered accent lighting in the instrument panel and doors
• Available Opus semi-aniline leather seating.

Driving experience:

• Wide front and rear tracks – 62.1 inches (1,578 mm) in front and 62.4 inches (1,585 mm) in the rear – along with a long wheelbase (106.1 inches / 2,695 mm) and a low center of gravity
• HiPer Strut front suspension featuring lightweight forged aluminum components for reduced weight and more nimble, responsive action
• Dual-pinion, rack-mounted electric power steering system with premium ZF steering gear designed to provide excellent feedback while helping to save fuel
• A semi-independent rear compound-crank suspension with Watts link that incorporates weight-optimized trailing arms to absorb lateral forces, allowing the suspension to be tuned to handle vertical, forward and rearward motions
• Hydraulic ride bushings in the front and rear suspensions
• An electro-hydraulic regenerative brake system that captures energy and sends it to the battery pack
• Standard chassis control systems include antilock brakes, traction control and StabiliTrak electronic stability control.

 

GM's Reuss: Next-gen Chevy Volt will be "thousands of dollars" cheaper
GM's Reuss: Next-gen Chevy Volt will be "thousands of dollars" cheaper

 

Per Edmunds with some of the Volt vs ELR differences (and a few same things listed):
2014 Cadillac ELR Base 1.4L 4-cyl. Hybrid 1-speed Direct Drive Features and Specs

Front Seats

• 8 -way power driver and passenger seat
• Driver and passenger seat with power adjustable lumbar support
• Multi-level heating driver and passenger seat

Comfort

• Interior air filtration
• Dual zone climate controls - driver and passenger
• Leather and wood steering wheel
• Heated steering wheel
• Electrochromatic inside rearview mirror

Telematics

• Hard drive based display w/voice directions navigation system

Roof and Glass

• Speed sensitive wipers

Tires and Wheels

• 18 x 8.0 in. wheels
• Null spare wheel
• P225/40R18 tires
• Run flat tires
• Tire repair kit

Safety Features

• Daytime running lights
• Engine immobilizer
• Front fog/driving lights
• Xenon high intensity discharge headlamp
• Stability control
• Traction control
• Electronic brakeforce distribution
• Emergency interior trunk release
• Post-collision safety system
• Passenger head restraint whiplash protection system
• Driver head restraint whiplash protection system
• Adaptive headlights

ELR : 207 hp (CD:135 kW, CS:154 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 N-m) of torque and weighs 4,070 lbs
Volt: 149 hp (CD/CS:111 kW) and 273 lb-ft (370 N-m) of torque and weighs 3,781 lbs

 

Hey, THAT'S grampas car!!!

DBCassidy

 

“It is different, but not drastically different,” according to a source who didn’t want to be identified in speaking with Edmunds “Just really a bit of a styling change to it.”

Redesigned, 2nd Gen 2016 Chevrolet Volt To Debut Next Year

 

hybridcars.com had an article on the elr ads during the olympics. it was supposed to be a brand awareness ad. funny, i saw the beginning of the ad a million times while watching the olympics, but had no idea it was for cadillac until i watched the whole thing on utube.

 

Same here. the ad was posted quite a bit during the games. I did not know it was a Caddy.

GMs' miscue.

DBCassidy

 

This ad?

 

At a loss for positive news about sagging sales, enthusiasts are taking supposed facts from former executives and spreading them. Rumors are emerging. The hype returns. It never ceases to amaze me how "over promise, under deliver" keeps coming back. It's great material for blogging...

That ELR commercial is an ideal contribution from GM to assist with the distraction effort. The pattern of trying to sell us what they want to produce rather than what they need to should be obvious. Yet, some choose not to see it.

If there was any sort of balance, it would be somewhat acceptable. But when they push an expensive compact then follow-up with a luxury compact, what the heck are you suppose to actually purchase? There's nothing practical & affordable offered, nothing resembling their traditional choices.

Enthusiasts want you to forget how much anticipation there was about ELR. They strongly believed it would usher in version 1.5 for Voltec, a major system upgrade. Since it was an entirely new vehicle with a higher price anyway, hype easily bolstered that belief. Instead, all they got was comfort & handling improvements you'd get from other Cadillac vehicles.

One year later, the situation is a mess. So, the cycle of unsupported hope begins again. Ugh.

 

yes, that is the ad. not that i have any compliments for toy's ad team either.

 

ELR is a bit of a head scratcher. It's not really certain who GM is actually targeting with the price so close to Tesla. But with the trophy-mentally so prevalent still, intentionally delivering a niche is understandable for the Cadillac model.

For Volt, that's entirely different. It was supposed to appeal to mainstream consumers. There was a sincere belief by enthusiasts that the "if they build it, ordinary people will buy it" motto would actually work. They figured the electric drive would be so appealing, the higher price countered by lower fuel expenses, would easily justify the purchase. To them, it was an easy sell. The compact rear seating and the low range in Winter were non-issues as far as they were concerned. The low MPG following depletion was too. They were wrong. Even Volt owners complain about that now. Yet, we had to deal with countless claims that wouldn't be a problem.

So, we are left asking the same question again, who will the next be marketed to?

I suspect the design will be altered so profoundly to finally address the needs of middle-market, it won't resemble the original in many ways. The early promotion of Volt during the design phase significantly limited options going forward. GM backed itself into a corner... over promising. Even though some enthusiasts haven't learned from that mistake, at least the automaker itself seems to have... for the next generation.

 

John 1701,

I agree with your statement.GM seems to have based the Volt on a lot of assumptions with very little facts. So, what is happening now, even with the claimed increase in Volt sales: increased competition.

If the Volt was to be marketed to the middle class: epic failure (IE: too little, too late).

Now, aside from marketing and sales, the initial concept, using the Volt as leverage to acquire taxpayers' bailout monies was a huge success for GM! GM received the bailout, released the Volt to the market, then was allowed to buy back the outstanding shares below market value. The Treasury allowed the buy back to go forward.

Currently, the taxpayers are footing the 10 to 12 billion bill. What ever the pro-Volt posters try to generate buzz about the Volt is wasted energy.

Time has shown the Volt can't sell itself to the general (middleclass).

DBCassidy

 

Like the Prius did going from the first to second generations.

 

Huh? The Classic was already a midsize and the hybrid system did not change with the Iconic. In fact, they operate the same way.

 

The gen1 was a compact(EPA classification) sedan with slightly more cabin space than the Corolla. While a compact can work for as a second car or for a single person, but not for your middle-market. For that it would need to get bigger for a family.

It became a midsize with the gen2. The 2004 Prius was close to the 2001 Camry in Cabin space, but was still cramped compared to the current year Camry, which also had more cargo space in the trunk. Buyers were willing to overlook that for the fuel economy and the versatility of the hatchback helped with the space issue

Compare Side-by-Side

To the person on the street, going from a compact sedan to a midsize hatchback is a major change.