Would You Pay $75K for a Cadillac Volt?

[BetaAddict]

General Motors is betting you will. It?s put a $75,995 price tag (including the $995 destination charge) on the Cadillac ELR ? what?s essentially a two-door Chevrolet Volt with a handsome exterior and a leather-lined cabin.

The same T-shaped, 16.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack in the Volt finds its way underneath the creased sheet metal of the ELR, as well as its 1.4-liter gasoline-powered range-extending engine. That allows the Caddy to motor along on electric power alone for up to 35 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in to juice up the pack and keep the ELR going for a claimed range of 300 miles.

Cadillac is touting the ELR?s 8-inch touchscreen powered by its CUE infotainment system ? which two years in is still a buggy mess ? along with a range of safety and convenience features, including lane departure warning, forward collision alert, and a 24-hour concierge service to answer questions. There?s also a ?regen on demand? feature that allows the driver to boost the brake regeneration, slowing the vehicle and recouping energy by pulling on the flappy paddles behind the steering wheel.

GM?s bean counters are quick to point out that depending on what federal and state tax incentives buyers are eligible for, the net pricing could be as low as $68,495, but that?s still a tough sell considering you?re basically getting a Volt with more presence and less practicality.

By comparison, $70k will get you into the entry-level ? but absolutely excellent ? all-electric Tesla Model S, with a 208-mile range from its 60 kWh battery. That makes the ELR almost impossible to justify what Caddy is demanding. Here?s hoping we?re wrong. We?ll find out when sales begin in January.

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/10/cadillac-elr-price/#slideid-98711

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/01/cadillac-elr-detroit?pid=2603

 

 

So to answer the writer's question...No.  GM can claim they have technology that could potentially be better than what Tesla has, but their execution of the product is their biggest problem as they continue to cut corners. The Volt and ELR both use most of the same design cues from their standard combustion engine cars. When someone buys an electric car, it's not because they want to save money on gas, which doesn't happen due the extra cost of the car. They want to be environmentally conscious while driving something different than the rest of the combustion engine cars so that they can stand out to make a statement. This is why even hybrid cars have failed to catch on except a few select models like the Prius. Until they design a car from ground up that is different from their existing models, it's never going to be as appealing as a Tesla. Even the ELR interior is no where near as sexy as Tesla's 17in touchscreen dashboard.

[The Evil Overlord]

one word answer?

No!

 

reason?

The tesla Model S appeals to me more :p

[tsupersonic]

Nope, no way in hell. The Tesla Model S is better in every regard: 

- Pure electric

- More electric range

- Tesla Supercharger network

- More practical

 

This is a hideous car - the design doesn't work on the coupe, it looks like they took a big car design and condensed into a coupe format - just does not work. No thank you GM

[Luc2k]

Sweet Jesus, that thing is ugly! You can make your own scarecrow for a lot less.

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

The problem with electric cars is if you live in mountainous, colder areas where it snows, having an electric car may be impractical because the heat requires a lot of power, and the hills will further drain the battery.

[skyrocket]

I wouldn't. If GM significantly dropped the price and improved the technology of the Volt / the ELR, I might consider it. Considering there is the Tesla Model S, which is more expensive but the technology is a lot better and it's not UGLY.

[Edrick Smith]

So are they saying the gas tank size is only 1.4 litres and it's able to get a 300 mile range out of that due to the fact that it's an electric car with a small gasoline generator to recharge the batteries? 

[TAZMINATOR]

Um...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No.

[adrynalyne]

I like how they try to make its power look good:

 

 "Nail the throttle and you?ll send 207 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque (the same as a BMW M3) to the 20-inch front wheels. "

 

 

Except that, its missing 207 hp to really be compared to an M3.

 

Heck, my car makes almost that much torque, and an M3 would eat me alive.

 

 

"Cadillac isn?t citing performance numbers, but the 4,070-pound ELR should be good for mid-seven second run to 60 mph."

 

 

Yeah, a lot like an M3....

[Nashy]

I wouldn't pay that sort of money for anything made in the USA.

[+Random Stranger Subscriber¹]

No way!   While i do like some cadillac designs, this one is not that appealing considering!

[adrynalyne]

I wouldn't pay that sort of money for anything made in the USA.

So if they made the above somewhere else, you would?

[Juguard]

I wouldn't pay that sort of money for anything made in the USA.

/facepalm

 

Do you like music? "Made in USA" products record some of the best music out there.

 

And some of you people need to read about the VOLT a bit more.  That car is fantastic.

[Phantom Helix]

 

The problem with electric cars is if you live in mountainous, colder areas where it snows, having an electric car may be impractical because the heat requires a lot of power, and the hills will further drain the battery.

 

 

Yes but lots of extra regen braking on those same said "Hills" that us people that live in the flats don't get

 

/facepalm

 

Do you like music? "Made in USA" products record some of the best music out there.

 

And some of you people need to read about the VOLT a bit more.  That car is fantastic.

 

True, the Volt is a fantastic car, ive test driven several and other than no noise you would not know it was an electric car, it is however far to expensive for what you get, fuel savings or not, base models for a 2013 Volt start at $42,000

 

I would rather spend $75,000 on a Model S than either a Volt or an ELR

[Juguard]

Yes but lots of extra regen braking on those same said "Hills" that us people that live in the flats don't get

 

 

True, the Volt is a fantastic car, ive test driven several and other than no noise you would not know it was an electric car, it is however far to expensive for what you get, fuel savings or not, base models for a 2013 Volt start at $42,000

 

I would rather spend $75,000 on a Model S than either a Volt or an ELR

I wasn't comparing the 2 cars.  But I will, I guess. :p  They are both great cars in their own class.  With the Volt, you do not have that range anxiety like you do with the Model S.  The Volt, you'll never get stuck with no juice.  And it doesn't cost 42,000 after tax credit.  The Model S is great if you live in warm conditions, as a full electric, it needs warmer weather.   But the Model S cannot make long trips.  Its a very expensive town car.

[Shiranui]

Do you like music? "Made in USA" products record some of the best music out there.

 

If you say so......

 

Anyway, the car is not that bad looking, but I have always found Cadillac's over-sized front grille to be rather ugly.

No way I would consider this over a Tesla, though.

[Juguard]

If you say so......

 

Anyway, the car is not that bad looking, but I have always found Cadillac's over-sized front grille to be rather ugly.

No way I would consider this over a Tesla, though.

It always comes down to what type of driving you need the car for(or to show off).  For a trip to San Diego to LA and back to SD, is not possible with the Tesla without waiting for a recharge.  Also, with traffic, maybe not even a one way trip is possible.  The the Model S is sexy, would love to own one.

[Nashy]

/facepalm

 

Do you like music? "Made in USA" products record some of the best music out there.

 

And some of you people need to read about the VOLT a bit more.  That car is fantastic.

 

God dammit I hate the Internet.

I'm talking about cars, not music.  It's  car thread, stop being silly.

 

There is nothing fantastic about the Volt.  I look at prices for repair too, I work in the industry, ###### Yank cars are heaps of ######.

[Argi]

If you're paying that much then Tesla Model S is the no brainer.  Anything else would be beyond stupid.

[Juguard]

God dammit I hate the Internet.

I'm talking about cars, not music.  It's  car thread, stop being silly.

 

There is nothing fantastic about the Volt.  I look at prices for repair too, I work in the industry, **** Yank cars are heaps of ****.

Well, I'm sorry, but you did say "anything" ...  Anyways, I can't afford any of them, but would love to have both of them.

[FriendlyBully]

I don't think the Robocop remake will be any good.

[TAZMINATOR]

I don't think the Robocop remake will be any good.

 

What?  we aren't talking about a movie... we are talking about battery operated car here...

[The Evil Overlord]

What?  we aren't talking about a movie... we are talking about battery operated car here...

Well Technically, as Robocop is battery operated, and uses cars..... I see the connection

 

Actually, no I don't nevermind, carry on

[TAZMINATOR]

Well Technically, as Robocop is battery operated, and uses cars..... I see the connection

 

Actually, no I don't nevermind, carry on

 

Goofy  :rolleyes:

[riahc3]

Hello,

I can buy a Escalade for $68,000 Will it suck more gas than a prosititue in Utah? Yes but I wouldnt care.