Would You Pay $75K for a Cadillac Volt?


Recommended Posts

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.

  • Like 1

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

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.


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.

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? 

  • Like 1

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....

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.

 

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

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.

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.

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.

/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 ######.

  • Like 1

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.

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

  • Like 1
  • 2 weeks later...
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • I will keep my current devices for several years... no planning in upgrading until these devices stop working. Too pricey.
    • Apple raises MacBook and iPad prices as memory costs surge by Karthik Mudaliar Apple has raised the U.S. prices of several MacBook and iPad models, including the MacBook Neo, which it launched for $599 less than four months ago. The company’s cheapest laptop now starts at $699, while some MacBook Pro configurations have increased by $300. The changes affect the MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. Apple has not changed the hardware or storage included with these models, so customers are simply paying more for the same configurations. Here is how the new US pricing compares with the previous starting prices: Product Previous price New price Increase MacBook Neo $599 $699 $100 13-inch MacBook Air, 512GB $1,099 $1,299 $200 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB $1,699 $1,999 $300 16-inch MacBook Pro $2,699 $2,999 $300 11-inch iPad Air, 128GB $599 $749 $150 13-inch iPad Air, 128GB $799 $949 $150 11-inch iPad Pro, 256GB $999 $1,199 $200 13-inch iPad Pro, 256GB $1,299 $1,499 $200 The updated prices are already appearing on Apple’s U.S. online store. The MacBook Neo increase will probably attract the most attention. Apple introduced the laptop in March for $599, pitching it as a more affordable Mac for students and buyers considering Windows laptops or Chromebooks. It uses an A18 Pro processor and originally undercut Dell’s new $699 XPS 13 by $100. Following the increase, the two laptops now have the same starting price. The M5 MacBook Air has also lost the price Apple promoted when it launched in March. The 13-inch model arrived with 512GB of storage for $1,099, while Apple’s store now lists the MacBook Air range as starting at $1,299. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip and 1TB of storage has gone from $1,699 to $1,999. Apple has made similar changes to its iPads. The recently released M4 iPad Air, which launched at the same $599 starting price as its predecessor, now starts at $749 for the 11-inch version. The 13-inch version has risen from $799 to $949. The iPad Pro increases are larger in dollar terms. Apple’s 11-inch M5 iPad Pro now starts at $1,199, up from $999, while the 13-inch version has moved from $1,299 to $1,499. Both base models still include 256GB of storage. Apple blamed the increases on the rapidly rising cost of DRAM and NAND flash, which provide system memory and device storage. The company told Reuters that it had tried to shield customers from the increases but could no longer absorb them. “We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly,” Apple said. Tim Cook had already warned that price increases were coming. Cook said Apple’s existing component inventory had softened the immediate impact, but that higher memory costs would increasingly affect the company after the June quarter. Much of the pressure comes from the construction of AI data centers. Memory manufacturers are directing more production toward high-margin server products, leaving PC, tablet, and smartphone makers competing for the remaining supply. Apple has not said whether the new prices are temporary or whether further increases are planned. For now, the changes show that even Apple’s purchasing power has not been enough to keep the AI-driven memory shortage away from consumer devices.
    • Ventoy 1.1.16 is out.
    • This is a none story - these low volume Chinese models will always get new experimental features first because Apple and Samsung can't produce them in huge volume to meet demand.
    • Nvidia GeForce NOW gains support for Dark Scrolls, Empulse, and more by Pulasthi Ariyasinghe The final update of June for Nvidia's cloud gaming service GeForce NOW is now available, and it is touting support for six more games. The company is also drawing subscriber attention towards the summer sales kicking off across stores, so they can stock up on more cloud-supported titles. Of course, the Steam Summer Sale is the biggest promotion, which is kicking off later today. "Supported Steam games can be streamed across devices with GeForce NOW, making it easy to buy a game once, keep progress synced and pick up where the gameplay left off on PCs, Macs, handheld devices, phones, TVs and more," says the company. "In other words, the Steam Summer Sale brings the deals; GeForce NOW adds the flexibility." Don't forget that the GeForce NOW summer sale is still active as well. This limited-time offer drops the 12-month Performance membership from $99.99 to $64.99, saving members $35. At the same time, the 12-month Ultimate membership is currently going for $129.99, dropping the price by $70 from the original $199.99. Here are the games joining GeForce NOW's supported list this week: Dark Scrolls (New release on Steam, available June 22) SAND: Raiders of Sophie (New release on Steam, available June 22) Deer & Boy (New release on Steam, available June 23) EMPULSE (New release on Steam, available June 24) The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (Steam) FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves (Steam) With the June expansions coming to an end, Nvidia should be announcing its July GeForce NOW plans next week. Keep in mind that, unlike subscription services like Game Pass or EA Play, a copy of a game must be owned by the GeForce NOW member (or at least have a license via PC Game Pass) to start playing via Nvidia's cloud servers. There is also a limit to how many hours subscribers can use the service per month.
  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      kinowa earned a badge
      First Post
    • Rookie
      krychek57 went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Grand Master
      Jaybonaut went up a rank
      Grand Master
    • One Year In
      Philsl earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      462
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      171
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      135
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      77
    5. 5
      Xenon
      77
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!