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Cadillac Converj Confirmed

The "loves me, loves me not" story between the Cadillac Converj and American manufacturer GM seems to have ended with a marriage proposal, as the carmaker's vice chairman Bob Lutz announced at a conference of the Society of Automotive Analysts in Detroit the car will become the second extended-range electric vehicle to join GM's lineup.

According to Lutz, cited by DetNews, the car has received the board's approval and is now entering research and development. The closest date when a final result of the research can be seen is still some two years away, Lutz said.

Converj, which debuted at the 2009 NAIAS, has had a rough year. Encouraged by the public perception of the car, GM set out on turning it production version; discouraged by the lack of funds, however, they set it aside.

The first hint of a possible road future for the Converj came in November, when the first signs of GM considering producing the car surfaced. The reason behind this is that the technology for the Converj is already here.

The extended-range electric limousine, which will use the same basic technology as the Volt, with a small gasoline engine used to recharge the lithium ion batteries and extend the electric range of the vehicle to some 40 miles. As for the body of the car, chances are it will be a two-door coupe, most likely in a bigger, yet proportional size than the concept.

The reasoning behind producing basically two versions of the same car (Volt and Converj), was best explained in November by Jim Hall, auto analyst for 2953 Analytics: "You can charge more for a Caddy than a Chevrolet."
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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