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Cadillac ELR Isn't a Tesla Model S Rival, GM Exec Tells

Remember the Cadillac ELR? Have you seen one on the road? Yeah, it's not a pretty common sight, chiefly because it has sold only 578 units in the first seven months of the current year. Moreover, it sells for twice the price of a 2015 Chevrolet Volt, which is basically the same bit of kit if you peel off the badge, body shell and luxury paraphernelia.
2014 Cadillac ELR 1 photo
Photo: Cadillac
All things considered, the $75,000 hybrid electric vehicle from Cadillac isn't a hit in the United States (or anywhere else), even though the manufacturer spent a lot of green dollar bills marketing it like there was no tomorrow. Disappointing sales numbers aside, even Mark Reuss, GM's head of global product development, purchasing and supply chain, seems to be a little bit disheartened with the hybrid Cadillac.

Although former General Motors boss Dan Akerson told The Detroit News last year that "If you want to compete head-to-head with Tesla, and we ultimately will, you want to do it with a Cadillac," Mark Reuss claimed in an interview with WWJ Newsradio 950 that "people like to say the ELR is, but it’s really not... It’s a different car, it’s a different price point. It’s way-different technology.” Mind our opinion, but between a basic ELR and a basic Model S 85 kWh there's only a 6k difference in price, so there's not much of an excuse here.

Take into account that Caddy is backed up by General Motors, one of the biggest manufacturers in the world, while Tesla doesn't have the same R&D money and green technology know-how. Of course, some of you might point out that one nameplate is a hybrid with a range extender, while the other is a pure electric drive machine. But even so, the ELR boasts with only 37 miles of electric range, while the Model S boasts with an EPA certified range of up to 265 miles.

If our two cents were on the table, we'd look forward to the second-generation Chevrolet Volt, teased in the image you may find here. The 2016 Chevrolet Volt is expected to be a better overall package than the outgoing model and the Caddy ELR when it will make its public debut at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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