Cadillac begins shipping ELRs

By Bill McLauchlan

It’s been a while getting into production since it first hit the auto show circuit as a concept model back in 2009 but, today, Cadillac began shipping its 2014 ELR electric luxury coupe to dealerships across the continent.

Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors

Cadillac claims the ELR is the first application of Extended Range Electric Vehicle technology by a full-line luxury automotive brand, blending a dramatic design and industry-leading extended-range technology for a driving experience both sporty and environmentally friendly.

Its driving range, which combines battery-only electric power with a range-extending gasoline-powered electric generator provides total driving range exceeding 300 miles (480 km). The extended range technology is uniquely tuned for Cadillac in the ELR. Most daily commutes will require no gasoline and emit no tailpipe emissions.

Today’s event marked the return of Cadillac production at the ELR’s Detroit-Hamtramck plant after a two-year hiatus. The last model built there was the Cadillac DTS large sedan from 2006 to 2011. The first vehicle produced for sale at Detroit-Hamtramck was a Cadillac Eldorado, which came off the line on Feb. 4, 1985. Currently, the Chevrolet Impala, Malibu and Volt are manufactured alongside the new ELR.

Built on the same basic platform as the Volt, but with a big dollop of design, technology and the fun of luxury coupe driving added to the mix, the ELR is tasked with fitting seamlessly into the same modern brand image as Cadillac’s CTS, XTS and other offerings. Let’s hope Caddy has done its homework this time around. The last time it shared a small-car structure with Chevrolet we got the horrid little Cimarron, a less-than-desirable luxury clone of Chevy’s original Cavalier.

High-flying Leaf Hits a Hundred 
As Cadillac’s crisply styled little ELR rolls off the production line for its start in life, another all-electric model has rolled up some impressive numbers of its own. Steve Marsh, a Kent, Washington, resident recently celebrated passage of a rather unique milestone – 100,000 all-electric miles (161,000 km) driven in his Nissan Leaf.

In early 2011, Marsh bought a Leaf for his 130-mile (210 km) round-trip daily commute. Since then, he has covered that extensive total using no gasoline, creating no tailpipe emissions and, by his own estimation, saving thousands of dollars.

“With a daily commute of about 130 miles, I’ve saved more than $9,000 (US) compared to my old gasoline-powered car,” said Marsh, who credits his West Coast state’s strong charging infrastructure. “With plenty of public charging options, as well as a charger installed at my office, my Leaf is a perfect car for my commute.”

A financial controller for a seafood company, Marsh made the decision to go electric and by the little Nissan based primarily on the car’s low cost of ownership – a benefit that more than 40,000 North American Leaf drivers are now enjoying.