Consumer Reports: Cadillac ELR Is Overpriced

When GM announced the Cadillac ELR would be priced at $76,000, the collective jaw of the automotive writing world dropped. Is an upscale Chevy Volt really a contender for the Tesla Model S? Nope, not even close according to Consumer Reports, which says the Cadillac ELR is “priced out of its league.” A Tesla contender this is not.

Consumer Reports did love the interior of the Cadillac ELR, and thought the cabin was rather quiet, but despite a $7,000 Federal tax credit, the ELR’s sticker price of $75,995 still doesn’t feel justified. Consumer Reports called the ELR too “ordinary” to justify the price, and the 300 mile total range isn’t all that much more than the Tesla Model S, officially rated at 265 miles per charge. That said, Consumer Reports does think that as a luxury coupe, the Cadillac ELR makes more sense than the cramped 2+2 setup of the four-door Volt.

Cadillac executives have announced that they’re going after Tesla with cars like the ELR, but their first effort has fallen short, not because of the car itself, but the outlandish price tag. It’s as though GM didn’t hear all the complaints regarding the Chevy Volt’s too-high sticker price for the past three years, and instead only saw the line of people willing to pay $70,000+ for a Tesla Model S.

The difference of course is that the Cadillac ELR is based on the Chevy Volt, itself a heavily modified version of the Chevy Cruze…you know, a compact rental car type vehicle. The Tesla, meanwhile, was built from the ground-up as an electric car, is among the safest vehicles ever tested from the NHTSA, and is the highest-rated car by both Consumer Reports and actual owners.

Is the Cadillac ELR really more than double the car the Chevy Volt is? Obviously I’m not alone in thinking that no, it isn’t even close to worth it. GM needs to chop at least $10,000 off the MSRP, and when coupled with the $7,000 tax credit, the ELR might be at a price point that makes it a contender. As it stands though, this is just a Tesla pretender.

Source: Consumer Reports