Cadillac Shows Off First Fully Electric Crossover On New EV Platform

More details will be announced as the automaker moves closer to launch.

Last week we learned that Cadillac was going to become the lead brand for launching the next generation of electric vehicles at General Motors. We learned that the Detroit automaker would be soon announcing a lineup to go head to head with Tesla.

The first announcement for this has come much more quickly than we anticipated. Late Sunday afternoon, Cadillac dropped the first images of what is going to be their first fully electric vehicle.

DETROIT — Cadillac furthered its recent product blitz today with the reveal of the brand’s first EV. This will be the first model derived from GM’s future EV platform. GM announced on Friday that Cadillac will be at the vanguard of the company’s move toward an all-electric future.

“Cadillac’s EV will hit the heart of the crossover market and meet the needs of customers around the world,” said Steve Carlisle, president of Cadillac. “It will represent the height of luxury and innovation while positioning Cadillac as the pinnacle of mobility.”

The Cadillac EV’s name and additional details will be revealed closer to launch. Today’s announcement is part of Cadillac’s aggressive product acceleration announced this week — in addition to revealing the all-new XT6 crossover, the company also hinted at both a future Escalade and an upcoming performance sedan. Overall, Cadillac will introduce new models at the rate of roughly one every six months through 2021.

GM’s future EV platform, which Cadillac will be the first to use, will be flexible, allowing the company to respond quickly to customer preferences with a relatively short design and development lead time. The Cadillac portfolio will eventually benefit from a variety of body styles that can be spun off this architecture.

The most advanced components within this platform are the drive units and battery cells, both of which are being designed for maximum usability throughout GM vehicle lineups in different countries. The EVs can be configured in front-, rear- or all-wheel drive, and the output of their battery systems will be adjustable based on vehicle and customer needs.

Autolist Sees Storm Clouds Ahead For US New Car Sales

A recent survey by Autolist of more than 9000 people finds there may be storm clouds ahead for new car sales in the US. The survey shows that a higher percentage of likely car buyers intend to buy used rather then new. Overall, 38% said their next car would be used. 34% said they intended to buy new. 27% were undecided.

When the responses were broken down by age, the differences became much more stark. Among people under 40, nearly 54% said used is the way they planned to go when they bought their next car. Only 46% said a new car purchase was on their horizon. For those over 40, the percentages are about equal.

Not only are younger drivers less likely to buy a new car, they report they plan to keep that car for less than 5 years. 60% of centennials and 46% of millenials said they would keep their next car less than 5 years. For older Americans, the percentage who say they will keep their next car for less than 5 years is around 40%.

Centennials are defined as between the ages of 16 and 24; millennials between 25 and 39, Generation X as between 40 and 54, baby boomers as 55 to 69, and traditionalists as over 70.

For those who say they plan to keep a car for less than 5 years and then buy a new car, Cadillac (77%) and Audi (75%) were the brands those people said they were most likely to buy. For those who responded that they intend to keep their car for more than 5 years and then buy new, the winner was Subaru with 73% of the responses.

The implications for automakers are clear. Younger people are less interested in buying a new car than older Americans. There could be a lot of reasons for that. Younger buyers have less money and little credit history to secure a car loan. But they also are more likely to see themselves participating in ride hailing or ride sharing services, particularly in urban areas where owning a car can be a hassle.

Autolist warns that new car sales may have seen their last great peak in the US and that car companies need to get used to selling fewer new cars every year. That lesson has not been lost on manufacturers, many of whom are deeply committed to transitioning at least part of their future business to online income stream models.

The Cadillac CT6 PHEV Is A “Volt On Steroids”

The first 100 Cadillac CT6 PHEV cars are in the country and are on their way to dealer showrooms. All hybrid versions of the CT6 are built in China and imported to the US. The car features an electric only range of more than 30 miles from its 18.4 kWh battery. Hmmm….isn’t that the same size battery GM uses in the Chevy Volt? Yes it is, but it is not the same battery. Instead of being T shaped like in the Volt, the battery for the CT6 is more rectangular and fits between the rear seat and the trunk.

The CT6 PHEV builds on the Voltec technology GM developed for the Chevy Volt but there are significant differences between the two powertrains. For starters, the CT6 PHEV has rear wheel drive; the Volt is front wheel drive. The Volt uses a 1.5 liter normally aspirated 4 cylinder gasoline engine. The Caddy has a 266 horsepower turbocharged 2.0 liter 4 cylinder under its hood.

The transmission for the CT6 is similar to the Volt transmission in that it uses two electric motors — one is an induction motor, which requires no rare earth materials to manufacture. The second is a permanent magnet motor. Combined they add 183 horsepower for a total of 449. The motors are enclosed in the transmission housing that sends power to the rear wheels.

Cadillac tried and failed to make an upmarket clone of the Volt called the ELR but it was a dismal failure. More than anything else, it was deemed too slow off the line to be a “true” Cadillac. For the CT6, the company has remedied that weakness by stuffing  3 planetary gears (two simple, one double-pinion) and 5 clutches into the transmission, which now has four continuously variable transmission modes with 3 fixed gears.

“Basically, that gives you a Volt on steroids. It gives you tremendous launch torque. It’s actually a 6.8 step down in the EVT low. You look at some of the EV effort we have here, you’re almost above 5,000 Newton/meters. You have that EV launch feel,” says Tim Grewe, GM’s general director of electrification. As a result, the 4,431 pound CT6 PHEV slingshots to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. The 3,543 pound Volt takes 8.4 seconds to accomplish the same feat.

Starting price for the CT6 PHEV is $75,095 plus a $995 destination fee. That’s about $15,000 more than the base price of the conventional CT6, but it comes with more equipment standard and includes the cost of installing a 220 volt charger. The CT6 PHEV is rated 117.7 MPGe by the EPA.

Will buyers flock to Cadillac showrooms to buy the CT6 PHEV? There are other plug-in hybrid luxury cars on the market, including the Mercedes S Class 550e and the BMW 7 series iPerformance sedan. What none of those cars offers is an SUV body style, a glaring lack in a world where SUVs dominate the passenger car market. But Cadillac may have a plug-in hybrid crossover SUV with all wheel drive known as the XT4 in the works. It will likely be a twin to the FNR-X Chevrolet which will debut at the Shanghai auto show later this month. There is no word at this time about price or availability.

Source: Hybrid Cars  Technical details via Green Car Congress

Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Launches In China, Arrives In US And Canada Soon…For Much Less

The Cadillac CT6 Plug-In represents a luxury electric vehicle performance benchmark.

The Cadillac CT6 Plug-In is officially now on sale in China.

The SAIC-GM made in China, plug-in hybrid is offered in two versions for:

• RMB 558,800 ($80,408 USD)
• RMB 658,800 ($94,798 USD)

Interestingly, for the US, the entry level CT6 PHEV is priced significantly cheaper – from $76,090, this despite being made in China and imported to America.

Even more curious, is that for Canada, GM’s plug-in offerings continue to undercut their US cousins by a significant amount.  The Canadian plug-in Caddy retails for $85,995 CAD – which translates to $63,950 in US funds, some $12,000+ cheaper still.

Earlier, the Canadian Chevy Bolt EV was announced as starting from ~31,800 (+DST) USD equivalent with DC fast charging, while the Chevy Volt begins from ~$28,650 (+DST) USD equivalent.

North American release of the Cadillac CT6 PHV is planned for Spring of 2017 (think April).

The CT6 PHEV is equipped with 18.4 kWh battery, and is promoted regionally as have up to 80 km (50 miles) of all-electric range.  For the US, the CT6 PHV is rated at a more “real world” 48 km/30 miles of range on the EPA rating system.

“The CT6 marks Cadillac’s long-awaited return to the global prestige luxury segment, and with the plug-in variant creates a fresh performance standard for premium new energy vehicles through its smooth handling and exceptional fuel efficiency.

Built on GM’s all-new intelligent rear-wheel electric drive platform, the CT6 Plug-In offers steady, robust real-time power through two high-performance electric motors integrated with the car’s electric drive system and a direct-injection 2.0L SIDI turbocharged engine.

The engine generates 250 kW of power and 586 Nm of torque, along with 0-100 km/h acceleration of only 5.4 seconds. Its combined fuel consumption is as low as 1.7 L/100 km, which is the best in its segment.

The Cadillac CT6 Plug-In has adopted industry-leading Power Split technology.

At the heart of the CT6 Plug-In is a lithium-ion battery pack comprising 192 cells. It has a large capacity of 18.4 kWh, which is up to 50 percent more than competitive models. With the support of GM’s world-leading Battery Management System (BMS) and liquid cooling technology, this provides 80 km of all-electric range and 935 km of combined range.

Every cell in the Cadillac CT6 Plug-In’s battery pack has an independent liquid-cooled temperature control system to ensure the 18.4-kWh battery system’s stability and safety.

Every cell in the battery pack has an independent liquid-cooled temperature control system, reducing the impact of varying external and internal temperatures. This not only improves battery efficiency and extends battery life, but also ensures the battery system’s stability and safety.

The CT6 Plug-In can be fully charged in five hours or less using a regular 220V charger. Owners can check the charging status via OnStar or the MyCadillac app.

An exclusive interface displays the vehicle’s battery life, power delivery and energy distribution. An “energy” interface on the Cadillac User Experience (CUE) center console screen helps owners understand energy flow more intuitively and develop good electric driving habits through real-time feedback.

The CT6 Plug-In has adopted industry-leading Power Split technology. Its power sources are linked by three planetary gear sets and five clutches, offering four transmission modes: all-electric drive, engine drive, hybrid drive and Regen on Demand.

The Regen on Demand system innovatively works with an iBooster to recover braking energy right after the driver releases the gas pedal. The system also uses paddle shifters to adjust between four levels of braking intensity, for enjoyable handling while efficiently recovering energy.

An exclusive interface displays the Cadillac CT6 Plug-In’s battery life, power delivery and energy distribution. An “energy” interface on the Cadillac User Experience (CUE) center console screen helps owners understand energy flow more intuitively and develop good electric driving habits through real-time feedback.

The driver can select one of three operating modes: Cruise, Sport and Hold. The Cruise mode is perfect for daily commutes thanks to its balanced comfort and handling as well as maximized energy efficiency. The Sport mode matches more aggressive gas pedal response with agile steering, delivering dynamic performance for overtaking or handling winding roads. The Hold mode is especially useful for long-distance highway driving, storing energy that can be used later under the Cruise mode in heavy urban traffic.

The CT6 Plug-In adopts the CT6 family’s bold, forward-looking styling. Its spacecraft-level lightweight body design is crafted from 11 composite materials, with over 57 percent of body materials made from aluminum.

The comfortable interior is supported by more than 20 standard features. They include the Enhanced Safety Strategy (ESS) package and OnStar 4G LTE with a built-in Wi-Fi (Car-Fi) hotspot.

Cadillac is offering CT6 Plug-In buyers nationwide a 220V charger with free installation, plus an eight-year unlimited-mileage warranty for the vehicle’s battery pack, electric motors and electronic control system.”

The Cadillac CT6 Plug-In is the newest member of the Cadillac CT6 American luxury sedan family.

A Cadillac CT6 PHEV Cutaway Turned Up In Shanghai last year

Cadillac CT6 PHEV – 18.4 kWh Battery Provides 30 Miles Of Range

2017 Cadillac CT6 PHEV Arrives This Spring With 30 Mile Electric Range

Cadillac announced yesterday that its 2017 CT6 Plug-in Hybrid will arrive this spring with an estimated 30 miles of electric only driving range, and a total range of more than 400 miles.

The CT6 Plug-In Hybrid is expected to have fuel economy estimated at 65 MPGe — miles per gallon equivalent.

“The CT6 is a technological showcase throughout, and by far the lightest car in its class, making it an ideal platform for electrification,” said Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen. “In the CT6, Cadillac presents a new formula for prestige luxury. The advanced Plug-In Hybrid system is a key addition, providing a combination of exceptional fuel economy, crisp acceleration and strong electric-driving range.”

The hybrid, with a starting price of $76,090 before incentives, will only be built in China, unlike the flagship gasoline-powered CT6, which is produced at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant.

The CT6 Plug-In includes a new rear-wheel drive electric variable transmission (EVT), allowing the car to provide smooth, powerful acceleration, Cadillac said.

The CT6 borrows parts from the Chevrolet Volt and adapts them to the CT6’s rear-wheel drive chassis.

Like the Volt, the CT6 features two electric motors, each producing 100 horsepower.

The two-motor EVT combines with a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine to produce an estimated combined 335 horsepower and 432 pounds-feet of torque.

The output is good for an estimated 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, or the same time as V6 competitors, the company said.

Electric top speed is 78 mph, and with the additional engine power, it has a top speed of 150 mph.

The lithium-ion battery pack will have 18.4 kilowatt-hours, just like that of the Chevy Volt, but won’t use the same T-shaped battery-pack layout as the Volt.

Instead, the battery will be integrated into the floor, which according to Cadillac, helps increase vehicle stiffness.

Cadillac says the CT6 Plug-In will be available as a package within the CT6 product line, with pricing and equipment similar to its premium luxury model.

Many optional features come standard on the plug-in model such as rear seat infotainment, enhanced night vision technology and a rear camera mirror.

American Buyers Embracing Cars Manufactured In China

The stigma of buying a car manufactured in China seems to be fading. A decade ago, the internet was filled with videos of Chinese-made cars folding up like a cardboard box in a hurricane during crash tests but that was then, this is now. The reality is that people are accustomed to vehicles made in South Korea and Japan. In fact, cars from those companies have earned reputations for being both safe and reliable. That aura seems to have spilled over to Chinese made cars as well.

General Motors is selling lots of Buick Envision compact SUVs in the US, even though they are made in Shanghai. From a few hundred a month in the spring, the Envision sold more than 1,600 units in September. Buick dealerships are clamoring for more as American tastes swing more and more toward smaller SUVs, also known at crossovers or “cute utes.” In China itself, the Envision is hugely popular and is on pace to sell as many as 200,000 units this year.

When GM announced a year ago that it would import the Envision from China, the UAW called it a “slap in the face to U.S. taxpayers” who famously bailed out General Motors after the global economic meltdown of 2008. But GM countered that the decision just made good business sense, since demand for smaller SUVs was mushrooming in the US and the company did not have a domestically produced model to offer its Buick customers. Or as Donald Trump would say, “It’s just business.”

China currently has a glut of manufacturing capacity. It can produce up to 40,000,000 vehicles a year but its new car market, while the largest in the world, is “only” 25,000,000 a year. Volvo is also importing its S60 sedan from China to the US and Cadillac is bringing in a small number of its new CT6 pug-in hybrids from China. If US demand is strong enough, it could import many more.

In general, car makers prefer to make their cars as close as possible to where they are sold to minimize transportation expenses. Getting cars from far away can cause supply issues. For instance, it can take 6 months to custom order a Buick Envision for delivery in the United States. Factory orders within the US normally take half that much time to fill.

But manufacturers are going to look at all that unused production capacity in China and want to take advantage of it. Whether you are for a or against globalization, the allure of making a product for less money elsewhere and selling it domestically is strong. Now that Buick has crossed the line and started importing Chinese made cars in significant numbers, expect more Chinese made cars in American showrooms in the future.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Charting The Changes In The US Passenger Car Market

The US passenger car market is hemorrhaging market share, forcing auto makers to rethink their product lineups. Most are scrambling to catch up with customer expectations, which are turning more and more to crossovers and SUVs. “It’s a fundamental shift,” said Jessica Caldwell, director of pricing and industry analysis for Edmunds.com.

In May, total passenger car sales by brand fell 23% for Acura, 12% for BMW, 35% for Buick, 22% for Cadillac, 24% for Chevrolet, 45% for Chrysler, 19% for Dodge, 26% for Ford, 47% for Infiniti, 15.2% for Mercedes-Benz, 15% for Toyota, and 22% for Volkswagen, according to Autodata. So far this year, only 42% of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. were passenger cars. that’s down from 50% in 2013.

“I think that we are going to get to a point where the pace of growth in SUVs moderates, but what we are looking at is a world where people prefer a crossover or a utility vehicle,” said Stephanie Brinley, senior automotive analyst for IHS Automotive. Changes in customer preferences have automakers scrambling to adjust their product mix. Some are are cutting back on car production plans or eliminating nameplates entirely.

In January, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne said production of the current Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart passenger cars “will run their course.” Since then, sales of the Chrysler 200 have tanked. Workers at the company’s Sterling Heights Assembly Plant have been hit with prolonged layoffs. Another 1,300 are scheduled to be laid off in July.

General Motors has eliminated 500 workers at its Orion assembly plant where it makes the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano.  Sales of the Verano are dismal. GM says it will stop selling it altogether in the in North American market this fall. Last year, Toyota announced a $2 billion plan designed to shift production of cars to Mexico and boost production of crossovers and SUVs in the U.S. and Canada.

Automakers that already make crossovers and SUVs are planning to make more of them. Those who don’t are racing to add then to their product mix. This month, GM is introducing the Buick Envision, a new crossover built in and imported from China. It will join the Encore and Enclave in Buick showrooms. Buick said it expects sales of crossovers to grow to 75% of its total sales.

Over the next four years, 73 of the 231 new vehicles that automakers plan to introduce will be crossovers, according to report published in April by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Even brands like Maserati are getting into the SUV game. After years of planning, Maserati will introduce the Levante — a crossover — in the U.S. later this year. “We like to say it is the Maserati of SUVs — 100% Maserati and 100% SUV. The best of both worlds,” Harald Wester, chief technical officer for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, said in March.

What factors are driving the renewed interest in crossovers and SUVs? Its not all about low gas prices. Many consumers prefer the higher riding profile and greater interior space they offer compared to conventional sedans. Historically low interest rates are also making it possible for more people to buy more expensive and larger vehicles. The latest models are more fuel efficient than prior generations of SUVs. “For about three years, you were not capable of writing ‘SUV’ without also writing ‘gas guzzler,'” says IHS’ Brinley.

Is Detroit overreacting — again? Once before, the Big Three became enthralled with selling mammoth groundpounders like the Hummer and Ford Excursion. Then sales of those vehicles plummeted as gas prices spiked upward to $4.00 a gallon or more.

“This does open up that risk,” Brinley said. “We are’t looking at a market where sedans completely fall away and nobody buys sedans and you only see utilities.” Still, she argues that automakers are aware of the risks and are unlikely to cut their car lineups back too far. Also, because today’s crossovers are so much more fuel efficient that the SUVs of a decade ago, a spike in gas prices is unlikely to spark a rapid drop in sales the way it did in 2008.

That may be whistling past the graveyard. When and if gas prices rise, consumers may go in an entirely new direction. Who knows. One day they may actually demand crossovers and SUVs powered by electrons rather than molecules.

Source: Detroit Free Press

Cancellation Notice: Cadillac ELR is Over

It’s news that we already knew here at Gas 2, but it’s become more-or-less official today: Cadillac is killing the slow-selling ELR plug-in hybrid.

Based on the first-generation Chevy Volt- which was, itself, based loosely on the compact Chevy Cruise budget-mobile- the Cadillac ELR was our generation’s Cimarron. It was an overpriced, under-powered, under-featured, poorly-conceived vehicle made for a customer that hadn’t existed since the Golden Girls was still on prime-time TV. At the same time, only a little over half of all Cadillac dealers were willing to sell the thing– and GM’s ad campaign to promote the car seemed to go out of its way to piss people off.

At the end of the day, there was nothing exciting or redeeming about the Cadillac ELR, and that’s why it failed. Knowing GM, however, they’ll probably look at the car’s failure as “evidence” that “expensive EVs don’t sell”. Look for these, and similar arguments, to be made at the next Congressional hearing GM appears at with out-stretched hands.

Sources | Images: Autoblog, Yahoo Finance.

2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid To Be Imported From China To U.S.

2016 Cadillac CT6

Of the three vehicles using GM's newest hybrid system, we know rather less about the 2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid than we do about either the Chevrolet Volt or the Chevy Malibu Hybrid. But with first media drives of the conventional CT6 now published, we know a bit more than we did before. For one thing, while the various gasoline versions of the CT6 large luxury sedan for the U.S. will be built at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, the plug-in hybrid CT6 will only be built in China.

And U.S. buyers of next year's CT6 Plug-In Hybrid will actually be taking delivery of cars made in China, unlike the conventionally powered models The plug-in CT6 will contain a battery pack assembled in GM's Brownstown battery plant, using LG Chem cells also fabricated in its plant in Holland, Michigan. And the electric motors for its drive unit will be built at GM's plant in White Marsh, Maryland--which previously built Spark EV motors.

2016 Cadillac CT6

All of which points to an interesting global aspect to GM's plug-in hybrid luxury sedan: It uses technology designed, developed, tested, and built in the U.S., but the vehicle is destined primarily for the Chinese luxury market--and hence it's assembled there. That's because local, state, and national government bodies in China now incentivize the sale and registration of so-called New Energy Vehicles, meaning battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars and SUVs. It's one tactic to address the highly hazardous air pollution in many parts of the country, and it's led to surging sales--though how many of the plug-in hybrids actually ever get plugged in remains an open question.

Last week, Shanghai-GM opened its first Cadillac factory in China, which will supply several vehicles that replace luxury models imported from the U.S. The company is a joint venture between GM and its main Chinese partner, Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation; the plant can built up to 160,000 vehicles a year. China has been the world's largest car market for several years now, but its luxury sector is dominated by Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

2016 Cadillac CT6

Both Cadillac and Ford's Lincoln are making strenuous efforts to establish themselves in China, where younger and first-time buyers may be less wedded to the German trio and more willing to try new luxury brands.

While the plug-in hybrid CT6 is aimed mainly at that market, it will be offered in small numbers in the U.S. to counter plug-in hybrid sedans from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The CT6 plug-in should arrive late this year or early next year, according to Cadillac executives interviewed by High Gear Media's Kirk Bell, who attended the CT6 drive event.

But it will be treated as just a separate powertrain option, not a different model (and it may not carry the cumbersome CT6 Plug-In Hybrid name). Putting together numbers from a variety of Cadillac executives and sources, it appears that Cadillac anticipates fewer than 1,000 plug-in CT6 sedans a year will be sold.

That will represent 4 or 5 percent of the model's total sales, according to the company.

2016 Cadillac CT6

GM may issue more information on the technology specifics behind the plug-in hybrid Cadillac CT6 later this year, as it has done in the past with the Malibu Hybrid. Both vehicles use variants of the latest Voltec drivetrain first launched in the 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The hybrid Malibu has a much smaller battery pack and no plug, while the Cadillac has a differently shaped battery pack with the same capacity as the Volt's, 18.4 kilowatt-hours.

Its range has been quoted as "about 30 miles," but it's unclear whether that applies to U.S. or Chinese test routines.