Cadillac Greenlights Converj Hybrid For Production
The Cadillac Converj was thought to have been lost in the ether between dazzling concept and pained execution. But GM’s executives have green-lit the Volt-based luxury car, and promise that it will be better than the idea of a “Volt-based luxury car” may sound.
The Converj was thought to have been killed off back in 2009, a few months after it was first shown at the Detroit Auto Show. Back then, Cadillac product planners couldn’t justify the expense of building even more Volts and not making a profit.
But as Chevrolet can’t build enough Volts to sell ’em, GM finds that it is able to bring down the cost of production—and it is now eager to ramp up production in any way possible. The Converj will get the Volt’s current drivetrain, and will be put into production by 2013 or 2014: and this time, Cadillac is not waiting for the 2nd generation Volt’s powerplant that will arrive in 2015. A plug-in model may be available then, as well.
Part of GM’s eagerness is the fact that they could sell the Converj (or whatever 3-letter acronym Cadillac chooses to use) for around $60,000, enabling them to finally make a profit on the Voltec system. This would also have the added advantage of lowering the Volt’s current price of $40,000, to a price point more befitting a Chevrolet.
It seems almost extraneous to say that the last time Cadillac built a car based on a Chevrolet, we got… well, you know. This time however, the Standard Of The World should have a bit more luck.
[Source: Green Car Reports]
More by Blake Z. Rong
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