General Motors Cancel Plans for Cadillac Badged Version of Their Chevrolet Volt
General Motors Co. has been reported to be dropping plans for a Cadillac-badged version of the Chevrolet Volt.
Apparently a Cadillac version of the Volt would be too weighed down by the expected luxury and comfort features to replicate the Volt’s 40-mile electric-only driving range without extensive extra cost, a Bloomberg report said. Sources suggested achieving even a 20-mile driving range solely on battery power might require $30,000 of added cost, the report added.
The loss of the proposed Cadillac variant of the Volt casts more doubt on the near-term applicability of the Volt’s battery-intensive, series-hybrid design.
Some GM executives had argued a Cadillac version of the Volt would help reduce costs – mostly centered around the expensive lithium-ion batteries – and speed wider adoption of the Volt’s technology.
General Motors’ China’s sales are up 60 percent year-on-year, and The General wants to keep the momentum going at its Chinese outpost. Automotive News China reports that the Guangzhou Auto Show will play host to the unveiling of the market-specific Cadillac SLS and Buick Excelle XT, the latter described as a four-door “coupé-like sedan.”
The new Cadillac CTS is doing huge things for the brand. Who would have ever thought a Cadillac would be lapping the ring and giving the Germans a hard run for their money? Either way, Cadillac officially released the coupe version today, and is saying a CTS-V version is to come along for 2010. Two less doors with the same performance and power of the current V-model sound very enticing–do we smell another challenge? 
