Cadillac’s electrified coupe will share Volt’s powertrain, arrive in 2014 as a 2014 model.
www.GMInsideNews.com
April 30, 2012
By: Nick Saporito

Last week GM’s OnStar telematics division accidentally leaked the 2014 GM vehicle roster on their website. Obviously the 2014 roster was a bit early as most of GM’s 2013 models are not even on the streets yet, but nonetheless the OnStar screw-up managed to ignite new speculation about a couple new products. One such product is the Cadillac ELR, the luxury brand’s upcoming extended range electric car.

In August 2011 Cadillac officially announced plans to produce the Converj Concept car, a small coupe wearing a sexy design theme and the Chevrolet Volt’s extended range electric drive system, Voltec. The announcement was reluctant on the part of GM, who was forced into making the ELR official after Green Car Reports obtained leaked information about the car’s production plans. Despite the official announcement, few details on the production version have surfaced. Specifically, the timing of the ELR has been kept under tight wraps, until now.

GMI has been able to confirm with product development sources that OnStar’s flub is correct. The ELR will launch as a 2014 model year vehicle, but production will not begin until very late 2013 calendar year, meaning this will be a late arrival for the 2014 model year.

Additionally, GMI has been able to confirm that the ELR will utilize the exact same Voltec powertrain as the Chevrolet Volt. The Volt is expected to receive several enhancements for the 2014 model year, with those enhancements being carried over to the ELR as well. GMI has not been able to verify the enhancements, however it has been speculated that both Volt and ELR will see larger EV ranges than today’s 30-40 miles.

At the time of publication ELR is expected in coupe form only. Months ago rumors and speculation surfaced about the possibility of other variants, but GMI has confirmed that only the coupe will be produced.

For 2014 model year the ELR will only be sold on the North American market, but expect the ELR to be exported to Europe and China alongside the Volt the following year.

General Motors sees a growing need for rear-wheel-drive cars in its product portfolio, and such an influx requires either an unimaginably flexible platform or a series of rear-drive component sets. Since “unimaginably flexible” isn’t something GM does well, the company is in the midst of dropping, reworking, and creating rear-drive architectures.

New Stuff: Two RWD Platforms On the Way
Today’s Zeta will morph into the lighter and even more flexible Zeta II for 2015, at which point the Camaro will move onto the Alpha component set also used by Cadillac’s ATS and next-gen CTS. Before that happens, though, Chevy will sell a pair of Zeta-based cars. Actually, the first of these is already on sale—if you’re a state, county, or municipal government that’s allowed to purchase imported products. (Many departments have rules that prevent them from purchasing vehicles not assembled in America.) The vehicle is the Chevrolet Caprice PPV.

The second vehicle, of course, is the most interesting. Perhaps as a way to justify future North American production of its cop car, perhaps simply because Chevy “gets it,” a civilized, civilian take on the PPV joins the model lineup next year. Wearing the SuperSport badge, the car will initially ride on the current Zeta platform and be offered exclusively as a four-door sedan. The SuperSport name and styling also will be applied to the 2013 Chevrolet NASCAR entry. The launch powerplant for the roadgoing car is expected to be the Camaro SS’s 6.2-liter V-8, pumping out something on the high side of 415 hp. A version of GM’s latest 3.6-liter V-6 will be added after the launch for the weaker of heart; we’d expect this engine to produce at least 320 hp. The SuperSport and the Caprice PPV will then migrate to the Zeta II platform in time for the 2015.5 model year. When this happens, full production will shift to North America, thereby delivering a much larger market for the cop version. In addition to the SuperSport sedan, a cropped-rear-overhang sport wagon and a Ute pickup are being considered for the North American market.

Zeta II also will be used for two Chinese-market Buicks starting in late 2014, and one or both of these cars could arrive in North American showrooms if it’s determined that brand needs large rear-drive cars. Conspicuously absent from the Zeta II plans is anything from Cadillac. That’s another story—and another platform.

Full article at link.