Looking very much like the Chevy Volt–based Cadillac Converj concept from the 2009 Detroit show, the chiseled ELR is, by and large, a reskinned Volt. But it's one that will seem right at home in Caddy showrooms, channeling both the gorgeous CTS coupe and the buttoned-down ATS sedan. Sporty proportions and 20-inch wheels hint at improvements to the Volt's chassis. These include swapping in GM's HiPer anti-torque-steer front struts, adding a Watt's link to the torsion-beam rear suspension, and fitting computer-controlled adaptive dampers.
Let's hope Cadillac applied its newfound chassis-tuning prowess to the ELR, because aside from the suspension and styling, there's not much else in the ELR's spec sheet promising to make it any more electrifying than the Chevy version. While GM did tweak the electric-drive system to allow more output from the battery pack, providing an additional 58 horsepower, the parts and their functions are identical to the Volt's. Thus, the same T-shaped, 288-cell, 16.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack is squirreled away underneath, and an identical 1.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine lives underhood.
Cadillac says the ELR will do zero to 60 in "about eight seconds," which is almost a second faster than the Volt. The claimed electric range in the ELR drops by three miles, to 35, thanks to a small increase in weight and slightly compromised aerodynamics that push the drag coefficient up from the Volt's 0.29 to 0.31. To give drivers something to do other than watch the state-of-charge gauge, Cadillac cooked up a set of steering-wheel-mounted paddles that allow the driver to manually engage the propulsion system's high-regen mode.
Cadillac says the ELR foreshadows the brand's new interior design direction. To wit: The Volt's nerdy instrument panel and Radio Shack trimmings have been replaced by Cadillac's CUE system and more-conventional luxury-car appointments such as leather, wood, and carbon fiber. Cadillac's Safety Alert Seat (think of it as a reclinable joy buzzer) and a full host of safety systems, including adaptive cruise control, will further reinforce the ELR's luxury credentials, a necessity given a price tag projected to reach $60,000.
