05:10AM - 29.09.'14
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News Source: autoblog.com
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Well, this is awkward. A few years ago, Audi Of America's boss Johan de Nysschen went on record describing the Chevrolet Volt as "a car for idiots." Fast-forward to earlier this summer, and the well-regarded executive suddenly found himself in a new office with new business cards bearing the title: President, Cadillac. That means that among other challenges, de Nysschen is now tasked with selling the ELR, a car that is, at its core, a Volt in a sportier, less utile frock wearing a price tag that's twice as expensive. Frankly, it's not a prospect we imagine the South African executive and recent Infiniti boss relishes. Just about nobody is buying the ELR – Cadillac has sold but 774 examples of its plug-in hybrid coupe this year and it presently has an almost a 200-day supply according to Automotive News. What's more, those numbers actually represent big improvements over just a few months ago, before GM started heaping on the incentives. The cynic in us says that the bad news for De Nysschen is that he's got a borderline sales-proof car in his new corporate garage. The good news? Cadillac customers apparently aren't idiots. Before we go any further, let's get back to that elephant in the room: price. There's no way to be kind here – General Motors has saddled its 2014 Cadillac ELR with a scarcely believable bottom line: $75,000. Even arithmophobes like us can work out that that means it costs as much as a base ATS Coupe and a Chevrolet Volt combined. That, in our book, is unforgivably bad math – the sort of computation logic understood only by buyers of the Aston Martin Cygnet, or perhaps those who signed off on the Allante's assembly process back in the '80s, an arrangement that involved flying uncompleted cars over the Atlantic in custom-outfitted Boeing 747s. Twice. That $75k price is one hell of an eight ball to start this review behind, but it can't be helped – the same figure awaits potential buyers as they enter their local Cadillac showroom. For months now, that window sticker has been warding off would-be suitors like garlic wreaths and wooden stakes in Transylvania. When it launched, Cadillac officials admitted they didn't have any sales specific targets for the model. At the time, that statement was interpreted to mean that they weren't expecting big sales numbers. As it turns out, they may have been trying to tell us that they didn't expect to sell any at all. In recent months, some $14,000+ in incentives has apparently quietly become available (to say nothing of government tax credits) and that has helped the ELR's sales picture somewhat, but things still aren't pretty. That's a particular shame, because the ELR is a stunning piece of kinetic sculpture – arguably the best-looking model in Cadillac's edgy, fashion-forward portfolio. General Motors didn't simply apply the brand's Art & Science design language to a Volt platform with a couple of doors lopped off. On the contrary, the whole of the ELR is very well proportioned, with its own height (lower), own wheelbase and length (longer) and own track width (wider). Park an ELR and a Volt next to each other, and you'd never guess there's so much as a bolt in common. In particular, that significantly longer overall length – nearly nine inches – allows for a much more steeply raked windshield and backlight, affording the ELR the same sort of racy yet compact proportions that made the 2009 Converj concept car that sired it such a sensation. In other words, in terms of aesthetics, the ELR's price tag and its looks line up just fine. The promise of that angular, modern and expensive-looking exterior is carried over into the cabin, as well. It's a sumptuous, well-designed space for two, with seemingly everything within reach covered in leather, Alcantara, real wood veneer or metal trim. As you'd expect, those rakish good looks outside take a spatial toll inside – unless the only precious cargo you transport is named Fendi or Birkin, we wouldn't expect much use out of the tiny back seats. Cadillac's CUE infotainment system is reprised here, capacitive-touch warts and all. It's still a sexy and high-tech approach, but it's also occasionally slow, cumbersome to use and too often chooses flash over function. Like the startup and shutdown sound effects that accompany it, CUE feels novel and high-tech momentarily, but too often, that sensation is soon replaced by annoyance. Having said that, CUE probably wouldn't stop us from buying this car in and of itself. Probably. |
