QOTD: They Want How Much For A Cadillac ELR?

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Pricing for the Cadillac ELR has been announced, and the swoopy Caddy coupe with the Voltec powertrain has been stickered at an astonishing $75,995, not including the $7,500 federal tax credit as well as other incentives.

One can make the argument that there will be a market for a premium plug-in that wealthy buyers can write off as an expense in one form another, personally, I think GM is out of their mind.

While the ELR gets a more powerful powertrain, Cadillac’s CUE system, improved regen braking capabilities and Batmobile-esque looks, the nearly $76k sticker price puts it within a few thousand dollars of the Tesla Model S 85 kWh Performance model. Fans of the Voltec powertrain can argue that the plug-in system is superior with respect to range and not being stranded on the side of the road, but I’d argue that in the green car space, nothing can touch a Tesla as far as image, cachet and status are concerned. And many people shopping for such a car are cognizant of that. I’m not sure that the ELR, positioned as a “green flagship” for Cadillac can command that kind of money.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Chicago Dude Chicago Dude on Oct 14, 2013

    Spend some time over at the Tesla owners forum and it becomes clear that while the Model S is a fantastic car, it does have flaws. People complain about the paint quality and the interior quality. The ELR won't have either of those issues. People complain about a small phantom battery drain - the Model S is definitely NOT an occasional use car, unless you are comfortable with a very large electric bill. The ELR has a market. It's small, but it's there.

    • Jkross22 Jkross22 on Oct 14, 2013

      I've not heard anyone here suggest the Tesla is perfect, but a lot of people laugh at the price of this Cadillac. That is something GM doesn't seem to understand.

  • Shaker Shaker on Oct 15, 2013

    Beautiful car... awful price. I could see this 15k over a Volt, but that's it. Cadillac: Don't get cocky!

  • Les Les on Oct 19, 2013

    So, it's a Chevrolet car with Cadillac badging and a hefty price-bump. Anyone made comparisons to the Cimarron yet?

  • Danwat1234 Danwat1234 on Oct 21, 2013

    You can buy a 2011 Chevy Volt for about $25,000 now and you can hack it to have the hold mode that the 2013 model has, and possibly the lower temperature threshold before the engine turns on (35 versus 15 degrees Fahrenheit for 2011/2012 models versus 2013+ models) and hack it to have a 0-60 time of 6 seconds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA4fLSuvkk8 I think the Volt is a very cool car and looks particularly good in red. The ELR is a disappointment.

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