QOTD: How Long Will The Cadillac ELR Last?

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

So far, Cadillac has moved just 180 units of the ELR in 2014 – at that pace, Cadillac stands to sell just 720 units in 2014, far short of the often-stated 2,000-3,000 unit annual sales target.

Even worse is the inventory picture. According to Cars.com, there are 1,077 ELRs available at dealers, which could translate to almost a year’s supply of the $76,000 plug-in hybrid.

The ELR is unequivocally a flop: between the absurd price tag, the fiasco erupting over Cadillac’s now-infamous TV ad and the e arly recall of the car, the launch of Cadillac’s “green” halo car could not have gone any worse. The only question is, how long will it last?

Personally, I think that it won’t make it past the 2015 model year. Dealers are already inundated with inventory, including multiple examples of the Saks Fifth Avenue tie-in cars, and the market for a $76k Cadillac version of the Volt is just not that large.


Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Fozone Fozone on Apr 03, 2014

    The ads are atrocious. They only work if you believe that "any press is good press." They say that Ferrari has the highest % of male ownership of any mass-produced marque, but with this ad I think Cadillac was swinging for the all-penis fences. To a woman, every one who I have talked to found the ads repulsive and the guy to be a (paraphrasing) "total d-bag" (newsflash Cadillac marketing staff: women watch the Olympics too! And actually spend their own money on cars!) The only way this ad could have possibly worked as written is if they had Jon Hamm in full Don Draper garb actually act as the spokesperson. That would have been clever. This ad was not. With this ad, Cadillac immediately cut their potential audience down by 50% from the get-go. Pile this on top of their dubious brand associations (old/male/tasteless/flyover/combover/etc...) and I can see why an expensive 'green' sportscar isn't exactly flying off the lots.

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    • Danio3834 Danio3834 on Apr 04, 2014

      Why specifically does this ad turn-off women? Because it doesn't specifically pander to them? They don't like the character? I didn't hear anything disparaging to women in the ad. I showed it to my wife to find out, and she felt mostly neutral about it. After prodding her, she thought it might be a little mean for him to make fun of the French.

  • Stanczyk Stanczyk on Apr 03, 2014

    XLR exterior design is classy, oryginal and extravagant .. ELR, as re-dressed Volt, looks 'not Cadillac-ish enough'.. ... 'I think the only way this could have worked is if they used the ELR to launch a second generation volt technology. Then released the second gen volt a year or two later.' - good idea , but still to develope II gen. they would need money (..that they didn't get from Volt sales[even that car got MT COTY) .. and let's remember that Volt developement've costed a lot!..) ... 'Punk-rocker' Cadillac ad enybody ?

  • Brian P Brian P on Apr 03, 2014

    The ELR is a great $50,000 car. I had my eye on these since the first concept car, but the price tag ...

  • 3Deuce27 3Deuce27 on Apr 04, 2014

    Reg; " Dealers are already inundated with inventory," My local dealer still hasn't received one, or I would have test drove it, they're going to call me when one shows up. Had they received one, it would have probably sold in short order, as my go to guy at the dealership says, that they get daily inquiries about the ELR, and we seem to have a lot of Tesla-S's running around here for such a low population density area. It will last as long as it does, no way to know how long, as we don't know GM's agenda with the car. I suspect it will keep going as long as the current Volt is in play. It is up against some serious competition with the Tesla-S, and serious money can be quite discerning. Its market is progressive* Cadillac aficionados both younger and older. *And that is not a maligned political term, its about people open to new ideas, and technologies, and not encumbered by Luddite mentalities.

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