However, the long-term survival of the company may well depend more on pivoting into being an energy storage company rather than an automaker.
Since Sunday’s announcement in Shanghai of the Cadillac CT6 plug-in hybrid, there has been some interesting discussion and speculation about how far the car will go on a full charge of its battery and what sort of energy efficiency it will achieve. Cadillac and GM officials have declined to get specific about technical details beyond the limited information in the U.S. press release. However, the release on GM’s Chinese media site lists 37 miles. Let’s take a look at where the EPA estimate will likely end up.
Details on the new +Cadillac PHEV are limited but the battery has the same cell count and capacity as the second generation +Chevrolet Volt so I do a bit of speculating.
As we saw so clearly at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, any brand that wants to stay competitive in the premium vehicle segments needs to aggressively adopt electrified powertrains. At the Shanghai Motor Show today, Cadillac joined the crowd that already includes Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. GM’s top brand already revealed the full-size CT6 luxury sedan with conventional gasoline powertrains a few weeks ago at its new hometown show in New York. In China, Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen is highlighting a new plug-in hybrid powertrain that will in all likelihood find a home throughout most of the brand’s lineup.
Even in our increasingly globalized automotive landscape, one segment has remained most uniquely American – the full-size pickup truck. For decades, the big pickup remained hidebound, devoid of technical or design innovation. In the absence of notable competition, Ford’s F-series led the way in sales, followed by GM with Dodge in a far distant third. But then 20 years ago, tired of being the third-wheel to its cross-town rivals, Chrysler under the leadership of one Bob Lutz, decided to shake things up and the truck market has never been the same. Trucks like the 2015 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn EcoDiesel are a prime example of the goodness that can come from real competitive pressure.
My old friend +Tommy Simon? is back on camera having traded in his lab coat for a rain coat
At least four new cars coming from +General Motors this year feature substantial weight reductions.
As automakers scramble to stay on track to meet the 54.5 mpg corporate average fuel economy mandate by 2025, weight reduction is expected to be one of the key pathways to hitting that target. Durin…
With the introduction of the new CT6 sedan later this year powered by four and six cylinder engines and the plug-in hybrids, the age of the +Cadillac V8 is drawing to a close.
Update: Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen let me know that they do in fact have a new high-performance V8 in development, but four-cylinder, V6 and hybrid powertrains will make up the bulk of volumes going forward.
Twenty years ago, the thought of building a flagship Cadillac sedan without a V8 engine under the hood would have been virtually unthinkable. Nonetheless, in the coming months, the all-new Cadillac…
Despite the slow sales, I hope +Chevrolet carries on the Cruze diesel in the next generation model
“It’s a real shame that the @chevrolet cruze is the only diesel powered car you can get from a Detroit automaker”
2015 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn EcoDiesel – You Can Have Power and Efficiency | Sam’s Thoughts
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