General Motors reportedly will build the Cadillac Converj, a range-extended electric vehicle based on the Chevrolet Volt, and have it in showrooms within two years.
Maybe.
Motor Trend, citing an unnamed "well-placed source," says GM brass have approved the project and want it on the road by the end of 2011, assuming the company turns its finances around. But Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell tells Wired.com that Motor Trend is wrong.
"We’re pleased that reaction to the Cadillac Converj concept is strongly positive," he said. "But there is no change in its status — it’s a concept under consideration, and that remains the case."
Motor Trend sticks by its report and says, "Our source offers a number of details that lend credence to the probability of (the project’s) approval."
The question is why wouldn’t GM build the Converj, assuming it finds the money to do so?
GM has always said the Voltec drivetrain — which uses an electric motor to drive the wheels and a 1.4-liter gasoline engine to recharge the battery — will be the basis of a range of models. Spokesman Robert Peterson recently told us the company is looking ahead to "generation 2 and generation 3" of the technology but wouldn’t say what those cars might be. The Converj, which GM unveiled at the Detroit auto show, makes sense for a few reasons.
First, the Obama Administration has made it clear automakers lining up for a government handout must build more fuel-efficient vehicles. A range-extended EV fits the bill.
Second, spreading the Voltec technology to other models hastens the day GM sees a return on an investment it expects to lose money on for quite some time.
Third, Automobile says GM plans to increase its investment in Cadillac now that it’s shedding Saab, Saturn and Hummer. That would provide funding to develop the Converj.
Motor Trend says the production model will be a two-door coupe similar to the concept we saw in Detroit. A production model would probably be taller and have more ground clearance than the concept, to allow GM to package the Volt’s drivetrain. It also would would get a bigger lithium-ion battery pack to give the car a little more oomph.
Assuming Motor Trend is right, it’s all contingent on GM’s survival. The General is all but begging the Obama administration for help, and the task force Obama appointed to oversee GM’s restructuring soundly criticized the company’s turnaround plan. GM must submit a new one by June 1. The automaker also has sought $10.3 billion in Energy Department loans to develop new fuel-efficient vehicles, including the Volt. But it doesn’t expect to get the money until the Obama administration is satisfied the company is financially viable.
The Converj question could ultimately by answered by the Obama administration. The task force must approve all product investments exceeding $100 million, and Inside Line quotes an unidentified GM source saying the panel has not cleared the Converj for production.
Photo: General Motors
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