2014 Cadillac ELR Now on Its Way to Dealerships

GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, once home to the Cadillac Eldorado, now has begun producing the brand’s next-gen flagship coupe, the 2014 Cadillac ELR. In fact, the first units already have come down the line and are currently in transit to local dealerships. On the other hand, the ELR doesn’t share much else with a classic Eldorado beyond its birthplace: While the latter once roamed the earth with an 8.2-liter V8 engine, and stretched in excess of 224 inches in length, Cadillac’s new extended-range electric vehicle is more than three feet shorter than that beast and relies on a slightly smaller powertrain package.

That’s the real difference-maker in the 2015 Cadillac ELR, setting it apart not just from previous Cadillacs, but also from every other luxury car in the country: Using the technology that first debuted in the Chevrolet Volt, the ELR combines a powerful electric propulsion system with a high-efficiency four-cylinder gas engine. As a result, drivers will benefit from an all-electric, zero-emissions driving range of about 37 miles, backed by more than 260 additional miles of range from the ELR’s gas-powered onboard generator. And that unit will allow the 2015 Cadillac ELR to achieve a projected 33 mpg in combined travel.

Offering the full complement of the brand’s technologies and features, the 2015 Cadillac ELR is priced from $75,995, including a $995 destination charge. Of course, with the full federal tax credit of $7,500, the car’s net cost would fall to a mere $68,495.