Cadillac will be getting a new plug-in hybrid model, according to recent reports, though the plan has not yet been made public officially. Should the project come to fruition, Cadillac could be the first luxury automaker to offer what General Motors refers to as an extended range electric vehicle.
Sources told
Reuters that the new Cadillac would be based on the SRX crossover and feature plenty of General Motors' Voltec technology as used in the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera. The play would allow GM to further offset its Volt development costs. The current volt uses an 84-horsepower, 1.4-liter, internal-combustion engine to power a generator which, in turn, powers a 149-horsepower electric motor to provide momentum.
Previously, Cadillac had mulled building a production version of the Converj concept, a sleek, Cadillac show coupe based on the Chevrolet Volt. The SRX-based vehicle will likely not be as showy as that concept, utilizing research from the canceled Buick/Saturn plug-in hybrid crossover project based on the Theta platform.
Our first look of the current Cadillac SRX came at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show in the form of the Provoq concept - a hybrid electric/hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle built on General Motors' E-Flex architecture.
We expect to learn more about Cadillac's new plug-in hybrid in the new year, so stay tuned for more.