But considering GM was recovering from bankruptcy a few years prior, while trying to keep up with the growing popularity of Tesla’s sedans, it’s obvious that the Cadillac ELR was a hasty mistake. Take a look at what the automaker has learned what not to do from what happened with the ELR.
The Cadillac ELR’s downfall
During the two years it was in production, between 2014-2016, the Cadillac ELR sold less than 3,000 units. No one wanted to buy the “luxury” Bolt—and with Tesla’s Model S to compete with, there wasn’t much hope for the ELR.
One of the main reasons wasn’t even the Cadillac ELR’s fault. Compact, two-door coupes are a tough market; just consider—a compact car, with even less space than a sedan. However, there was also the issue of the Cadillac ELR’s battery range, which made this tiny coupe a dud.
The Cadillac ELR was crippled by a pathetic battery range
Unlike GM’s contemporary Ultium line, the Cadillac ELR was equipped with a tiny battery that gave it a measly 37-mile range on a single charge. That’s about 4 trips to the grocery store—in a two-door coupe that costs nearly six figures.
While the battery range can be chalked up to poor engineering and lowballing on GM’s end concerning what customers would settle for in terms of battery power, the $75,000 price was a desperate gamble to help GM break even on its production costs for this expensive coupe.
So, if they do decide to try and release another electric two-door coupe, let’s hope it has a better battery.
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