The Cadillac ELR hasn’t sold as well as GM expected, but this can turn out to be a good thing. For the ELR itself, that is.
Only 2,407 ELRs to leave the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant have been sold. As GreenCarReports points out, most of those are 2014 models. The rest is made up of the outgoing 2016 model, which gets more features, more performance, and a much-needed price deduction of $10,000. With that said, the newer 2016 Cadillac ELR is certainly a more enticing car. But, according to the market, not enticing enough.
The extra dash of sugar, spice, and everything nice only gets the ELR so far in its segment. Other cars in its price range simply surpass it in regards to performance, EV range and/or all-around value. When you take all of this into account it’s no surprise that Johan de Nysschen, president of Cadillac, announced that production of the ELR will not continue after 2016.
A low-volume car that was aimed to suit the needs of the eco-friendly consumer with finer taste – when you put it that way the ELR almost does sound like a collectible car. What do you think? Is it a future star of a Barrett-Jackson auction, or is the ELR a flickering bulb along the way to electrification?
Comments
Absolutely an instant collector car after production ends. The ELR sold in low enough numbers to make them rare and with a unique architecture and technology.
Check Barrett-Jackson in 20 years.
On Top Gear 2.0, it would ‘tick’ all three of the boxes for future classic. Not just the required two. 1) rare 2) unique/groundbreaking and 3) beautiful. 🙂
Maybe the author needs to re-visit the embedded link in his article regarding the end of ELR production in 2015. JdN says GM will produce it as long as people buy them, and that ELR will not see a second generation.
Granted it isn’t, –and never has sold well, but typical production runs last six years before a new generation is built. While 2016 may we’ll be the last year GM produces the ELR, it has not been officially announced, as the article implies.
For the lowered price and performance, the ELR is too little, too late. It was DOA in 2014 and continues on life support in 2016.
Correction to my post: 2016 vice 2015.
Hindsight being 20/20, three months later and it comes out the production of the ELR ended about the time this article was written. It didn’t die with a gasp, but rather, a quiet whimper.
RIP ELR,
CC
Well here is the problem. Rare and low volumes do not always make for a high value collector car.
The key ingredient to value is demand.
God knows there are a lot of limited and true low production cars out there but if there is no demand then it is a tough sell.
Also it takes most cars no less than 30 years to really start to show any traction on value even then it is not a sure thing.
Over time some of the most unlikely cars like a Superbird that no one wanted in the 70’s is now a big dollar car. On the other hand many predicted the Fiero was going to be 6 figures by the year 2000 and now good rare low mile models are now going for $14K-18K at best.
In this case being an electric car of limited volume may make getting parts difficult years from now. Who knows if there will even be a battery that will work with this in 30 years.
I would not put my 401 K on this one.
Like I tell people buy a car you like not one you expect will be worth a lot. That way if it turns out to be worth nothing you at least have a car you like.
Odds are the SSR may end up being the sleeper of the decade as well as the HHR SS. Off and low volume and something that may attract attention later on while there may be few left.
Just look at the DIno it was unloved for decades. I passed up buying one in 1985 for $15K. Now they can go for $750K due to so few and such high demand.
The ELR will have its fans but it will age and may be lucky to be worth what a Reatta is. But if you want something few have it is your car.
Hey @scott3: do you think the Gen 2 CTS-V coupe will be a collectors car 20-30 years from now?
I know the CTS-V wagon will probably be one but the coupe didn’t sell that well and they didn’t make a ton of them as far as I know.
As far as the ELR goes, it is one gorgeous car. I think its looks will age well.
broad access to 3D printing in the near future will make getting replacement parts for cars like ELR much easier and change the collector car hobby. I believe it will be much easier to keep cars like the ELR on the road in the future than it has been keeping rare cars like this has been in the past.
Part of the sales problem is that the Cadillac ELR has been marketed as a performance competitor to other electric vehicles. It should have been advertised as a special and unique Cadillac for the limited few to whom pride of possession of a very unique “first totally electric Cadillac” gives them a great sense of pride—-and to whom price is not important. Even today, for those to whom “high performance” is their main reason for existence, there are many other electric cars available but none others with the same feeling of quiet luxury. The old saying about buying a yacht certainly applies—“If you have to ask the price, you cannot afford it.” When in the coming decade there are zillions of electric and fuel-cell cars, ownership of a Cadillac ELR, the first truly American luxury electric coupe will be the highlight in our grand children’s American automotive collections. And as the Cadillac President pointed out there is still time to purchase an ELR, enjoy the comfort, and in the future pass on to their children and grand-children this unique Cadillac luxury electric coupe.
Yeah, too bad the car didn’t sell well… aside from that, it’s a beautiful looking car inside and out. It would be nice if Cadillac would sub out the electric engine and transmission and put in it’s place a 2.0 liter, 8 speed automatic for one example, then rename the model and send it out the door to the market! Then I’d buy one fairly quickly. I loved the ELR until the price was announced… we as a consumer are not stupid people.
Agree that Cadillac dropped the ball when it was priced but I do not think converting the ELR to a conventional powertrain, in a compact FWD coupe, would necessarily be successful.
Question is, will anyone restore one with original batteries 30 years from now? Maybe aftermarkets will be acceptable, of course by then, the same KWH will probably fit in the top of the T. 😎
A future car restoration specialist will have to be an electrical engineer, more than a mechanic!
Knowing Cadillac will definitely be killing off their ELR with no possible DeLorean situation where someone making clones using the Chevrolet Volt as a starting point since the two cars do have significant differences makes the ELR very collectible as one has to imagine people buying extra batteries for the ELR.