Those who wanted the electrified Cadillac CT6 Plug-In have missed their shot, as the vehicle will not be part of the 2019 CT6 lineup. According to sources, the full-size hybrid is largely meant for the Chinese market, where it’s built as a compliance vehicle, and it appears that’s where it will stay. A VIN decoder originally suggested that there would be a 2019 CT6 Plug-In, but GMAuthority is the first to confirm that will not be the case.
An official comment from Cadillac is as follows:
For 2019, our focus for CT6 in North America is the launch of the comprehensive 2019 midcycle and the first-ever V-Series variant of the top-of-range sedan.
Cadillac remains committed to electrified systems for our vehicles. Although production of the CT6 PLUG-IN for North America is discontinuing for the 2019 model year, alternative fuel vehicles remain a part of our future product portfolio as we move deeper in to our 10-year plan. GM has committed to 20 electric vehicles by 2023, some of which will be Cadillacs. Cadillac will also continue to be the spearhead brand for many of the company’s technologies, such as Super Cruise and V2X.
The 2018 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In entered the US market in limited supply, and commanded a price of around $80,000. The batteries were stored in the trunk, reducing storage space, while there were six degrees of regenerative braking effort, which could either be absent or intense enough for one pedal driving. The charge port was symmetrical with the fuel fill door, on the opposite end of the vehicle. Like the Cadillac ELR before it, the Cadillac CT6 Plug-In appealed to a niche audience – those who were willing to fork over Tesla Model S money for a PHEV that required far too much explanation at socialite cocktail parties filled with buzzwords du jour.
CT6 Plug-In delivered an estimated 31 miles of pure electric range before relying on its gasoline-powered generator engine, delivering an EPA-estimated 65 MPGe and impressive 400-mile range. It shares the 18.4 kWh battery from the 2017 Chevrolet Volt, but largely adopted the electrification to its own platform with its 2.0-liter LTG turbocharged four-cylinder, foregoing other characteristics of the second-generation Voltec powertrain. Total system output was 335 horsepower, which could scoot the 4,500-lb sedan from 0-60 mph in 5.2 seconds. Torque was an impressive spec for the Cadillac CT6 Plug-In, coming in at 432 lb-ft.
Cadillac also included a 220V charger and free home installation, as well as an eight-year unlimited-mileage warranty for the vehicle’s battery pack, electric motors and electronic control system.
[nggallery id=762]
Comments
Was it expensive? Yes. Was it made in China? Yes. I can’t even begin to understand why this wasn’t a success.
It’s like they repeated the missteps they took with the ELR especially with pricing. Wondering if GM ever learns from its own mistakes
I would wager they do not learn from their mistakes. If they did they wouldn’t continue to repeat them. I guess GM’s game plan is to retreat rather than compete.
At least the ELR was a good looking car. The CT6 looks great, but the ELR was truly something unique. I always thought an ICE ELR convertible would’ve been absolutely great!
Electric cars are not ready for prime time yet for any of the manufacturers except Tesla. They do it to test design, test supply chains, get some positive press but GM loses money on the bolt and I bet makes far less on the ct6 plug in than a non plug in. It’s not that they aren’t looking forward, it’s just if you sell 100,000 bolts you lost money x100,000. If they could make money on these, they would sell them.
That is short term thinking.
Electric is (currently) a premium-cost product and GM, which has (for the time-being) world-leading electric capability, should have been integrating it into Cadillac for some time now. It’s not something you dabble in, throwing out random models (even with sharp designs, like the underpowered ELR) for a couple years with no dealer support and then pull them.
The other luxury manufacturers, like Jaguar with the I-Pace (which sold 1,200 units last month, same as Model X), are moving forward with actual products in the mix. What does Cadillac have to attract those who want to spend $75,000 on a forward-looking, technologically advanced vehicle? At a minimum, where is the CUV based on Volt-technology? That would be perfect for Cadillac (or even Buick’s) older customer base — introducing them to electric while giving them the comfort of internal combustion when needed.
Nowhere to be found.
Cranking out slightly bigger / slightly smaller versions of the XT5 is necessary but not sufficient — it won’t advance Cadillac at all in the luxury market, unless they want to remain in the 2nd tier of luxury for the 3rd consecutive decade. They need electrified cars as a serious part of their portfolio, yesterday, and stick with it.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra is beginning to remind me of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde as she said just recently of wanting to electrify GM’s entire fleet yet now we get news that Cadillac will not be selling the CT6 PHEV in 2019; one would think plug-in electric hybrid vehicles would make sense especially as these vehicles would increase fuel mileage and help reduce greenhouse emission.
Fair enough, the hybrid-plugin Chevy Volt type vehicles will quickly become obsolete. Gotta be expensive having both a combustion engine and a battery.
I’m sure GM sees the writing on the wall and wants to focus on pure electrics rather than this CT6 hybrid.
The real question is how soon will GM have a competitor to Tesla? The Bolt is getting its butt kicked by Model 3 sales.
What you wrote is all true, but this isn’t some concept car. All engineering is complete. There’s no “focus” on CT6 Plug In that is slowing the development of pure electrics.
And at that price, I am sure each sale turned a profit.
Doesn’t matter if it sold poorly, it was good for word of mouth, and there are already ships loaded with Buick Envisions coming over, so loading a few CT6 on each ship wasn’t hurting anyone.
How are they selling in China? Do electric hybrids and all electrics sell well in Europe where gas is taxed to outrageous levels?
I’m sorry to see GM throw so much money at small niche markets that so many others are also trying to enter.
The problem is, as Rob mentioned is that Gm should have one or two electrified suv/cuv’s on the market by now. ONe as a Caddy and one for Buick. They are the only two brands that can absorb the premium right now(maybe Denali). How long is GM going to go without putting out a more advanced voltec powertrain into the one of the hottest segments going?
Leaving money on the table.
I own a CT6 PHEV and had an ELR and a Volt before that. All three are great cars.