With General Motors and Cadillac making the transition to an all-electric future, it’s interesting to take a look back at the luxury marque’s electrified past. The Cadillac ELR is one good example of this. Produced for just two model years (2014 and 2016), the Cadillac ELR was rather short-lived, with less than 3,000 units produced. That makes each example a somewhat rare find, and now, this ultra-low-mileage example is up for grabs.
Arguably the most-important feature of the Cadillac ELR is the powertrain. Sharing numerous components with the Chevy Volt, this 2014 Cadillac ELR is motivated by a hybrid 1.4L four-cylinder gasoline engine, which is assisted by a 16.5 kWh lithium-ion battery and single electric motor. Combined output for this hybrid is rated at 217 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, all of which is translated through the front axle.
The hybrid system also incorporates regenerative braking components, as well as an all-electric drive mode with an EPA-estimated 37 miles available on the battery alone. Dip into the dino juice, and you’ll get 340 miles of range.
Outside, the 2014 Cadillac ELR looks great, with chiseled, sporty styling. This particular example is said to be in showroom condition, and presents in eye-grabbing Crystal Red Tintcoat paint. A set of 20-inch ultra-bright polished wheels are equipped in the corners.
Inside, we find this 2014 Cadillac ELR draped in stitched leather upholstery, with the usual lineup of features (power windows, power locks, power mirrors, push-button starter) included. Bluetooth connectivity is also included.
Now, this 2014 Cadillac ELR is listed for sale by Classic Auto Mall at $103,500. That’s quite a bit more than the car’s original MSRP of $76,000, but with just 850 miles on the clock, this slice of recent Cadillac history may justify the price. Maybe.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more Cadillac ELR news, Cadillac news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Source: Classic Auto Mall
Comments
What do they say the definition of insanity is? To keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, right?
The Escalade Hybrid electric failed in the marketplace and was withdrawn. The ELR, as exemplified here, was a very costly flop; no telling how much gm lost on each one. The CT6 PHEV never sold and spent its life languishing on dealers’ lots only to be discontinued from the American market. Yet gm is going all-in on electrics with Cadillac as a “last chance” for the brand. Based on history, the future doesn’t look bright for gm’s once glorious capstone brand.
Very well said
They are not doing it as a “last chance” they are doing it because manufacturers have no choice. Also the cars you listed were almost all in place only to bring up the average fuel economy for the brand. It was something that had to be done as well.
Justin,
Mark Ruess said gm would be converting Cadillac to an all-electric lineup in hopes of turning around the struggling brand which has been on a 40-year downhill trajectory. He called it a ‘last chance’ effort. What he meant by that, I don’t know for sure but I assume if the new electrified-Cads also fail, the brand will get Oldsmobiled and put to death.
The problem as I see it is gm has for 40 years tried to make Cadillac into BMW. That effort has failed. Folks who wanted a sports sedan always chose the original over its imitators, including Cadillac. Now they are embarking on a plan to make Cadillac into Tesla which may be no more successful. The marketplace has room for many unique brand identities but it rewards authenticity and originality which Cadillac has had little of and which a Cadillac-as-Tesla identity is unlikely to cure.
The trouble with a lot of GM things is often the technology was a few years ahead of being practical or reliable due to the lack of the electronics.
The 8-6-4 Cadillac was very advanced but to the point the computers could not deal with it. Infer red screens in car. Air bags, Screens non the dash, The Impact EV, 4 wheel steering. etc. Things like this were all put out before they were affordable and or reliable but today they are the norm.
As for this car it was a mistake Lutz made. He took a show car that looked great that made a horrible coupe in the real world at a time the world was moving away from coupes. The rear seat is only good for children. The car also was a problem. It was just a expensive Chevy. This same thing plagued other Cadillac models too.
With the EV program GM for once is not rushing into this. They will have their products right when they need to be and priced right when they have to be. This time GM knows there are no mulligans and getting it right has taken over for being the first.
In this case I feel they have learned from the history and we will see them do this much differently.
Old GM would have rushed out the Hummer with 175 mile range just to be first and they are not doing that,. Same on the trucks. Ford did a half a$$ model to be first while they try to build what GM is now just finishing.
EV is coming and the acceptance is going to be a slow but steady growth. This is a marathon not a sprint.
the original msrp was $76K in 2014??? that has to be one of the biggest jokes in automotive history.
It’s ironic that the ELR’s 7-year old interior actually looks better than most of its current offerings (e.g. CT4, CT5, XT4/5/6)
That’s because ELR was a $40,000 Volt under the skin with a $35,000 body and interior upgrade package; naturally the interior could thus be good. Unlike the CT6 Blackwing V-8, for example, which was a more exclusive, purpose-built Cadillac and a true rarity for gm. Even the CT5 is a more authentic thoroughbred Cadillac although not as much so as CT6 was.
The ELR formula is what gm still hopes to use in the future. Their plans appear to be to build a common skateboard chassis with a generic battery pack and generic electric motor. It only becomes a Cadillac when the body/interior are married to that generic chassis. In effect Cadillac itself has become Fleetwood.
At one time Cadillac produced a truly fine luxury car chassis with a V16 engine and generous proportions. This chassis then had a ‘Body by Fleetwood’, which was built by the Fleetwood Body Company added to it to form a complete Cadillac automobile. With Cellistiq, Cadillac seems to be planning to build an ultra luxury body/interior at their Tech Center to be married to a common gm EV platform to form a new type of Cadillac thus putting Cadillac itself in the role of being a body/interior maker.
Whether this strategy works remains to be seen. If it does, the Volt was a precursor. However, consumers wisely saw the ELR for what is was and rejected paying $75,000 for a Volt with a luxury body. The same fate may befall Cadillac’s future offerings like Cellistiq. Or, maybe it’s the wave of the future. Time will tell.
I actually sat in one of these while my CTS was being serviced and that was maybe 2013 or 2014.
The interior was really, really nice.
Buttery leather and the dashboard was a precursor to what came in the 3rd Gen CTS/CT6.
And IMO it is quite the looker.
And the front end lights (like the Gen 3 CTS/Escalade) are VERY distinctive.
I regret not getting one when they were new.
Haha yeah!
As far as the ‘Measly Sales’ of the ELR, absolutely NO-ONE complains about the sales of the Tesla Roadster – selling for several years but could only match 75% of the Sales of the ELR which was only manufactured for less than 1 year (9 months in 2014, 2 1/2 months in 2016). I liked my pricey roadster, but it was the most unreliable car (including $100 junkers as a teenager) that I’ve ever driven, and traded it in on the very fine ELR in a cashless sale, while it was still worth something.
That Idiot Johann DeNysschen said “Electric Cars are DUMB !
People should drive VW CLEAN DIESELS !”. And he cancelled the ELR after essentially being just released… Toyota’s Prius initially was a horrible seller, but Toyota stuck with it until it was highly profitable.
Ask VW if the $Billions they lost on that program was such a great idea.
That Idiot also moved Caddy HQ to NYC, and then, after he was fired by GM, moved it back to Michigan. More Umpteen $Millions wasted…
While the CT6 was a nice car, the CT6 PHEV was a joke – a Rube Goldberg complicated mess that wasted much electricity running a 3 hp electric oil pump for the drive train which changed all its silly modes all the time… After all that complication, the CT6 PHEV had all the excitement of a Land Yacht, – meanwhile the ELR has very spirited performance…
Car and Driver said of the ELR to ‘Don’t pay attention to the 0-60 times – the car SEEMS much faster !’.
Every time there is an article on the ELR the comments, and even sometimes the author gets the information wrong.
1). It shares the Power train – but it *IS NOT* a rebadged VOLT. Car and Driver stated this car is the “Best Handling Hybrid they had ever Tested” – whether it was a plug-in or not !
2). The car – besides having expensive Bridgestone Run Flat Low Rolling Resistance tires, also had an expensive Watts Link passive Suspension – no doubt the Superb handling of the car was partially due to this.
3). Not many paid $76,000 for this vehicle… I paid $50,000 for my 2014 ELR. I considered it a screaming bargain at the time since the car is far more valuable than my 2011 VOLT which I paid $43,000 for at the time… Everyone remembers Bob Lutz stating the VOLT was an $80,000 car – but NO ONE remembers that one of the GOALS of the GENERATION TWO VOLT project was to greatly reduce the cost, as well as improve the performance – which they apparently did on both counts… I consider my 2019 VOLT a far superior car to the 2011, and 2012 volts I had – at less than half the price. The old Volts though, were undeniably the Safest Cars ever Manufactured.
2016 is the more desirable model year
Still, one of the best car commercials ever.
Great exterior design a lot like CTS coupe!! Cadillac design language has evolved a lot, especially when situated out in NYC, and while evolution was needed thr baby may have been tossed with the bath water.
Look at how well the red exterior goes with that cream interior. They are clearly meant for each other. It’s a shame that some cars exclude the combination but offer cream interiors with other colors. I’m looking at you, GMC Terrain.
Lol……………
There were only 2014 and 2016 ELR’s for a reason. No one wanted a $76,000 Hybrid coupe. Great car, yes. But to think that something GM had to highly incentivize to sell down inventory is worth almost $30,000 more as a 7 year old used car, despite the mileage, is crazy. They’ll have this awhile unless someone with deep pockets just “has to have it”.
This is a very good looking car. Can’t say that about many other EV’s out there.
and it was really nice inside.
The leather was buttery soft.
Money better spent on a Blackwing.
Or a C8.
The ELR is one one the most beautiful designs ever ! if GM had only added nxt gen powertrain with alot more power. i had really hoped the hollywood crowd would have bought them ,made them fashionable like a tesla.