The Cadillac ELR, sentenced to death

It is always disheartening to learn that a car model is eventually being discontinued. Sometimes it is a decision that helps remove from a brand’s lineup a car that its manufacturers did not like and that somehow made it into production. Other times it is a painful decision driven by factors beyond their control, forcing them to halt all plans related to that particular model.

At Cadillac they have had to cancel production of the ELR, a coupé that has been a complete sales failure and has forced the American brand to rethink the model’s future. Apparently, the matter has been under discussion since the summer of 2015, when they found sales figures far below expectations. Above all, because they believed it was one of the most striking models they had ever built.


There is no set date for the model’s “death“. It will keep being produced for as long as buyers continue to purchase it, although work on an update has been dropped. The Cadillac ELR coupé received a minor revision in an attempt to revive sales, adding a new engine and cutting the final price by $10,000. Even with these measures, sales in 2015 fell by 22%.

That drop means only 1,024 units were sold, a figure insufficient to justify the investment needed to develop a new generation of this vehicle, launched in 2014. The plug-in hybrid proposal in a sporty form has not had the expected success, and loyal brand buyers have not been enough to keep the company interested in continuing its development. A real shame.

Via | Carscoops