Cadillac ELR To Go Into Production In 2013

Good news for anyone in the market for a high-end plug-in hybrid car: Cadillac will be putting the Cadillac ELR compact coupe into production by the end of next year. The Cadillac ELR, which updates technology borrowed from the Chevrolet Volt, has been subject to wide speculation concerning when - or if - it would be built.

According to a statement from General Motors North American President Mark Reuss, the Cadillac ELR will be assembled at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant, which will be given an additional $35 million in upgrades in order to make the vehicle available for the 2014 model year. Currently, the Chevrolet Volt is built at the same facility. Unlike the Volt, however, the ELR will lop off two doors and be aimed at attracting premium shoppers who prize style on top of the eco-cred that comes with purchasing such an advanced hybrid automobile.

The Chevrolet Volt offers a battery range of roughly 50 miles before a gasoline engine switches on in order to provide more than 300 miles of additional driving before requiring refuelling. Similar figures are expected from the ELR, which will draw styling inspiration from the Cadillac Converj coupe that previewed the luxury brand's entry into the small hybrid segment in 2009 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan.

The Cadillac ELR joins the current crop of new products from the domestic brand. The 2013 Cadillac ATS has just begun delivery, while the 2013 Cadillac XTS has been available since the end of the summer.