Car Throttle

Chevrolet's all-important (from a public relations standpoint) new Volt is coming, and things are going smoothly so far with testing of the preproduction run. At the this years North American international Auto Show, Cadillac first showed off the Converj concept. The Converj is based around the same Voltec (formerly E-Flex) range-extended electric vehicle drivetrain that is used in the Volt. Many speculated when the Volt was introduced that it would be much better if General Motors introduced an expensive, high-end vehicle under the Cadillac banner first. Most new technologies don't start out being very affordable - Tesla and Fisker are just a few recent examples in the automotive industry. Producing the Volt offered a much needed boost to Chevrolet, but the benefits of a higher pricing factor and

The announcements of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and vehicle programs over the past year has been breathtaking. In the 1990's electric vehicles rose to prominence and then fell out of favor as hybrids were introduced. Chevrolet's Volt really seems to be the catalyst that started the latest dash to a future of vehicles that use little or no gas. With the Volt recognized as a "halo" vehicle for General Motors, many think that it should have been produced as a Cadillac instead. That way Cadillac would have gotten an image boost at the forefront of something new, and GM could have charged more for it since it's a Cadillac. The merits of that are still being debated, but it's not too late to do that for

One of the guaranteed (well, anything's possible but...) brands to remain regardless of what happens with GM would be Cadillac. GM's iconic brand is most definitely pivotal to the future of the company. With just 4 brands, there is the potential Cadillac could get the much-deserved investment that it needs to move forward. Think about it, 8 brands? Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Hummer, Saab, Saturn. That's a lot of different product strategies and development dollars to spread around. With 4 brands and 3 really (GMC can do a lot of sharing with Chevrolet) with unique products, this could be a could time for Cadillac. The CTS mid-size sedan has been successful but it's clear something needs to be done to expand the brand's model lineup and