Converj - Coming or Not?

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 Cadillac as well.

That's where the Converj Concept comes in. The car was debuted to show how a premium Cadillac vehicle could make use of the Voltec technology. GM was supposedly putting the "car under review" for production. Like with the Volt, the car has had proponents and detractors.

According to BusinessWeek those detractors included GM North America President Troy Clarke and Mark McNabb, who ran Cadillac, Hummer, and Saab. The thing is, those two executives are both gone from General Motors.

The main proponent - Bob Lutz, is still there however. I think it's safe to say if Bob Lutz wants it and can make a good business case for building it, we'll see it happen. Do it, GM!