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Report: Cadillac Cancels Plans for Plug-in Hybrid SRX

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Report: Cadillac Cancels Plans for Plug-in Hybrid SRX

Cadillac has canceled its plans to build a plug-in hybrid or extended-range electric version of the SRX crossover, a new report suggests. According to Reuters, General Motors put the program on hold because it was not financially viable.

Rumors of an electrified Cadillac SRX first surfaced in December 2010, when Reuters reported that the Voltec drivetrain from the Chevrolet Volt was being adapted to the Cadillac crossover. Installing the Voltec system in more vehicles was claimed to help GM amortize its development costs for the drivetrain. The company is already upgrading its Detroit-Hamtramck factory so that Volt production can reach 60,000 units annually by 2012.

One month later, GM CEO Dan Ackerson told reporters that the company was looking to employ a plug-in hybrid system for the Cadillac SRX. It would have been based on the drivetrain developed for the Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid — which never saw production — rather than the Voltec system. Instead, Ackerson asserted that Voltec technology would underpin a minivan or hatchback like the Chevrolet Volt MP5 concept.

According to Reuters, GM was testing development prototypes of a hybrid Cadillac SRX. However, the project was scrapped because the SRX platform is already two years old, so by the time a hybrid version was ready for production, the platform would be too dated. It was believed that a production electric-assist crossover based on the extant SRX would be costly and lose money when it went on sale.

Reuters claims that the next-generation SRX platform has improved features and is more cost-efficient, making it better suited to development of a new drivetrain. In other words, some kind of electric vehicle may debut on a future Cadillac SRX platform. It seems certain GM will spread its extended-range electric technology to other vehicles, but they may not debut for a few years’ time.

Source: Reuters

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Sneering at other peoples taste and aspirations, only makes them more determined to oppose environmentally friendly technology.
Rob
Well I agree with one part of that comment, kudos to GM and all of the US manufacturers for having the foresight (and flexibility due to freedom from production demands determined by union labor) to make the right decisions with regard to profitability. With regards to personal ownership, it's true that at today's gas prices in the US, the payback periods on hybrids are typically long, small diesel and small displacement gasoline is probably a better "investment" (Ford Fiesta and GM's Aveo get hybrid "like" mileage, but that's not the only buying criteria. There is a reason why Toyota sells 200,000+ Prius a year in the US (and another 200k overseas) and it has to do with American's wanting to be seen as a part of the solution to a set of truly massive issues including a crushing dependence on foreign oil and trade imbalance and undeniable environmental impact from decades of driving guzzlers. Also, there isn't much doubt that the price of oil and gas will continue to rise (sucking sound in China and India) so the "investment" starts to look a lot better going forward. I agree with GM's decision to wait until the next model SRX, but if GM is "waiting" for the market on Hybrids, they're missing the boat. And don't believe the hype that automakers all lose money on hybrids, Toyota isn't ramping up production because they have negative margin or they need to recover development costs (anymore). The Volt was expensive because GM has a terrible, inefficient and slow product development cycle... (as a disclaimer, my next car will be a Focus EV, no questions about it)
Matt
"General Motors put the program on hold because it was not financially viable". Congratulations GM! This is the first time I've heard these words of wisdom from you in many, many years. However I do understand your political pressure for coming out with the Volt since you had to take the "Bailout Money". This is exactly why GM did not jump on the EV/Hybrid wagon from the get go. I still don't think EV's/Hybrids make any sense with regards to long term ownership.
 
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