Caddy hybrid’s green light

13th November 2009

Fans of electric cars in the US got to say hello and wave goodbye to some new models last week. Just as Chrysler was announcing that a trio of planned electric vehicles was being axed, Cadillac confirmed it will build a fresh hybrid.

The new Caddy, based on the dramatic Converj concept seen at January’s Detroit Motor Show, will use technology from GM’s forthcoming Volt hybrid and the Vauxhall Ampera. That means it will be rechargeable at home for battery-powered trips round town, before a small engine kicks in to boost the charge for longer journeys.
 
The Cadillac is set to appear in 2013, three years after the Volt is introduced in the US. Meanwhile, Chrysler’s new partner, Fiat, has disbanded the company’s Envi programme – effectively killing off the electric Lotus Elise-based Dodge Circuit and battery-powered versions of the Voyager and Jeep Wrangler. One of the three had been scheduled for 2010.

Bosses had promised the Envi project would spearhead hybrid development, and their aim was to get 500,000 electric cars on US roads by 2013. It formed a key element of Chrysler’s plea for state aid in December last year.

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