Autoblog

Cadillac ELR, Nissan Resonance and Ford Atlas win Eyes on Design awards

John Neff — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Nissan, Design/Style

This year's annual Eyes on Design awards were presented at the end of press days for the Detroit Auto Show on Tuesday. Given out for the best production and concept car designs that debuted at the show, and voted on by an esteemed panel of actual car designers, this year's award for best production vehicle design went to the 2014 Cadillac ELR. The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, which was the show favorite among Autoblog editors, apparently did not impress the Eyes on Design judges enough with its all-new vent-festooned design.

The award for best concept design was actually split as a tie among the Nissan Resonance and Ford Atlas concepts. Last year's winners were the 2013 Ford Fusion and the Lexus LF-LC concept.

The Eyes on Design organization also presented a new honor this year called the Catalyst Award to Bob Lutz, former Vice Chairman of General Motors. Lutz is reported to have given a defense of design in his acceptance speech, arguing that advancements in quality across the industry as a whole have made good design a key differentiator for buyers.

Cadillac ELR, Nissan Resonance and Ford Atlas win Eyes on Design awards originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2014 Cadillac ELR wears a suave suit with Volt underpants

Seyth Miersma — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 10:55:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Coupe, Hybrid, Cadillac, Electric

The Cadillac design and engineering teams were smiling like a bunch of proud papas here in Detroit this morning, as the Wreath and Crest crew pulled the curtain back on their 2014 ELR. The house was packed for the ELR's coming out party, and reaction was enthusiastic amongst the murmuring media, as far as we could gather, while the flashes were firing.

In fact, we think that the sleek styling and aggressive proportions of the Voltec-powered ELR looked even better in the metal than they did in the first official images we saw earlier. Further, the leather-lined interior seems custom made for serious driving, even if the ELR is slightly less than rocket-ship quick.

The new Cadillac makes good use of the basic running gear from the Chevrolet Volt, including the 1.4-liter range-extending gas engine, a 15.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and an electric drive motor that offers 295 pound-feet of torque, and a total system output of 207 horsepower. All-electric range is down by just one mile versus its Chevrolet forebearer, for a total of 35, and Cadillac speculates that the total range with the gasoline generator figured in will top 300 miles.

Have a look at our gallery of live images, or refresh your memory about the details of the car with the press release, below.

Continue reading 2014 Cadillac ELR wears a suave suit with Volt underpants

2014 Cadillac ELR wears a suave suit with Volt underpants originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Jan 2013 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2014 Cadillac ELR is making green sexy in Detroit

Seyth Miersma — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:01:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Coupe, Hybrid, Cadillac, Electric, Luxury

In terms of styling, inside and out, the ELR hits the ball out of the park.

Cadillac has pulled the wraps off of its newest family member, the long-rumored, Voltec-powered, eye-catching extended range hybrid coupe called the ELR. The car makes use of the same basic architecture as the Chevrolet Volt, but has been thoroughly layered on with design, technology and performance tuning - with the goal of being a properly situated product for the Cadillac brand.

In terms of styling, inside and out, the ELR hits the ball out of the park. Designers set an aggressive goal of staying as true as possible to the original Converj show car from 2009. The resulting vehicle is, frankly, as sexy a Cadillac as can be found on the road today. A low, fast roofline is handsomely accented by the ELR's strong shoulder line, while the stance is super aggressive thanks to monstrous 20-inch wheels pushed out to the extreme corners of the car. Exterior trim is wrought in either satin chrome or a very subtle black satin chrome (the dark panels inside the egg crate grille wear this finish, as does the outermost frame of the headlights).

Continue reading 2014 Cadillac ELR is making green sexy in Detroit

2014 Cadillac ELR is making green sexy in Detroit originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cadillac teases camo'd ELR ahead of Detroit debut

Jeffrey N. Ross — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Spy Photos, Coupe, Cadillac, Electric, Luxury

With the 2014 Cadillac ELR being introduced next week at the Detroit Auto Show, General Motors has revealed another picture of its luxury range extended electric vehicle. Last month, we saw a dark, teaser photo showing some of the body detail for the electric coupe, but this recent photo shows the Cadillac in full camouflage testing in California back in September.

If this car looks familiar, it's because our spy shooters got a jump on GM by catching the car in action and providing pictures from all angles. There are still no official details for the ELR yet aside from the fact that it will share the Voltec system with the Chevrolet Volt, but we'll finally see the car unveiled in Detroit a week from today.

Continue reading Cadillac teases camo'd ELR ahead of Detroit debut

Cadillac teases camo'd ELR ahead of Detroit debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cadillac teases production ELR ahead of Detroit Auto Show

Jeffrey N. Ross — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 10:14:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Coupe, Cadillac, Electric

General Motors has just confirmed that the 2014 Cadillac ELR will make its official debut next month at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. We've already seen the ELR testing earlier this year using the same range-extended electric drive system as the Chevrolet Volt, and based on the shadowy image above, we're happy to see that the coupe's styling has stayed pretty true to 2009 Converj Concept.

The two-door ELR will be built alongside the Volt at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant starting later next year. Aside from this info, Cadillac has remained tight-lipped on the specific details of the car. But all that will all change on January 15.

Until then, all we have to offer you is the press release posted after the jump.

Continue reading Cadillac teases production ELR ahead of Detroit Auto Show

Cadillac teases production ELR ahead of Detroit Auto Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Dec 2012 10:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cadillac ELR caught testing in production form

Seyth Miersma — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Spy Photos, Coupe, Hybrid, Cadillac, Electric

After announcing its intent to go forward with a production version of the fetching Converj concept more than a year ago, all has been pretty quiet on the Cadillac ELR front - until now. We burn for this kind of drama.

The long lenses have reported in from the field with the first-ever spy shots of the ELR in prototype form. That's right, under a wrapper of black and white triangles and mystery, is the real-deal Voltified version of a new Cadillac coupe.

To recap what we know: the ELR will make use of the same basic Voltec powertrain as the Chevrolet Volt, with a four-cylinder gas engine used as an onboard generator to power the electric motor. In concept form, this Caddy boasted a solar panel bedecked glass room, though the tester here has had its roof obscured, frustrating any further intel about the production worthiness of that solar setup.

From a styling and design standpoint, fans of the Converj should feel encouraged by this prototype. The same basic fastback silhouette has made the jump from concept to reality, and the proportions seem mostly intact, too (slightly smaller wheels and longer front overhang are in evidence, but subtle). The prototype seems to have held on to the very striking beltline of the concept car, running in a sharp crease along the side bodywork from the tip of the taillight to the top of front wheel well. Of course, the exotically small side view mirrors from Converj have been axed in favor of a set that are actually, you know, functional, but that won't ruin our day.

With this prototype being so fully formed we'd expect to see the ELR hit the market in the fall of 2013 or so as a 2014 model.

Cadillac ELR caught testing in production form originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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