GM shows off the Volt based Cadillac ELR leading to Detroit debut

General Motors offered the first teaser of the upcoming Cadillac ELR in mid-December when they introduced a shadowy image of the new electric Caddy coupe showing us little more than the top line and the rough shape of the headlights of the upcoming EV. This newest teaser shows the ELR in all of its glory on the roads of Southern California but in great spyshot fashion; the newest Cadillac ELR teaser image shows a car that is heavily clad in black and white camo vinyl – preventing us from getting a good look at the lines and features of the newest GM EV.

No real information was offered with this company issued spyshot of the Cadillac ELR but the text accompanying the image explained that this shot was captured on September 18th 2012 while the company was performing steep grade performance and high altitude operation testing in the mountains around Southern California. Cadillac ELR Chief Engineer Chris Thomason also proclaimed that "Cadillac customers are going to enjoy the unique features ELR will bring to the market. We’re going to change the way people think about luxury and electrification.”

What we can see from this daytime spyshot of the Cadillac ELR is that even though this is a super efficient electric vehicle, it has a very sporty stance and posture that is shared across the entire lineup of Cadillac cars. The distinct shift in the luxury segment towards sportier models has done great things for the Cadillac brand and based on this camouflaged image, the ELR will carry a similar front end design to that found on the rest of the Caddy cars. This includes headlights that run from the top of the fenders down to the protruding front fascia with a large grille (that will probably feature a chrome finish) that carries the large Cadillac logo in the middle. The along bottom of the front end, the ELR will have an aerodynamics package that looks sporty but more importantly, it will bolster the efficiency of the vehicle through improved air flow over and around the body. Of course, in line with the rest of the luxury car segment, the Cadillac ELR will feature HID projection headlights with what looks like a heavy dose of LED lighting within the headlight housing and in the fog lights.

Not surprisingly, these test mule shots of the Cadillac ELR lead me to believe that the production ELR will look very much like the Cadillac Converj electric concept that debuted in Detroit in 2009. You can see the first teaser shot of the ELR along with pictures of the 2009 Converj Concept by clicking any of the thumbnails above on the right.

From what I can see in this image, it looks like the Cadillac ELR may look more like a 2-door luxury sports car than an electric vehicle but in sharing the Voltec drivetrain with the popular Chevy Volt – the ELR will offer incredible all electric mileage with a range extending gasoline engine. I would expect that the ELR will offer slightly sportier driving dynamics than the Volt but GM will likely look to make the ELR more fun to drive without compromising fuel economy or driving range.

The new Cadillac ELR will debut on Tuesday January 15th at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit’s Cobo Hall and TorqueNews will be on hand to bring you complete information and photography of the new General Motors luxury EV.