Cadillac Converj Concept Gets Go-Ahead
The Cadillac Converj concept vehicle, which has been making appearances at autoshows and which we detailed last month Blind Fury movie full has gottent the production go-ahead according to inside sources at GM. While the Converj that comes off of the assembly line won’t be exactly the same as the concept model (par for the course when it comes to concepts), it will retain a few of its key features. Namely, the electric drivetrain and the option for a luxury electric vehicle.
The drivetrain in the Converj will be almost exactly the same as that in the upcoming Chevrolet Volt. The main change expected is that the Converj will get extra batteries, allowing it to be a faster and mroe powerful car. There is no word yet on an expected range, and the car is set for a 2012 model year premiere. In all, this seems like a wise move by General Motors. Due to the company’s financial status, it is shedding some brands (like Saturn and Hummer), and is now closing ranks around a few core brand names (Chevrolet, Cadillac, etc.). The sharing of alternate drive technologies across these brands will accomplish several important things: first, it will bring more electric vehicles to the market; and second, it will allow GM to have a large enough scale so that they can perfect a naufacturing process for the first generation of the vehicles, meaining that prices would drop as the second, third, and fourth generations hit the streets.
The Cadillac Converj is planned to have the same 1.4-liter gasoline engine that is set for the Volt. What makes the Volt and the Converj different from hybrid vehicles is that the cars are propelled by electric motors and the gasoline engines are used solely for charging the batteries. Within a short distance, there will be no need for the gasoline engine to activate and the cars can be recharged from a wall outlet. The gasoline engine provides the ability for people to take the cars on longer trips without having to worry about running out of power.
