This is the same company responsible for the new ELR. What. The. Fuck. Happened
Let that sink in for a moment
Everyone loved the Ciel?
bean counters and patented gm brand shitty management
Great! Here is the fucking ELR
>>14048145
Is that a Prius?
And? The ELR is a rebadged Volt
>>14048169
You would be mistaken sir. It not in fact a prius, it is Cadillacs latest and greatest luxury sport coupe!
>>14048131
Where did Cadillac go so wrong?
>>14048172
Cool. It looks worse than a volt and costs twice as much. Great deal.
It has aerodynamic tail lights...
>>14048198
cadillac has gone from producing some of the most distinct looking cars to some of the most generic looking cars ever.
>>14048198
Isn't the DTS the new Deville?
>>14048229
>any of those
>not generic for their time
Let's not kid ourselves here. Given that massive multi-section trapezoid grills, giant wheels, and hyper aggressive styling is the norm today, the last one is probably more unique than the rest.
>>14048300
Yeah Cadillac abandoned "long complicated archaic" names in mid-2000s for 3-letter names
>>14048347
I got that. I was commenting on the fact that the image uses a CTS.
>>14048131
>>14048145
Lets rewind back to 2009. GM was on the verge of bankruptcy, fuel guzzlers were on their way out because gas prices were soaring up to $3.50/gallon, and the buying public, already facing a rather severe economic recession, would only buy a new car that was fuel efficient so they could save money. Naturally, this meant looking at crossovers and hybrids like the Prius.
GM had gotten bad rep over the last decade in the arena of fuel efficient cars because of their very public demolition of their electric car program in California and their over-aggressive focus on SUVs that averaged around 16 mpg. This started hurting them around 2006-2007, when gas prices were soaring with no end in sight, so they showed the world the Chevrolet Volt concept, an electric car with a small gasoline-powered motor to provide extra electricity for longer range travel. GM approved it for production, and it was slated for release around 2009-2010.
So its 2009, the Volt is nearing its release, and GM being GM, they want an upscale version of the Volt to sell to people who like a little more leather and prestige. So Cadillac unveils a concept of what would later become the ELR, touting it as a new direction for the brand (Cadillac was already looking at the chopping block for several of its models, the STS, XLR and DTS were well on their way out and Cadillac was making up for their loss by introducing the CTS Coupe and /o/'s favourite CTS Wagon). GM approves, and it gets slated for production around 2014, while GM works out the post-Bankruptcy financial nightmare, including closing Pontiac, Hummer, Saturn, Saab, and selling off other assets.
So in 2013, the 2014 ELR launches, but as expected in its initial year, sales are low. Critics complain that its $70,000 price tag is too high for what is essentially a 2-door Volt with a luxury package, but as gas prices were still at $3.50, few complain about the addition.
(1/2)
>>14048552
In 2014 however, gas prices started dropping again, reaching as low as $2.00 by the end of the year, and people being people, started buying bigger, more comfortable cars with less fuel efficiency.
The situation hasn't changed much since. Cadillac is in the middle of a large rebranding effort to try to return a sense of prestige to the brand that was lost a long time ago, partially to appeal to the new Chinese luxury market and also partly to catch up on the domestic front with powerhouses like BMW and Mercedes. As part of this effort, they have begun cleaning up and revising their models. The CTS Coupe and Wagon have been dropped, the new ATS and ATS coupe have been added, a new naming scheme is starting beginning with the upcoming CT6 and XT5, and the XTS is slated for cancellation around 2016. The ELR, meanwhile, is receiving a refresh (and likely a renaming) I believe for the 2017 model year, in which it is expected that components and upgrades from the 2016 Volt will be incorporated.
As for why the ELR looks so ugly? Look at the Cadillac Converj concept that inspired it, which was designed in 2009 with then all-new Cadillac design trends.
>>14048131
The Elmiraj, the Ciel, and the new CTS-V get me hard
