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Cadillac will kill the plug-in ELR

Johan de Nysschen, president of General Motors' Cadillac division, says Caddy's ELR extended-range plug-in won't have any future generations, Automotive News (subs. req.) says. The publication previously reported that the car would be around for another couple of years, but even that's questionable, and the model could be yanked even sooner. Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell confirmed that there won't be a second-generation ELR. "Subsequent generations of the car will not be developed," he wrote in an e-mail to Autoblog. "It's available currently as a 2016 model, and there's no change to that status." The model debuted in late 2013 and used a version of the powertrain in the Chevrolet Volt. The main problem, of course, was that the car had a $76,000 price tag that proved too much for most automobile buyers to stomach. Last year, GM sold 1,024 ELRs, down 22 percent from 2014's totals. By comparison, the Chevy Volt moved more than 15,000 units, and that itself was still down 18 percent from year-earlier figures. The merciful end to the ELR shouldn't be much of a surprise, as Cadillac Chief Marketing Officer Uwe Ellinghaus went on the record in December of essentially calling the model a dud. It's a far cry from the excitement, though, that the concept model of what was then called the Converj was unveiled to the public at the Detroit Auto Show in 2009. For those feeling misty-eyed or nostalgic, though, check here for Autoblog's First Drive impressions of the extended-range plug-in. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2014 Cadillac ELR Review View 48 Photos News Source: Automotive News-sub.req. Green Cadillac GM Hybrid elr extended-range plug-in

GM announces $7 billion Michigan factory investment, most going to EVs

GM announced a $7 billion investment in Michigan manufacturing, much of which is earmarked for EV production. Four sites are included, but the key elements are a new battery cell plant in Lansing and the conversion of GM's existing Orion Township facility to expand production of the forthcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV and its GMC Sierra sibling.  GM says it is the largest investment announcement in company history and that it will create 4,000 new jobs. It also says 1,000 jobs will be retained. "We are building on the positive consumer response and reservations for our recent EV launches and debuts, including the GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Equinox EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV," said GM CEO Mary Barra.  GM says the Orion expansion and new battery plant will support an increase in full-size electric truck production capacity to 600,000 units. This is in addition to the Factory ZERO facility in Detroit that will also be constructing the electric Silverado and Sierra.  The Orion Township factory current builds the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV, and will continue to do so during the plant's conversion. GM did not indicate what will happen with the Bolts once that conversion is complete or whether all will continue to be built at Orion. They do not use the Ultium vehicle architecture. GM will build other EV models at three other factories that are under construction or being converted. They are located in Spring Hill, Tennessee, Ingersoll, Ontario, and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. GM says that it will have the ability to produce 1 million electric vehicles by 2025. The Ultium Cells Lansing facility is a $2.6 billion joint investment by GM and LG Energy Solution. GM says it alone will create 1,700 jobs once fully operational by late 2024. It will join two other GM Ultium Cells battery factories currently under construction in the United States, one in Ohio and the other in Tennessee.  Not all of the $7 billion investment will be for EVs. It also announced $510 million of the total will go toward upgrading the Lansing Delta Township Assembly to produce the next-generation Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. Money will also go to upgrading Lansing Grand River Assembly.

The new presidential limo is almost ready and way bigger than a Suburban

If you're familiar with the current presidential limo, which is nicknamed The Beast, you know it's based on a medium-duty truck platform. This new one, shown in aerial spy photos, appears to be just as huge. The vehicles flanking it in these shots are Chevrolet Suburbans, basically the largest passenger vehicle you can buy. And while the limo looks car-shaped, it's very tall and much longer than the three-row SUV. You might say it's yuge. Like its predecessor, The Beast 2.0 is being developed in secret because all of its various systems and defenses are matters of national security. We are fairly confident that it has lots of armor protection, glass that's about five inches thick, and special systems to clean the air in the event of a biological warfare attack. The current Beast is also said to carry a pint or two of the President's blood type just in case something does happen. When the President is being transported in a motorcade, he is at his most vulnerable, so Cadillac One and the vehicles that surround it have to be prepared for almost anything. In fact, two identical presidential limos travel together to make it harder for would-be attackers to do bad stuff. The Suburban escort it's getting here at the GM proving grounds is appropriate, since most of the vehicles used by the Secret Service to accompany the President's motorcade are big GM SUVs. By the looks of this camouflaged prototype, GM is nearing completion of testing the new Presidential car. The styling is a mix of CT6 sedan and Escalade, with a little XTS thrown in, and it looks a lot more sleek by comparison than the current blocky Beast. When it's ready, President Donald Trump will be the first to ride in it on official business and the current beasts will probably be retired and end up in a museum. Related Video: Featured Gallery Cadillac One Presidential Limo Spy Photos View 13 Photos Image Credit: Chris Doane Automotive Government/Legal Spy Photos Cadillac Luxury Sedan the beast cadillac one