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Cadillac exec realizes ELR pricing was stupid high

At least one Cadillac exec has finally started to come to terms with something we knew all along: the initial $75,000 price for the ELR plug-in hybrid was way too high. The bad decision in part led to the model selling just over 1,000 units last year. Company marketing boss Uwe Ellinghaus recently gave an interview to Bloomberg where he discussed what went wrong. "The MSRP was, indeed, a mouthful," Ellinghaus said to Bloomberg. "We overestimated that customers would realize our competitors were naked at that price." People balked at the ELR's price from the very start, and dealers were receiving $5,000 at one point just for getting customers to test drive the PHEV. Later, some incentives for buyers were as high as $14,000. Cadillac planners saw a conundrum when it came to the ELR's price. Too low of a figure was thought to bring the model close to the Chevrolet Volt, and $75,000 was also believed to signal Caddy's PHEV as something special. "We just wanted to make this a statement for the brand of how progressive we are," Ellinghaus said to Bloomberg. Cadillac is now working to rehabilitate the ELR's reputation with a host of updates for 2016. Buyers get a 25-percent boost in powertrain output, additional standard features, and the whole package comes with a $9,000 drop in price. The tweaks should help the luxurious PHEV make a better second impression. Related Video:

Cadillac boss: We will have diesels

Johan de Nysschen doesn't usually mince words about his plans, and the Cadillac boss says that diesel-fueled models are on the horizon for the luxury brand in the US by the early 2020s. The four- and six-cylinder engines under development would launch first in Europe about 2019. "We will definitely bring them to the US," de Nysschen said during a press event, according to Automotive News. Unfortunately, the Cadillac president isn't saying which models would get the diesels, yet. This plan has been in the works for at least several months, and Cadillac made mention of the two oil-burners earlier this year during the unveiling of its new V6 engine. De Nysschen broached the possibility during an interview at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, and he also referred to the inclusion of hybrids and plug-ins into the company's lineup at that time. Last year, a rumor suggested the addition of a V6 turbodiesel into the Escalade range. There were also rumblings of an oil-burning ATS during that model's launch. While Cadillac is no stranger to offering diesels in Europe, the decision to develop these new ones could come at an inopportune time. Governments there are rapidly moving against the fuel in favor of electrification. Tighter emissions regulations could also be on the way for the EU. Related Video:

Expect greater differentiation in GM's next-generation SUVs

General Motors says its next-generation Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade models will offer shoppers improved interior differentiation. Car and Driver recently caught up with Chris Hilts, GM's creative manager of interior design, who said that the cabins will all feature unique instrument panels, consoles, center stacks and switchgear moving forward. Apparently GM is now aware that consumers may be bothered by the fact that today's $85,000 Escalade has effectively the same cabin as a $45,000 Tahoe. Hilts says SUV buyers want more refinement than their pickup purchasing counterparts - and those same buyers also want their SUVs to have more exterior differentiation between the company's Silverado and Sierra pickup lines. Shocking.
That all sounds good to us, but we've heard this song and dance before. GM made big waves about how different the new-for-2013 Silverado and Sierra would look from each other, but judging by what we've seen so far, GM's stylists are painting in shades rather than with the full spectrum. For more on the what to expect out of GM's new SUVs, click on the C/D link below.