Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2012 Cadillac Converj

Is GM's flagship brand headed down Electric Avenue? A striking concept coupe suggests it will. Converj is Cadillac's take on the Chevrolet Volt, and it could be out in a couple of years--if GM can get there from here.

What We Know About the 2012 Cadillac Converj

General Motors pulled a surprise switch at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show that says much about the company's current woes and possible future. Instead of the expected retail version of the Cadillac CTS coupe, GM unveiled the Cadillac Converj Concept, an even edgier, wedgier coupe with a plug-in-hybrid powertrain taken from the much-ballyhooed 2011 Chevrolet Volt. It was almost as if GM were thumbing its nose at doubting lawmakers, saying in effect, "We're ready to move with the cleaner, thriftier vehicles you want. All we need are some more loans to get us through the recession so we can build them."

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Vice-chairman Bob Lutz typically minced few words with reporters, hailing the Converj as "a logical extension of our plan to reinvent the automobile. It clearly shows what a Cadillac electric vehicle could look like..." Soon after the Detroit debut, UK-based GM designer Simon Cox told Britain's Autocar magazine that Converj "is a very real concept in terms of the look and feasibility of it ... The interior is very believable too, and that was intentional."

With all this, it's no wonder there's already talk of a production model. It will probably be renamed something like VTC, for "Voltec Touring Coupe." For now, though, we'll keep calling it Converj. We see it as a 2012 model arriving in mid to late 2011, some 6-12 months after the Volt. Of course, that assumes the Feds approve GM's required restructuring plan as a basis for future loans that the firm will surely need.

"Voltec," by the way, is the new name for what's been touted in the Volt as GM's E-REV (extended-range electric vehicle) powertrain concept. This employs a small gasoline engine as an onboard generator for recharging a lithium-ion battery pack that powers an electric drive motor, which is connected to the front wheels. The battery can also be charged by plugging-in between trips and while driving by a regenerative-braking function. As with the Volt, the 2012 Cadillac Converj battery has a claimed 40-mile maximum range; the gas engine kicks in once the battery starts running low.

Assuming no surprise changes from the Detroit showcar, the 2012 Cadillac Converj should claim roughly 120 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, outputs that seem adequate for the likely size and weight. The package shouldn't change much either, so Converj will be a close dimensional match for Audi's suave A5/S5 sporty performance coupes. Like the Volt and the Converj Concept, Cadillac's new baby will be limited to four individual seats. That's more or less required because the T-shaped battery pack sits with the long arm of the T running forward from the rear-seat area, making a back bench impractical.

02.13.2009

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