GM Ends Production of Cadillac Electric Coupe

By Jeff Bennett 

General Motors Co. pulled the plug on its Cadillac ELR electric vehicle after the luxury coupe failed to connect with consumers.

The Detroit auto maker confirmed Wednesday that it ended production of the plug-in hybrid in February after disappointing sales. Cadillac's top executive had previously said a second generation of the car wouldn't be produced without providing a timetable for ending production.

The ELR, built at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck factory, faced competition from other electric cars including Tesla Motors Inc.'s Model S and BMW AG's i3. The ELR's sales fell 22% in 2015.

"A very small quantity of ELR [vehicles] remain available at dealers today," GM said in a statement. "Cadillac remains committed to delivering new technology, including advanced propulsion."

Cadillac still has a plug-in hybrid version of the Cadillac CT6 sedan on the way later this year. GM more broadly has other electric vehicles in the pipeline, including a new Chevrolet Bolt and refreshed Chevrolet Volt.

GM introduced the ELR in 2014 as part of an effort by GM to showcase plug-in technology in luxury vehicles.

But the ELR's $76,000 price tag had consumers scratching their heads since they could purchase the Chevrolet Volt for about $40,000. The ELR also went the same 40-mile distance as the Volt on a single charge. Both cars automatically switch to a gasoline-powered engine once batteries holding their electric charges die.

GM cut the ELR's price in 2015 after selling only a little more than 300 during the first three months of the year. For the year, the auto maker sold 1,024 ELRs, down from 1,310 in 2014.

Write to Jeff Bennett at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 18, 2016 16:26 ET (20:26 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.