General Motors will begin importing the Cadillac CT6 plug-in hybrid from China, after the gasoline engine CT6 goes on sale later this year.
Conventional versions of the CT6 will be built alongside the plug-in hybrid Cadillac ELR, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Volt and Buick LaCrosse at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant in Michigan. But with higher sales of the plug-in hybrid version expected in China, the plug-in CT6 models will only be manufactured there.
Uwe Ellinghaus, Cadillac’s chief marketing officer, told Bloomberg the decision was taken because China is expected to be the CT6 plug-in hybrid’s biggest market by a long shot. The executive stated that the Chinese government offers generous incentives to convince consumers to buy a plug-in hybrid car in a bid to curb the nation’s air pollution problem. In the United States, plug-in hybrid models haven’t been gaining much traction because gas prices are at their lowest point in years.
The Cadillac CT6 plug-in hybrid made its world debut at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show. The Cadillac CT6 PHEV combines an all-new rear wheel electric variable transmission (EVT) with exclusively designed motors to provide smooth, spirited acceleration. The two-motor EVT also uses three planetary gears and is mated to a 2.0L turbo 4-cylinder engine with spark-ignited direct injection and variable valve technology. The combined system is capable of producing total system power of 335 hp (250 kW) and 432 lb-ft (586 Nm) of torque. Powering the electric motors is an 18.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that’s said to provide more than 37 miles of range.
Cadillac estimates the CT6 plug-in hybrid will return 65 MPGe.
