When Cadillac announced that it was releasing its first range-extended EV, the ELR, for 2014, the motoring world was sent into a tizzy. When Cadillac disclosed the $75,000 price tag, however, we were shocked.
Undaunted, it looks as though Cadillac has decided to go all-in on luxury with the Saks Fifth Avenue edition. And here I was thinking Caddies were supposed to be manly.
This special, limited-edition package will set you back an additional $14,500 on top of the starting $75,000, bringing the price up to nearly $90,000. That’s pretty close to Porsche 911 territory.
So what do you get for nearly twice the nation’s median household income? For starters, you get some very fancy paint. I would call it gold-ish but Saks and Caddy have dubbed it ‘White Diamond’. Ooh …
Customers will also get to choose between a Jet Black and Light Cashmere interior.
Where the package comes closest to actually being a value is the upgraded supercharging station that comes with each vehicle. The charging station will be professionally installed and should dramatically improve charging times.
Each customer will also be referred to his or her own ELR Concierge Representative trained in “white-glove customer service”. I don’t know about you but I have always wanted a butler for my car.
Only 100 Sak’s ELRs will be sold, so this is clearly more of a marketing ploy than a real sales strategy. Automakers frequently partner with designers or upscale retailers when they are trying to build a luxury image for new vehicles. So this partnership isn’t too surprising.
Cadillac must know that it is going to have a difficult campaign ahead convincing consumers that a car that is mechanically a $35,000 Chevy Volt is worth double that.
Personally, we at Digital Trends hope that the ELR turns out to be worth the candle.
