Luxury Sedan Promises Fuel Economy & Affordability
General Motors is shipping its latest plug-in car to dealers in the United States now (April 2017) with the aim of having a hit in two key markets–California and China. The company revealed more details about the 2017 Cadillac CT6 PHEV recently, including pricing and more fuel economy details.
The 2017 Cadillac CT6 PHEV will retail for $75,095 (plus a $995 destination charge) and have an EPA-rated electric-only range of 31 miles. It’s total range (combining the electric motor and gas engine) is 440 miles. The EPA also tagged the large sedan as having a fuel economy rating of 62 mpge (miles per gallon equivalent, which factors in battery-only miles). It can run up to 78 mph in electric-only mode.
Power for the car comes from GM’s 2.0-liter turbocharged gas engines, which, with two electric motors, drives the rear wheels through an Electric Variable Transmission (EVT). Three driving modes are available–Tour, Sport or Eco. The total package puts out 335 total horsepower and 432 pounds-feet of torque to propel the car from 0-60 in 5.2 seconds. Of course, that kind of hot-rodding won’t deliver maximum fuel economy. The 18.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack can be recharged in 4.5 hours on a 240-volt (Level 2) charger.
Tech Too
The 2017 Cadillac CT6 PHEV is loaded with technology, although it may not include the company’s new semi-autonomous Super Cruise mode (that will be left to the standard sedan according to reports). Tech includes Cadillac’s Night Vision system, front pedestrian braking and Surround Vision, which gives a 360-degree view around the car to assist in maneuvering and parking. Special hybrid features include Regen on Demand, where you can choose to charge your batteries as you drive, a reconfigurable head up display and wireless phone charging while the car is running. Driver awareness and assistance packages include forward collision alert, a following distance indicator, lane keep assist, side blind zone alert, adaptive cruise control and forward and reverse automatic braking.
Inside the car are all of the luxury items expected in Cali and China–leather, wood grain and carbon fiber accepts. Heated and cooled seats in front are paired with heated rear seats, with the latter enhanced with built-in entertainment systems complete twin headphones and remote controls. Also boosting the rear seat’s appeal are side and rear sunshades, a large center console with cupholders and ashtrays (the latter for China rather than California no doubt).
Cadillac posits that the 2017 CT6 PHEV retails for $20-$40,000 less than its European competitors. The BMW 740e retails for $90,700, but it is all-wheel drive. The Mercedes S550e clocks in at $96,600 and has a more powerful V6 engine, but its 0-60 performance is comparable to the Cadillac. I guess we’ll just have to drive them all and compare.
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Too bad the CT6 is “Made in China”. I’m skeptical of Chinese manufacturing, especially something as complicated as a PHEV.
@Boulder Hybrids,
I share your skepticism, but I think the American supervision of production should minimize any quality issues. In spite of record recalls, quality overall remains quite high among models produced all over the globe. –ed.