The company seems open to the idea of offering plug-in hybrids in the future
May 2, 2024 at 06:29
- The carmaker hasn’t said how long it expects to use internal combustion engines alongside its BEVs.
- Cadillac now says its goal of going fully electric by 2030 was a “mission statement.”
- Customer demand for internal combustion engines will keep them alive for a little longer.
Cadillac has long planned to launch an all-electric offering by 2030, but Global Cadillac vice president John Roth has admitted the company will continue to sell internal combustion engine vehicles after that date.
At a recent media event, Roth said: “We want to be clear that electric vehicles and internal combustion engines will coexist for several years.” We want to ensure that we have this luxury of choice in the market and both have the opportunity to meet customer needs in the future .”
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Senior Cadillac and GM executives have previously eyed 2030 as the year the brand will sell exclusively electric vehicles. In 2021, Cadillac’s then-global vice president Rory Harvey said the carmaker would not sell internal combustion engine vehicles until 2030. When asked by the Detroit Free Press why Cadillac changed its plans, Roth said it was listening to consumers.
“We always listen to the customer,” he said. “Our strategy remains to offer an all-electric vehicle portfolio by the end of the decade and we will listen and be guided by customers. This is our answer.”
On this topic, spokesman Mike Albano added that Cadillac will still have an all-electric lineup by 2030, but those vehicles will be complemented by ICE offerings. He described the previous commitment to a pure BEV lineup as a “mission statement, if you will.”
“The fact that we updated our ICE portfolio should show you that we knew the transition would be slow and that the transition would be customer-driven.”
Guidehouse Insights lead analyst in Detroit Sam Abuelsamid says Cadillac is being “intentionally vague” about its transition to electric vehicles.
“I can’t blame GM or any other automaker that chooses to delay the transition to all-electric vehicles,” he said. “If a significant proportion of customers cannot or do not want to buy (battery-electric) vehicles, you have to be flexible with the products on offer. Just because you build it doesn’t mean they will come.”
Roth did not comment on whether Cadillac will benefit from GM’s recent decision to reintroduce plug-in hybrid powertrains in select vehicles in North America, reiterating that the company will give its customers what they want.
“We have a great internal group that constantly measures and monitors what customers want in the market. We have these conversations internally all the time.”
