AFAIK, the Malibu, Volt 2 and CT-6 will all use the same 'Voltec 2 multi-mode electric transaxle'. Basically, the electrified transmission (though it is far more than just a gearbox with a motor like some 'plug-ins' are).

I believe they will be using different engines though, in the case of the Malibu I think it is a 'more normal' 1.8L over the Volt's 1.5L that has some special adaptations for the different duty cycles.

I seem to recall the CT6 is getting some 2.0L affair, but that's some hazy memory that might not be correct.

But basically the electric bit and the transmission are the same design, but will be 'fed' with different engine and battery configurations, and of course this will mean different programming of the way the transmission functions.

 

It's a fancy Volt with less battery range and better acceleration. The CT-6 only has 30 miles of battery range which is pretty awful for a $75K car, what were they thinking? Why didn't they put in a bigger battery and price it higher to cover the cost. If I were going to spend $75K on a car it wouldn't be that one. 30 miles of battery range is a tease, I find the 53 miles that the Volt has to be on the marginal side, I'd be very happy if it was 100 miles (hope that the next Volt get's there), if it was only 30 I'd be angre and frustrated.

 

CT6 = Cadillac Touring Car model 2016. The hybrid version should be lighter than, and quicker to 60 mph than a Tesla Model 60 and WAY larger inside.

This will be the first car to receive SuperCruise. It was held up by the NHTSA because it does have autonomous functions that are not parking related.

The Hybrid's highest trim will only be Premium Luxury. I would think by the time you trim it, it will be $85k. Still unsure whether it will be offered with AWD, but it appears RWD will be the only version.

The big dawg is the 3.0 TT Platinum, which is be one of the finest large luxury sedans at any price. Expect $100k with the 5 massage functions front and rear, adj heated seats front and rear, world's best audio system put into a production car, personal entertainment systems for rear passengers, all-wheel-steering with the AWD cars, night IR vision, light weight, excellent handling with magnetic suspension, etc.

It is to a Volt as a 2017 Track Z06 is to a Fiat 500.

 

The CT6 is rear wheel drive so no transaxles like the Volt and Malibu. I don't know how extensive the changes are to accomplish this but it could be done by turning the transaxle assembly 90 degrees and locking the forward facing axel so that the rear facing axel can turn a drive shaft. I suspect that it is similar to the Voltech in the Malibu in concept but the CT6 wont have the front axel differential at all.

 

Yes, rear wheel drive. It also has three planetary gear sets instead of the two in the Gen 2 Volt (and one in the Gen 1 Volt). Another interesting difference is that (IIRC) MG-A is an induction motor-generator, rather than a permanent magnet motor-generator. There are some SAE papers on it.

 

Here's a bit of info on the CT6 Plugin.

http://insideevs.com/cadillac-ct6-p...priced-at-76090-will-go-on-sale-in-spring-2017-with-30-miles-of-electric-range/

Short summary, it uses a variant of the Gen 2 Voltec propulsion system. It uses 5 clutches instead of the 3 used by the Volt. It is designed for RWD. Its coupled with a much more powerful 2 liter turbo ICE capable of something between 250-260 HP. In the hybrid configuration the total output is 335 HP but with 442 lb-ft of torque, which i believe represents the output of MGB electric traction motor plus the ICE. The CT6 Plugin will be able to to 0-60 in a quick 5.2 seconds. It will use the same battery as the Volt but repackaged in a vertical configuration behind and below the rear seat (less trunk volume and no pass thru). Probably due to the extra weight the all electric operation is available only up to 80 MPH, above that the ICE has to be turned on for blended operation. The system is biased more towards performance over efficiency, with overall efficiency only 65 MPGe.

 

All I have to say is that if Cadillac priced the ELR at $50k instead of the original $75k, I'd be driving one. Once again the CT6 comes up short, it either needs 50+ miles of range or a lower price. In it's current configuration I think I'm better of spending that same money on a Tesla or an Escalade (more EV range or more cargo/people/towing, respectively)

 

Once again the CT6 comes up short, it either needs 50+ miles of range or a lower price. In it's current configuration I think I'm better of spending that same money on a Tesla or an Escalade (more EV range or more cargo/people/towing, respectively)

Every one gets to spend their money the way they want to, but I couldn't disagree more. I don't need towing, and if it doesn't have a plug I'm not interested in the first place. So scratch the monster Escalade. On balance I think the CT6 likely offers more than the Model S. I like the hatch on the Model S but the back seat in the CT6 is way more comfortable for adults. The interior in the CT6 is also much better. On the tech side, some people would like autopilot but for me it has so many issues that overall I'd prefer ACC (that might change with time) and the CT6 has things like infrared. Then we get to the big one -- convenience on long trips. Frankly neither one of these cars is an ideal around car vehicle. Just too large. For long trips, which is what these large sedans are ideal for, having to stop for charge is a huge PITA that I'm unwilling to put up with. Too limiting, not to mention that there aren't chargers in a lot of places I'd go. The range isn't that much of a deal for me. Mostly I'm under 30 miles or over a 100, so the difference between 30, 40, and 50 miles of range for me is minimal. More is always better but not significant.

 

The CT6 seems to be sort of a big gamble for GM. The whole concept is very different from its main competitor, Tesla. Will people go for a large, short-range, range-extended vehicle? The range may seem too short for lots of people. I for one wouldn't have a problem with a 30-mile range. It would have to get competitive mileage in gas-only mode. Anyway most CT6 buyers will probably get a fast charger.

 

People need to realise that a CT6 is not a big car. It's a HUGE car. It's bigger than a BMW 7 series and was designed to compete with the 7 series. People have no trouble dropping over $75K on a regular 7 series why would people have trouble spending $75K on a competitive PHEV Cadillac? Any comparison to an ELR is irrelevant as the CT6 is literally nearly twice the size.

The reason the CT6 exists has nothing to do with either the USA or Europe. It's all about China. China due to heavy regulations is becoming one of the fastest growing PHEV markets. And China swallows luxury cars at an very fast rate. China is the second biggest market for Cadillac and has grown by more than 23% this year alone. Many people in China have drivers. And I wouldn't be surprised if the CT6 PHEV becomes the best selling Cadillac in China in 2017. Though in short order GM will be launching other PHEV Cadillac's.

Too qualify for maximum incentives in China a PHEV needs to be made in China and have a minimum EV range of 50kms (30 miles). In China the CT6 PHEV is actually rated for 60kms (37 miles) EV range. And the Chinese test is not that far different from the EPA test (unlike the very generous European ratings). The CT6 PHEV does not yet have official EPA ratings.

This is also why the CT6 is made in China. As this is where most of the volume is expected to go and the volume is not high enough to justify tooling two factories to make it. The CT6 has literally nothing to do with Tesla.

 

It's actually designed for the Chinese market. The ICE models are intended for the US market.

The EV range would fine for us. The EV power remains to be tested. Not enough power in pure EV mode, no sale.

 

DOH! Beat me!

 

The CT-6 is a missed opportunity. A 30 mile EV range is grossly inadequate and RWD is also a non-starter. If you were inclined to buy a Cadillac the AWD conventional ICE version is a much better choice. GM has the technology to have done it right, if you dropped in the Bolt battery, or at least a half a Bolt battery, you could have had a 100 EV mile or greater car that also has a range extender. A 100 EV mile Cadillac competes well with a Model S and even more importantly it offers something that the Germans don't. A 100 mile CT-6 at $85K-$90K would sell far better than the 30 mile CT-6 that they actually built which I predict will hardly sell.

 

You can't just stick a 30 or 60KWh battery pack in a car apply some duct tape and call it a day. It's far more complicated than that. The 18.4KWh battery in the CT-6 was already a packaging challenge.

To re-engineer the Omega platform (CT6) to accommodate a 60KWh battery pack would simply be a do-over. GM might as well start from scratch. Which they did with the Bolt EV.

GM has been very secretive with the Bolt EV vehicle architecture. GM is moving to flexible vehicle architectures so it's hard to say just how flexible the Bolt EV architecture is and what that means for future vehicles. A mid-sized AWD Cadillac BEV might very well be possible off the same architecture. It still might be a year or two before we find out.

I've said it before and I will say it again. Vehicle electrification is a marathon not a sprint. And this marathon is going to take around another 15 years to fully play out. (About 5 years ago I guessed 20 years and I think we are still on track for that.)

 

Honestly, the worst thing about the CT6, as Don notes, is the size relative to around town driving, parking, etc. It is also one of my least favorite things about my Model S. Admittedly, it is great for long distance cruising. A quick comparison on dimensions:

2016 Volt / Model S / CT6
106.1 / 116.5 / 122.4 - Wheelbase
180.4 / 196 / 204.1 - Length
71.2 / 77.3 / 74 - Width

My Tesla fits comfortably in my garage lengthwise, but I would not want it more than another 4 or 5 inches longer or I am forced to move work benches around, etc.

I also agree with Don with regard to charging IF you have to do it a lot (the conundrum there is that "frequent use" is when you benefit most from it being free...at least for cars produced up until now). I have only supercharged about 3 times now. In two of those cases we ate lunch while charging so it was absolutely painless. The last time, however, I got to sit there for 20 minutes while I added another 72 miles. Hardly a deal-breaker and some would say "that's only 15 minutes longer than a gas stop") and that is true, BUT in the case of a PHEV I would likely not have had to stop that same day during the middle of the trip as it was 110 miles there and 110 miles back. Sure, I have a P85+, but at 70-80 mph speeds we would have run out of juice about 22 miles from home (note: I had charged to "255" before leaving home). I could have supercharged for about 10 or 12 minutes instead, but who the heck wants the added stress of coming home with range in the low teens or single digits. None of this is a big deal for a one SC stop situation, BUT if you have to chain them together for a longer trip I can see where it would be a lot less exciting.

The flip side for the CT6 (for me) would come down to daily driving. I would ideally want to be able to do 100% of my daily driving on electric regardless of weather. My first gen Volt just covered my commute, but often bled over to gas with any errand, going out to eat, etc. The CT6 would have the same issue for me (only worse) in the same use case (note: my use case is different now as I drive a lot less). We have all said that the gen 1 Volt is a gateway drug to wanting more electric and even GM has said as much with regard to the second gen Volt (and Bolt)...hard to accept less than a gen 1 Volt these days.

 

Do we really know the EPA range of the PHEV CT6 yet? I've seen everywhere from 30 to 37miles EV range and nothing about the l4 turbo mpg.

I'm not a first-year-adopter. I'll wait for 2018 or 2019MY and see what my options are. I will need to trade the ELR by then unless I feel lucky about no warranty left. So far (three years actual age) ELR is holding up well. By then, Caddy may have a nice EV-based CUV.

As with ELR, I'm not opposed to a first-year Caddy based on a three-year-old GM design. A first-year Caddy based on a parts list is more scary. See XLR.

 

My volt has over 60k miles on it. I'm way beyond the B2B warranty and plan to keep going. I think it is very unlikely to need a major repair on your ELR that would exceed the cost of buying a new CT6 PHEV. But if you've got the cash, go for it. But it would be a shame to trade in the show car. Why not get both (keep the ELR and get a new CT6 PHEV?

 

I'm struggling to believe the CT-6 can't perform the CS1 mode.

How does it work pulling away from stand still when the battery runs out?