2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid
Cadillac's CT6 Plug-In Hybrid was
unveiled a year ago at the Shanghai Auto Show, but full details on the sedan's
advanced powertrain are only now being released. As previously reported, the
CT6 borrows some components from the second-generation Chevy Volt, adapting
them to a rear-wheel-drive platform.
The powertrain consists of a 2.0-liter
turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, two electric motors, and an 18.4-kilowatt-hour
lithium-ion battery pack—which is the same capacity as the Volt's pack. Total
system output is 449 horsepower. Cadillac claims 0-62 mph acceleration in 5.6
seconds and an electric-only range of 37 miles, although official EPA ratings
for the latter aren't in yet.
Using a Volt-sized battery pack gives
the CT6 much more storage capacity than other luxury plug-in hybrids. Unlike
the T-shaped arrangement of the Volt, which places the pack in the tunnel under
the front seats and between the rear seats, the CT6 pack is integrated in the
vehicle floor. The battery-pack tray actually serves as the main floor
structure, increasing stiffness.
Components taken straight from the Volt—including
common electronics and the battery-state estimator—are housed in a separate
tray. The CT6 also uses a similar two-motor drive system to the Volt, with an
additional planetary gearset (for a total of three) and two more clutches (for
five).
The two motors are different designs.
One is an induction motor, which GM chose because it does not use rare-earth
metals, and the other is a permanent-magnet motor based on the one used in the
Chevy Spark EV. The latter will be manufactured at the same White Marsh,
Maryland, plant that builds Spark EV motors. The battery pack will come from
GM's Brownstown plant in Michigan, with cells from the LG Chem Holland plant
across the state.
However, the CT6 Plug-In Hybrid will be
built exclusively in China. That will make it the first Cadillac imported for
sale in the United States, and one of a small number of U.S.-market cars built
in China. GM will do the same with the 2016 Buick Envision crossover, which
goes on sale in the U.S. later this year.
The car is due on sale late this year or
early next, as a 2017 model. Regular versions of the CT6 are already on sale.
