Cadillac buys lunch, but offers auto writers no details on an all-electric Tesla fighter

In Manhattan today, German-born Uwe Ellinghaus, chief marketing officer for Cadillac, answered questions from automobile writers and publicists about the move of General Motors' luxury division to the City That Never Sleeps.

Ken Gross, above, and Peter Harholdt received the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for excellence in automotive journalism for their book, "Sensuous Steel: Art Deco Automobiles."

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

When automobile writers, publicists and other members of the International Motor Press Association are offered a free lunch, look out.

In Manhattan this afternoon, the host for the monthly IMPA meeting was Cadillac, the General Motors luxury division that is trying to reinvent itself in a bid to woo away customers from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and other premium-car makers.

At one point, the 3 West Club ran out of food and servers had to set up another large, round table to seat the overflow.

IMPA members normally pay $45 for a bountiful buffet lunch.

Among desserts today, a cake was put out to recognize the work of editors and writers at The New York Times' Automobiles section.

Before the program began, Editor Jim Cobb of The New York Times' Automobiles section and Deputy Editor Norman Mayersohn received an ovation from IMPA members.

The Times is folding the 20-year-old Sunday section at the end of the year, ostensibly for economic reasons. 

GM can't compete

General Motors is not alone among the major automakers whose lunch has been eaten by upstart Tesla Motors.

The California-based automaker already has a cult following in the United States, Europe and Asia for its all-electric Model S, a luxurious four-door hatchback with a starting price of $69,900.

But the best competition GM has been able to come up with is Cadillac's ELR Coupe, a plug-in hybrid with a Chevy Volt-like power train that requires a gasoline-powered generator to recharge the battery on the fly.

The ELR starts at $75,000, and gets a pathetic 37 miles on electricity stored in the battery.

'Electric mobility'

In answer to questions after lunch, Chief Marketing Officer Uwe (say, "OO veh") Ellinghaus said Cadillac needs to have what he called "electric mobility" -- an all-electric luxury vehicle to compete with Tesla's Model S.

"We need to take electric vehicles seriously," he added.

But later, when I caught up with him in the lobby, Ellinghaus couldn't say when Cadillac would produce an all-electric luxury car. 

I offered, "In two years." He said he didn't think it would be that soon.

Why did Times writer compare BMW's hybrid sports car to the roomy Tesla?

The roomy Tesla Model S, above, would seem to have little in common with the low-slung BMW i8, below, except that both have four wheels. The Tesla is an all-electric luxury car with ample room for four, and the i8 is a plug-in hybrid sports car for two that is difficult to get into and out of.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Although hybrid and all-electric cars have been sold in the United States for 15 years, many automobile writers still don't feel all warm and fuzzy about them.

Can you blame them?

For years, writers for car magazines and newspapers have been obsessing over tire-burning acceleration, 0-60 times and how fast the model they are evaluating can lap a racetrack.

Impact on the environment? Who knew and who cared?

Many in the automotive media have been skeptical of green cars -- from the Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid of a decade ago to the revolutionary all-electric Tesla Model S of today.

Times praises BMW i8

In October, The New York Times ran two stories evaluating the BMW i8, a new plug-in gas-electric hybrid that sounds and drives like a sports car.

With an MSRP of $137,500 -- nearly twice that of the Tesla Model S 60 four-door hatchback -- the i8 is high on excitement, low on practicality and is basically a green car that will keep you chained to the gasoline pump.

The low two-seater has scissor doors and a high sill, making it difficult to get into and a nightmare to exit, especially because it doesn't have a passenger-assist handle.

Not designed for women

No woman in a skirt could get out of the car and keep her dignity. In many ways, the i8 is a car designed by men exclusively for men.

Lawrence Ulrich, who reviewed the i8 for The Times' Automobiles section, mentioned the nightmarish ergonomics in passing, but didn't dwell on the car's many contradictions.

He noted the i8 is as "fast as a Corvette Stingray," and "opening the ... 'swan wing' doors brought gawkers running."

Ulrich can't help comparing the i8 -- favorably -- to Tesla's Model S in terms of acceleration, agility and range, noting the all-electric car can't "keep pace on a track or on twisty roads" with Porsches, Corvettes or BMW's own M3 and M4.

Of course, few cars of any kind can.

In an age of climate change, this speed-freak approach to automotive journalism, where every car is judged largely by its performance, seems juvenile.