Cadillac Converj a Go, Says Lutz

DETROIT — The Cadillac Converj is bound for production after 2012, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told the Society of Automotive Analysts meeting on Sunday, in advance of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, according to media reports. But as of Monday afternoon, the Cadillac division was still not officially confirming that the Converj will be part of its future lineup.

When asked by Inside Line in a telephone conversation if the Converj is confirmed for production as Lutz said, Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell said, "No."

"There is no appreciable change in the status of that concept," Caldwell said. "If we had all the details worked out, it would be confirmed for production."

"It's a concept we're excited about and is under consideration," he said. "Nothing has been changed in terms of the way we're working on that project. It's still in the same realm. It's not as if the status of that project has reached a different level."

Lutz told the auto analysts "you'll see it when you see it," according to Automotive News. "We have to slot it into the product lineup," he said.

GM Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre was vague about plans for the Converj during a media roundtable last week. When asked to provide a timetable for the launch of the Converj, he said: "You know more about this than I do. We've talked about all that. We continue to talk about it. We have a sense of urgency around those places we might have to be urgent."

The two-door Converj uses the same technology as GM's Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle, which is due for launch in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Inside Line says: It would be nice if everyone at GM was singing from the same hymnal when it came to plans for the Converj. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent