GM to Import Chinese-Made Cadillac Plug-in Hybrids

General Motors Co. plans later this year to ship plug-in hybrid versions of its just-introduced Cadillac CT6 sedan from China to the U.S., says Uwe Ellinghaus, the brand’s marketing chief.

Most CT6 models sold in the U.S. will be conventionally powered cars made at GM’s Hamtramck plant in Detroit. GM says hybrid versions will be built exclusively in China.

The company announced plans last April to offer a plug-in hybrid option for the CT6 but didn’t say where the cars would be produced. The powertrain combines a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, 18.4-kWh lithium-ion battery and two electric motors to deliver 335 hp and 432 lb-ft of torque to the wheels. 

GM said at the time the Caddy’s hybrid drivetrain would technology from the second-generation Chevrolet Volt to deliver more than double the fuel economy of a standard CT6.

Ellinghaus says GM opted to make the hybrid version of the CT6 overseas because it anticipates stronger demand for the powertrain in China. He points out that China’s stiff import tariffs make it cheaper to produce the cars there and ship some to the U.S. than to do the reverse.