Cadillac’s 2014 ELR; a luxury plug in hybrid for only $55,000
Luxury cars, including biofuel driven gold Mercedes sports coups and sports cars like gold plated Porsche 997 GT2’s are often found in the garages of wealthy Middle East residents where price is no limit to luxury. These kinds of buyers who might want to go green will not likely buy into the wimpy Renault Twizy. But don’t despair wealthy sheikhs: Even green luxury models like the plug-in hybrid Fisker Karma can now be found in the United Arab Emirates. While some of these car makers claim their rides to be more environmentally friendly, especially the hybrid models, their high prices may make one wonder why so many of these cars are often seen in countries where many inhabitants live on bare subsistence incomes.
Tesla’s Model S total electric; now being sold in the Middle East
A number of new “showcase” luxury car models were recently on display in the USA at the annual Detroit Motor Show, one of the world’s largest showcase yearly auto shows.
While some of these cars, such as Chevrolet’s new supercharged Corvette model and Maserati’s Quattroporte were there to display the glory of sheer power from fossil fuel guzzling, other cars at the show gave proof that luxury cars can also be energy efficient and even green.
One such car, theTesla Motors Model S Sports Sedan is total electric; and is said to be able to travel up to 300 miles on a full charge at speeds averaging 55 mph (95 kph) .
The star of the show is GM’s new Cadillac ELR plug in hybrid sports model that is built on the same idea as the lower priced Chevrolet Volt; but more designed to please a more affluent car buyer who wants a more luxurious set of wheels. Besides having the new Converj body concept, which GM came out with in 2009, the ELR’s electric motor will propel the car along for 40 miles or 60 km until the reserve gasoline driven engine kicks in or the car’s battery pack is recharged.
While this may attract some buyers, at a factory price of $55,000 (much more in countries where high customs duties are levied ) it appears that if one wants to be luxurious and green, more greenback will be needed do so.
Read more on luxury cars in the Middle East:
Luxury Fisker Karma Electric Vehicle Hits the Middle East
Abu Dhabi’s Solid Gold “Biofuel” Mercedes Another Dubious “Green” Development
A Gold Porsche 997 GT2 – The Latest in Ungreen Super Luxury
Author: Maurice Picow
Maurice Picow grew up in Oklahoma City, U.S.A., where he received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. Following graduation, Maurice embarked on a career as a real estate broker before making the decision to move to Israel. After arriving in Israel, he came involved in the insurance agency business and later in the moving and international relocation fields. Maurice became interested in writing news and commentary articles in the late 1990’s, and now writes feature articles for the The Jerusalem Post as well as being a regular contributor to Green Prophet. He has also written a non-fiction study on Islam, a two volume adventure novel, and is completing a romance novel about a forbidden love affair. Writing topics of particular interest for Green Prophet are those dealing with global warming and climate change, as well as clean technology - particularly electric cars.
