General Motors is diving into the plug-in electric vehicle market head first with word today that it will go into production with the Cadillac Converj, a luxury electric vehicle based on the Chevrolet Volt technology. 

A picture of the concept rendition of the Converj appeared in virtually every auto enthusiast magazine earlier this year when it was introduced at the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Hall.  Editors gave the concept rave reviews but few believed that G.M. would go ahead and build the vehicle, at least not until after the Volt had proven itself as a viable product.  Note that G.M. has not announced when it will begin building the Converj, although it would appear that quite a bit of work has already been done on the production version and it could be on the market as early as 2011.  The Volt is slated for introduction next year.

The decision to introduce another plug-in electric model and to take it high-end as a luxury model within Cadillac demonstrates that G.M. is serious about developing the technology and confident in bringing it to a level that would be suitable for a Cadillac buyer.  

According to information provided earlier this year when news of the Converj broke, the plug-in electric Caddy will be able to go as many as 40 miles on electric power alone with the engine boosting battery power when it falls to about 30%.