The Cadillac brand may be one of the most inspirational in motoring history, but its latest model promises to follow in the footsteps of a much more modern icon.

According to reports in the Detroit News, General Motors has decided to produce the Cadillac Converj, which will be an extended range electric vehicle derived from the Voltec platform. The concept car originally made its debut earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show.

Commenting on the vehicle’s introduction, Rebecca Lindland, the director of auto industry research at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts, said that Cadillac sales have fallen by 39.2 per cent this year, the steepest decline among GM’s four core brands, and that the debut of the Converj as a range extended vehicle in the mould of the eagerly anticipated Chevrolet Volt should help to garner some excitement once more.

General Motors’ vice-chairman Bob Lutz said that if the Converj is approved, the production model would resemble the concept – similar to how the Chevrolet Camaro went from concept to production. According to Lutz, it would have been easier financially to produce a Cadillac electric vehicle first because the premium brand would command a higher sticker price which would help to defray the high cost of lithium-ion batteries.