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GM reportedly executes Cadillac XLR
by Alex Nunez on Jan 26th 2009 at 3:18PM 
Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2009 Cadillac XLR-V
The Bowling Green Daily News reports that the Cadillac XLR will cease production forever this spring. Spawned from the eye-popping Evoq concept, the Corvette-derived (but Northstar-powered) hardtop convertible finds itself as General Motors' latest cost-cutting casualty. Its high price, low volume and decreasing sales do not make for a strong business case anymore, especially in an economic environment that is not conducive to new car sales in general. We've driven the XLR – the supercharged V-Series – and we like it a lot. Rare and stylish enough to still turn heads, fast enough to paste a wide, goofy grin on your face, and comfortable enough to let you cruise for hours on end – as good as it was, the XLR (and its V-Series counterpart) never quite got the formula perfected. It was doomed to perpetual also-ran status in its category compared to the benchmark set by the Mercedes-Benz SL. The Corvettes also had better engines, manual gearboxes and cost a lot less. The current CTS-V boasts a substantially better interior, is faster and costs less still. And so the XLR drives into the sunset this spring. Frankly, it's a pretty good ride to be making that drive in.
Gallery: Review: 2009 Cadillac XLR-V
[Source: Bowling Green Daily News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
nastinupe 3:24PM (1/26/2009)
I never wanted one of these cars. They seemed so classless.
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zamafir 3:58PM (1/26/2009)
Yup, this article's good news, there is a God. Note to GM, Good Job, now, in the future, when you want to share platforms look to VAG, they're doing it right (esp at this price range and up).
why not the LS2LS7? 4:04PM (1/26/2009)
VAG definitely has better end results. VAG can reskin the Gallardo and people go positively nuts over it.
But I'm not sure VAG really does all that better a job, especially if you look at the Routan or the SEAT/Skoda alikes in Europe. But for some reason they are a lot better received.
zamafir 4:49PM (1/26/2009)
Well, like most of your comments, mine was focused on north america, and in this case, expensive coupes. Per the Routan, It's not an example of what I'm discussing, it's not residing on ANY vw platform, it's a rebadged chrsyler. Were I discussing rebranding an outside automaker's cars it would be another story, on the topic though, of how vw has managed their expensive cars, platform sharing, etc, VAG does do quite well (Routan not sharing any platform, and the seat, not available in the US or providing expensive modes). I understand you're playing devils advocate, I'm simply identifying why it seems like a stretch given the focus of my comments and the blog we're discussing them in. I'll agree whole heartedly that the Routan is crap and that Seat really could be done without (which is why VAG's considering that right now).
KB 10:02AM (1/27/2009)
I'm not suprised this car is getting cut it was way to pricey. The exterior was great but the inside was like an old school fleetwood. They really needed to re-vamp the inside the look like the CTS atleast. the CTS coupe will come out and do just fine but they really need to make the Cadillac Cien and get some of that Arab money...Stop playing around and make what the people want.
Chuck Noris 3:23PM (1/26/2009)
They havn't made these for awhile. I was at the plant in December and the back where the Cadillacs are put together was totally deserted.
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Rob 4:09PM (1/26/2009)
That sucks. These had some of the best built interiors of any car I've been in.... even compared to BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, whatever... this car was a knockout, in person. The quality and fit and finish is amazing.
firstplace 4:47PM (1/26/2009)
Ive driven several, really the better interior is not worth 35K more then the vette, especially since it has less power and a sloppy suspension.
Torrent 6:24PM (1/26/2009)
I love the XLR, but the price is terrible. I think 55K would have been a great starting price for the XLR. 65K for the V. Then give it snappier styling, and a more modern interior. I think judging by the new CTS and SRX, a 2nd gen XLR would have been the %!@$, but they need to focus on more important things like an Entry-level Cadillac to compete with the 3 series and C-Class. Cancelling the XLR isn't going to affect the brand's image, because it wasn't getting sales anyway.
paul34 1:04AM (1/29/2009)
Rob, what XLR have you driven? The interior of the XLR is horrendous. It's old-style Cadillac, back during the original CTS days... when everything was this nasty hard plastic, and buttons were random shapes and all round and odd.
The speedo and tach were terrible, and the Northstar motor, well, sucks - sorry if I offended anyone. The steering was super light and without any feedback. The brakes were okay, but you just didn't have a feeling of control whatsoever. It tried so hard to be a Cadillac Corvette but failed miserably - in every way.
This car needed to go and its a good thing it finally did. Buy a Corvette, you'll be significantly happier.
TyWright 3:34PM (1/26/2009)
Wow all 5 owners now have a collectors item.
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Pokey 3:46PM (1/26/2009)
I'm pretty sure there are more than 5. I see alot of these around my area. There's 2 in my housing addition alone.
Torrent 6:19PM (1/26/2009)
Way to take a joke, Pokey. Way to take a joke.
tkosoccer03 3:35PM (1/26/2009)
Classless? Not sure what you mean ..
IMO, the XLR is one of the most beautiful cars there is. However, GM made a few mistakes with it. Here's what should have been done from the beginning:
- It needed a suspension like the ZR1, however with a touring mode that was very supple that allowed for smooth comfortable driving.
- One engine option with plenty of power. Drop the 320 hp Northstar, stick with a Chevy small block. This would aid in the exclusiveness of the car. Cars like this have one trim level with one motor, and of course, available performance upgrades listed as options.
- Much more upscale interior. When you get it, you need to feel like there is nothing else on the road. It was too plain and boring.
- Lastly, their target audience was old men, and that isn't enough .. because that's all this car appealed to. It wasn't sporty enough and didn't have enough on the inside that made it worth the 100K.
The price tag was fine, but people were not getting enough for that amount of money. In fact, all people were getting was a Corvette with a Northstar V8 with inferior handling and more weight. You were actually getting less than you do with an LS2 Vette, and people saw that.
I'll miss the XLR, but it will certainly be a rare bit. Hopefully one day I'll have one.
As far a 2-door Cadillac, I think the CTS-V Coupe will do just fine come next summer :)
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PJ 5:41PM (1/26/2009)
Agreed... I always thought the XLR was one of the most, possibly *the* most drop-dead gorgeous design to come out of the first half of this decade.
Sadly, that only lasted until you sat in it, gave the plastic dash the once-over, and got a whiff of that kit-car resin scent endemic to all 'Vettes. I still can't believe that Caddy's designers thought that putting a giant "BVLGARI" logo in the artless gauge cluster would impress the target market. So glad they know better now.
Oh, well. Another lesson learned for GM: when you're cooking up something good, don't serve it before it's done.
Pokey 3:37PM (1/26/2009)
I have to admit, I like the look of these, on the outside anyway. The exterior styling is sexy. The interior, on the other hand, not so much.
I don't think these cars are worth the asking price either.
KILL IT!
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KK Hickey 3:45PM (1/26/2009)
I think I've seen 5 of these, not counting the one Katey Sagal drives on Sons of Anarchy.
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tkosoccer03 5:32PM (1/26/2009)
Which makes it exclusive .. which is a good thing. How many Vipers do you see? I've only ever seen maybe half a dozen.
The fewer you see the better .. the more exclusive the car really is.
MemphisNET 3:40PM (1/26/2009)
Lots of good low mileage cars for 26-34k US out there. Would be worth it used, if only to have something different.
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the vegas style guy 11:36PM (1/26/2009)
I agree. It's always sad to see cool cars die but GM keeps doing this segment wrong. Most people here have commented on the price, why didn't GM see that from the start? If you're going to charge this much for an American car it actually needs to be a Ferrari beater, not a Benz wannabe. I hold up the Ford GT as an example.