GM Reported to Kill off Cadillac XLR this Spring

The next model in GM's vehicle line-up to bite the dust will be the Cadillac XLR according to a report from the Bowling Green Daily News. General Motors communication manager Sharon Basel, told the newspaper that production of the slow-selling XLR coupe-cabriolet will cease this spring, impacting around 40 employees at the firm's Bowling Green Assembly Plant. The factory that also assembles the Corvette will remain closed until February 23 as GM has been forced to adjust production to plummeting vehicle sales.

Cadillac introduced the XLR in 2003 as a rival for the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class and its likes, but the edgy-shaped roadster with the folding hardtop that shares its underpinnings with the Corvette, never quite managed to hit the mark in the luxury sportscar segment.

Will it be missed? We doubt it. Should Cadillac reveal a successor? Our opinion is that it would be far more sensible for GM's luxury brand to spend its resources and time on creating a CTS-based BMW 3-Series Coupe adversary than to give this segment another shot - at least for the time being.

Source: BG Daily News , Via: Jalopnik

2009 Cadillac XLR: Facelift Model Now With Faux Air Vents

There aren’t many Cadillac XLRs around and we highly doubt that the MY2009 and its new faux side vents will help change that. The revised model, that will only be available in the top-end Platinum (320HP 4.6L V8) and XLR-V (443Hp 4.4L V8) guises, is distinguished by a few minor aesthetic enhancements that include the new front fascia, new rear fascia, new side fender vents and the V-Spec hood with the raised centre that is now standard on all XLRs.

Inside, changes in the '09 XLR lineup are limited to Alcantara headliners, new instrument cluster trim rings and graphics, new wood grain and metal trims, and the Bluetooth connectivity for the OnStar 8.0 system. The 2009 XLR is expected to arrive in Cadillac dealerships this summer.