Cadillac Says It Can’t Bring The XLR Back Because That’s The Corvette’s Thing

Cadillac is in the early phases of its strategy to bring American luxury to the global stage, a strategy that includes entering Formula 1 with its own team next year. However, a flagship sports car twinned with the world-class C8 Chevrolet Corvette and leveraging that F1 presence isn’t part of the plan.

Cadillac has been without a sports car since the C6 Corvette-based XLR bowed out of production in 2009, but General Motors President Mark Reuss, in a recent interview, dismissed the idea of a modern XLR based on the C8 platform.

When asked by CNBC about the possibility of a modern XLR, Reuss said such a vehicle wouldn’t fit with Cadillac’s current ambitions, which include further differentiating its vehicles from those of the rest of GM.

Cadillac No Longer Playing Second Fiddle To GM’s Volume Brands

Cadillac has traditionally based its models on those from fellow GM brands, including today with the gas-powered Escalade, which is twinned with Chevy’s full-size SUVs. But GM’s focus on volume brands often meant that Cadillacs never received priority – something Reuss wants to leave in the past.

“[The original XLR] was developed as a secondary car to the Corvette, on purpose. We would never do that.”

– Mark Reuss, General Motors President

No return of the EXT either, then. Instead, Reuss told CNBC, Cadillac has the potential to launch its own standalone products in the vein of the Celestiq – the low-volume, fully electric flagship, which is priced from $340,000 and largely hand-built.

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Interestingly, Cadillac has hinted at potential models that could fill the sports car void with a pair of recent concepts, both of them electric. One is the Sollei concept unveiled in 2024, which is essentially a convertible version of the Celestiq. There’s also the Opulent Velocity concept, also shown in 2024. This concept looks like a supercar, and at its reveal, Cadillac said it is meant to convey the brand’s vision for electric performance.

Cadillac Has Edge Over Rivals in U.S.

Cadillac is largely insulated from tariffs in the U.S., its main market, as almost all of its vehicles are built locally. And sales in the U.S. are already on an upward trajectory, with the brand finding 41,757 buyers in the first three months of the year – about 18% more than in the same period a year ago.

The increase is mostly due to the facelifted Escalade introduced for 2025, as well as the introduction of the new electric Escalade IQ and Optiq models. Cadillac should also get another boost shortly in the form of the Vistiq, though the brand has confirmed it will drop the gas-powered equivalent, the XT6, this year to help the electric newcomer find its footing.

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For its global ambitions, Cadillac is taking a slower, more calculated approach, unlike in the past. The brand has recently returned to a few select markets in Europe, as well as launching in Australia. The brand also continues to operate in the Middle East and China, though sales in the latter have dropped dramatically in recent years and show no signs of improving. The U.S. last year overtook China to become Cadillac’s biggest market for the first time since 2016, with sales in China that year tumbling by 38% to 110,400 units. Over the same period, sales in the U.S. rose almost 9% to reach 160,204 units.

Sources: CNBC