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General Motors introduced Cadillac XLR, a two-seat luxury roadster, at the 2003
Detroit Motor Show. The vehicle went into production in 2004. However, it is not
at all a brand new vehicle from GM stable, as it was earlier known as Evoq. In a
way, GM just re-launched Evoq with a new name. In addition, XLR happens to be
GM's second roadster since 1993. The carmaker introduced its previous roadster
Allante in the same year. XLR was able to make an impression right away after
its launch. This Cadillac vehicle was nominated for 2004 North American Car of
the Year.
However, the road to stardom won't be smooth sailing for the XLR. There are so
many car models jostling for space in the luxury roadster segment. The Lexus SC,
the Porsche 911, the BMW 6-Series, the Jaguar XK and the Mercedes Benz SL-Class
won't leave room for complacency. Rivalry can't get fiercer than this for the
XLR. General Motors has combined both performance and luxury to get the edge
over its competitors. The vehicle is equipped with 4.6-liter dual overhead cam
V8 320 horsepower engine along with some essential luxury features such as warm
and refrigerated seats, steering system in addition to acoustic and DVD system,
voyage control, 18-inch composite wheels and slick timberwork in the interior.
The engine is combined with five-speed automatic transmission system. Add to
that reasonable fuel economy - 17 miles to the gallon in the city and 25 miles
to the gallon on the highway. GM has set the base price of the XLR at $76,650.
Despite being well equipped, the sale of the Cadillac XLR hasn't been quite
encouraging. Cadillac set the target of selling 6,000 cars per year. But
unfortunately, the automaker has been able to sell just 4,745 in 18 months as of
March 2005. |
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