Cadillac XLR
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The Cadillac XLR is a convertible car which was manufactured and marketed by Cadillac from 2003 to 2009 across a single generation. It is a two-seat roadster and has a power retractable hardtop. The XLR was introduced at the 2003 North American International Auto Show as a halo model for Cadillac, and began production for the 2004 model year. The design was inspired by the 1999 Evoq concept.
The XLR shares much of its construction design with the C6 Chevrolet Corvette that was introduced one year later, including its GM Y platform, hydroformed steel perimeter side rails, folded steel backbone, tubular steel front and rear bulkheads, aluminum windshield structure, magnesium steering-column mounts, aluminum/balsawood composite floorboards and composite bodywork technology.<ref name="shared">Template:Cite web</ref> Unique to the XLR are its engine, bodywork, interior, suspension settings, and power retractable hardtop. Both Chevrolet and Cadillac were manufactured at GM's Bowling Green Assembly, with the XLR manufactured at a dedicated work station adjacent to the Corvette assembly line, engineered to facilitate routing of componentry to the XLR's dedicated assembly station.<ref name="top2">Template:Cite web</ref>
The XLR entered production a year before the Chevrolet, as the first production Cadillac with radar-based adaptive cruise control (ACC) or both heated and cooled seats — was subsequently nominated for the North American Car of the Year award for 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has Bulgari designed interior instruments, head-up display, adaptive suspension, rear-mounted transmission and near 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution.
Design
The XLR was marketed as a luxury roadster and offered numerous features either as standard equipment or as options, including a touchscreen GPS navigation radio with an AM/FM radio, CD changer, XM Satellite Radio, full voice control, Bose premium amplified audio system, adaptive cruise control, Bulgari-branded instrument panel cluster,<ref name=Bulgari>Template:Cite web</ref> OnStar, High Intensity Discharge (HID) front headlamps, perforated luxury leather-trimmed seating surfaces with power-adjustable, heated and cooled bucket seats with a driver's memory system, luxury carpeted floor mats with embroidered 'XLR' logos, premium aluminum-alloy wheels, and wood interior trim.
The XLR featured adaptive suspension with magneto-rheological shock absorber fluid for enhanced ride control. The system, marketed as Magnetic Ride Control, used four wheel-to-body displacement sensors to measure wheel motion over the road surface and responds by adjusting the shock damping almost instantly. The shock absorbers were filled with a fluid containing suspended iron particles responsive to magnetic signals. The system constantly monitored motion and changed the damping forces at all four corners of the vehicle — to modulate body motion for quick maneuvers or uneven road surfaces.
Whereas the Chevrolet Corvette (C6) was powered by a 6.0 L GM LS2 V8 engine and offered with a six-speed manual transmission, the XLR featured Cadillac's 4.6 L Northstar V8 (supercharged in the XLR-V) and either a five-speed 5L50 automatic transmission, or a six-speed 6L80 automatic transmission. It produced Template:Cvt and Template:Cvt of torque in the standard trim. Optional XLR equipment included polished aluminum-alloy wheels, exterior and interior color options, and different interior trim options.
The XLR's fully automatic power retractable top required less than 30 seconds<ref name="retract3">Template:Cite web</ref> and Template:Cvt of vertical clearance for its operation, with its cargo capacity reduced from 11.6 cubic feet to 4.4 cubic feet.<ref name="retractable">Template:Cite web</ref> The top, made of aluminum and magnesium with a composite plastic painted exterior, was engineered and manufactured by Magna Car Top Systems GmbH (Magna CTWS), co-located at Bowling Green Assembly,<ref name="cartopsystem">Template:Cite web</ref> the same firm that supplies numerous manufacturers, e.g., the Mercedes-Benz SL.<ref name="retractable"/> The system included a heated glass window and glass rear-quarter windows and opened remotely using the key fob, by pushing the dash-mounted button, or by a button on the trunk.
The XLR featured the traditional Cadillac, silver-painted upper "Egg Crate" (XLR) or chrome wire mesh (XLR-V) front grille.
For the 2009 model year, the XLR added a new front fascia, new rear fascia, and chrome side fender vents. Inside, Alcantara - a suede-like microfiber material - was added for the headliner. The interior added new instrument cluster trim rings with revised graphics, (removal of the Bulgari logo) and new wood dashboard trims. XLR production ended on March 31, 2009.
The base price of the XLR in the United States went from $75,385 ($Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation-year dollarsTemplate:Inflation-fn) at launch to $86,215 ($Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation-year dollarsTemplate:Inflation-fn) by the end of its run in 2009.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref>
XLR-V
The Cadillac XLR-V is a high-performance variant of the XLR and part of the first-generation V-Series. Cadillac gave the public its first glimpse of the supercharged XLR-V in its Super Bowl commercial, which aired February 6, 2005. Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch was also awarded an XLR. The car was formally introduced at the 2005 New York International Auto Show.
The XLR-V used the same supercharged Northstar LC3 V8 as the STS-V, although output was reduced somewhat. For the XLR-V, the engine produced Template:Cvt and Template:Cvt. The supercharger and four intercooler cores were built into the intake manifold. A six-speed automatic transmission, larger brakes from the Z51 Corvette, and 19-inch wheels were used.
The XLR-V could accelerate to Template:Cvt in 4.6 seconds according to Car and Driver's tests.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The magazine also timed it at 11.3 seconds to Template:Cvt and recorded a 13.0 second quarter mile at Template:Cvt. Its top speed was electronically limited to Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The base price of the XLR-V in the United States went from $97,485 ($Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation-year dollarsTemplate:Inflation-fn) at launch to $104,215 ($Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation-year dollarsTemplate:Inflation-fn) by the end of its run in 2009.<ref name="auto"/>
Sales
The XLR had sales projections of 5,000 to 7,000 per year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A total of 15,460 were produced over its nine-year model run.
| Calendar Year | Total American sales |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 875 |
| 2004<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 3,665 |
| 2005 | 3,730 |
| 2006<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 3,203 |
| 2007 | 1,750 |
| 2008<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1,250 |
| 2009<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 787 |
| 2010 | 188 |
| 2011<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 12 |
| Total | 15,460 |
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
External links
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