Cadillac · 2003–2009
Cadillac XLR
The Cadillac XLR is a convertible car 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. Unique to the XLR are its engine, bodywork, interior, suspension settings, and power retractable hardtop. Both the XLR and C6 Corvette were manufactured at General Motors' 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. 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. It has Bulgari-designed interior instruments, head-up display, adaptive suspension, rear-mounted transmission and near 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Generations & variants
Photos
UK vehicles on the road
1 licensed and 0 SORN (1 total) at 2025 Q4.
| Year (latest quarter) | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 3 |
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 |
DfT/DVLA VEH0120 vehicle licensing statistics, source ↗, Open Government Licence v3.0. Small counts are rounded or suppressed at source.
Sources
- Wikidata / Wikipedia profiles — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/cars/Q545311CC0 / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_XLRCC BY-SA 4.0 · Intro text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1372813489 · retrieved 2026-10-03
- DfT/DVLA VEH0120 licensing statistics — https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/vehicle-licensing-statistics-data-tablesOpen Government Licence v3.0
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.