A major ingredient of the eye-catching visual recipe of the XLR's exterior design cues are the sharp angles that become more rounded as you approach the car. The XLR seems to morph its shape in a subtle way. The exterior design seems to have a little of everything which might explain it's visual attraction. The more you look, the more you see without being overcome by distracting clutter. The design itself is over a decade old and still turns heads. Few cars can be so visually appealing over time without looking dated.
The soft top shown in this reincarnation of this XLR breaks up the sharp contours of the exterior more than necessary. Besides, other than the soft top, this render (from what is depicted) doesn't bring anything uniquely stylish or new to the XLR. I'm skeptical a forthcoming version of the XLR would look so similar to the model discontinued over five years ago.
Is GM (and more importantly, the buying public) ready for an updated version of the XLR? I don't think so, but I sure would like to be wrong. The edgiest Cadillac being built (the ELR) has suffered from dismal sales during it's first year and there's rampant speculation it may not survive past 2015. With less than 600 ELR's sold (as of July) the ELR is a marketing failure. Like the XLR, it is overpriced, and suffers from poor advertising. Early adopters (who paid full price) are dismayed at the price reductions currently underway to move the idle cars sitting on dealer's lots. These dealerships will be hard-pressed to order 2015 models.
GM did the right thing consolidating it's platforms (and dropping Pontiac) to field fewer models. By concentrating on making substantial improvements to a smaller number of models, they've turned sales around and the brand image has been enhanced. Interiors are on par with many European luxury brands, but it takes years to entice the buying public to alter their perceptions of an auto maker, even with great cars.
That being said, Cadillac should have a sporty, two-seater to rival the Mercedes SL series, which has been perfected over decades. If it's priced right, ($50-60K) loaded with cutting edge features, and a unique style, an XLR could work. But it won't be easy, and GM has not demonstrated it can sustain such a vehicle. The Allante and XLR are proof of that.
Another important factor affecting luxury car sales is the state of the US economy. It is far from where it needs to be, but people who have been holding onto their cars for the last eight years are ready for something new, and sales are showing that. Cadillac as a brand is doing much better, which is a good sign for continued development efforts and new models.
CUE is in the doldrums with upgrades trailing vague promises. Cadillac could do a much better job of communicating CUE progress and feature requests by establishing a useful and feedback-driven customer website specifically devoted to it. This is inadequate:
Cadillac | Cadillac User Experience Overview Instead, most of the information online is fueled by rumors and half-truths. Maybe GM has a big improvement push with exciting enhancements coming to CUE, but if so, they aren't telling anyone about it in a meaningful way. Examining Apple's buzz methodology for marketing couldn't hurt. Apple is consistently able to successfully hype a product over a year before launch, (without really giving too much away) and can hardly keep up with demand once they release it. Note to GM: Study the really successful advertising strategies and emulate them. This sounds overly simple, but they have yet to successfully implement such a philosophy. GM succeeds in spite of itself.
But I digress; back to the XLR. Dave Leone knows how to get a great car built; he's proven his production prowess more than once. Setting a realistic price point, and marketing a vehicle in such a way that makes potential buyers dream of picturing one in their garage is best left to people as capable at what they do as he is. Marketing is just as important as design and manufacturing. "If you build it they will come" only works in the movies.
CC
Al
