Back then, you wouldn't think twice before selecting a Mercedes-Benz or BMW or Lexus instead of a Cadillac.
Today, though, we wouldn't be pressed twice to choose the latter instead. That's mainly because the premium US automaker has maintained a solid mix of passenger cars and crossovers plus SUVs – now also seasoned with cool all-electric vehicles.
Think about it for a second. There are still a couple of sedan families around – CT4 and CT5, complete with V-Series and Blackwing models.
Plus, the CT5s got refreshed for the 2025 model year, so we're sure they will survive for a few more years. The crossovers are overwhelming the competition – XT4, XT5, and XT6, along with the all-electric Optiq and Lyriq, complete with the upcoming 2026 Vistiq.
The SUVs are also cool – the Escalade family got facelifted along with the Escalade-V and Escalade ESV, plus there's a fancy new Escalade IQ all-electric flagship.
Also, Cadillac offers something that no other 'mainstream' premium automaker dares to – a $340k Celestiq flagship all-electric model.
So, what else could they add to the lineup to make them even more inclusive? Well, the parallel universes of vehicular CGI have some ideas, thanks to the imaginative guild of digital car content creators.
For example, PoloTo is a distinctively named automotive news video channel on YouTube - and they also share visions of new models that may or may not exist anymore – such as this unofficial 2025 Caddy XLR revival design project.
The original was a two-door, two-person grand tourer roadster produced between 2003 and 2009 across a single generation.
It was related to the contemporary Chevy Corvette generations, but also carved its own way forward with help from the Bulgari touches, perfect 50/50 weight distribution, retractable hardtop, and Northstar V8s with or without supercharging.
Well, now that the C8 is a mid-engine setup, it would be hard to make it compatible with a returning XLR – but nothing is impossible across Imagination Land.
As such, the channel’s host muses that Cadillac could easily bring back the XLR and treat it with the V-Series Blackwing's 668-horsepower supercharged V8, or they could even add the C8 Corvette E-Ray's hybrid setup into the mix.
So, what do you think? Should they take a new sports car into consideration, or has the ship already set sail towards car Valhalla, and Cadillac won't make any more two-door sports cars with ICE configurations? Would you even want the XLR to come back at all?
