Cadillac has announced that 2009 will be the last year for its retractable hardtop XLR. Pity.
Apparently dealerships are still taking orders for the $87,055 sportscar (or over $100,000 for the XLR-V) and the final model will roll off the production line in Bowling Green, Kentucky in the Spring.
The XLR and XLR-V were the most expensive models in the Cadillac lineup and suffered from always playing second fiddle to the Corvette. The vehicle was, however, a Corvette in many ways and the came powerfully equipped with a 320-horsepower 4.6-liter V8. The XLR-V was offered with a 443-hp 4.4-liter supercharged V8.
Apparently few jobs will be lost due to the cancellation of the XLR as production of the model was so limited that very few people were employed in making it. In fact, the highest number of XLRs ever produced in a year was just 3,730 – back in 2005. The vehicle was, however, a source of pride for Cadillac as each engine was hand assembled by one individual – just like those fany-pants Germans over at AMG.
Cadillac only sold 1,250 XLRs in 2008, down 28 percent from 2007.
[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]
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