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Why does this Cadillac fob seem to be for a mid-engine roadster?

Is GM bringing back its Caddied-up Corvette sibling, the Cadillac XLR — only this time based on the mid-engine Corvette? That's the question posed by photos of a wedge-shaped Cadillac key fob someone provided to The Drive. The buttons show a trunk — and also a frunk. So, mid-engine, unless the fob goes with an EV that has its motors and other electrical bits scattered to the wheels and elsewhere. Also, there's a button to operate a droptop. And the car profile on the fob is Corvette-like. All of which makes for some pretty great speculation. Except that Cadillac's way back from the failures of its sedan-centric lineup was thought to be through SUVs such as the new XT4 compact crossover, the XT5 and the somewhere-in-testing three-row XT6. Plus, the XLR, which was produced between 2003 and 2009, hit its sales peak in 2005 of just 3,730 cars, or about one-tenth the sales volume of the Corvette. So it's hard to imagine there's a vast untapped market out there for the luxury roadster — plus the XLR's demographic of well-to-do grandpas is dying off, or at least thinks it is. So a resurrected XLR would seem to be an unlikely savior. A lot's happening with GM's luxury brand — the debut of the XT4 at long last, a new boss, a thinning of the sedan herd but expansion of the V's, a backtrack to Detroit after its New York sojourn, the cash-cow Escalade under direct assault from the fine new Lincoln Navigator, and the impressive performance of its Super Cruise technology. But an XLR? So what is this fob's story? The Drive speculates it's a universal test fob and the buttons don't necessarily mean a thing, or that somebody stuck a Caddy emblem on it just to yank our chains. Who's to say. What would you like it to mean? Related Video:

Sunday Drive: An automotive flavor for every taste

Last week was flush with interesting new vehicle debuts, led by the new 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. This crossover is entering straight into the heart of one of the world's most competitive automotive segments, and it's doing so with a fresh sense of style and a brace of new technologies. Our readers are clearly intrigued – the Santa Fe was the biggest news story of the last week on these online pages. It's fitting that a crossover generated a lot more interest than a traditional wagon, though we don't really have to be happy about it. Still, the completely new, fully redesigned Volvo V60 is worth taking another look at. First of all, it's pretty, in a traditionally Scandinavian way. Second, it's quick, with a 0-60 time of as little as 4.8 seconds. And finally, it's practical, with all kinds of room for cargo without the dynamic penalties of an unnecessary lift kit. Moving on from new vehicle debuts, we took another long look at the Honda Ridgeline. It's definitely a non-conformist pickup truck, based not on a body-on-frame platform but on a more carlike unibody design. That means it can't tow as much as some other trucks, but it also means the Ridgeline drives better than any of its more truckish competitors. It's the Swiss army knife of pickup trucks. Rounding out our coverage from last week are three sets of spy photos, each showing the interior of a hotly anticipated new model. One is a truck, one is a crossover, and the last is a sportscar. All of them are worth another look. As always, stay tuned to Autoblog this week for all the most important news in the automotive world. 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe unveiled 2019 Volvo V60 | Sleek, swift new twist on the Swedish wagon 2018 Honda Ridgeline | Pocketknife pickup is up for anything 2019 GMC Sierra interior looks just like the Silverado's 2019 Cadillac XT4 interior has actual buttons, no more touch-sensitive panel 2020 Porsche 911 992 spy shots show interior and manual transmission Cadillac GMC Honda Hyundai Porsche Volvo Truck Crossover Wagon Luxury Performance Sedan hyundai santa fe

GM recalls half-million full-size SUVs to address seatbelt issue

GM is recalling its redesigned full-size SUV models to address improperly riveted mounts securing the third-row seatbelts that may fail in the event of an accident. The population includes the 2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, 2021-2022 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, and 2021-2022 model year GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, for a total of 484,155 vehicles. "Operators at the supplier’s manufacturing plant may have not properly followed manufacturing processes and inadvertently missed the rivet forming operation," GM said in its defect report to NHTSA. "In certain of these vehicles, the rivet that retains the buckle to the mounting bracket in the left or right side third-row seatbelt buckle assembly may not have been properly formed during the manufacturing process. If the third-row seatbelt assembly is not properly riveted, it may not properly restrain occupants in a crash, increasing the risk of injury." Fortunately, the fix is relatively simple. GM service technicians will inspect the rivets on the rear seatbelt buckle assemblies and replace the entire unit if the rivets are not to spec. Dealer notifications have already been distributed; owners should receive notice start in September. Related video: Cadillac Chevrolet GM GMC Ownership Safety SUV