1990 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham on 2040-cars

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Why Cadillac thinks it needs to succeed in Europe to sell cars elsewhere

Ward's Auto has taken an interesting look at the renewed focus General Motors is showing towards Cadillac in Europe. Susan Docherty, president and managing director of Chevrolet and Cadillac in Europe (pictured), says in order for the luxury brand to thrive in China, it first needs to succeed in the old country. The reason? Chinese buyers look to Europe for cues as to what's deemed worthy of the term "luxury." There are hurdles to the plan, however. In addition to the fact that the EU is flooded with high-end nameplates, GM doesn't necessarily have the distribution network in place to put buyers behind the wheel.
Combine that with persistent economic woes and Cadillac's checkered past marred by a lack of diesel engine options and a bankrupt distributor, and the road ahead for the brand looks like less of an uphill climb and more like a straight-up cliff face. But Docherty is optimistic and says she has a plan for the brand. We recommend heading over to Ward's for a closer look at the full read.

Online Find Of The Day: 2008 Cadillac XLR picks up where Excalibur left off

We try very, very hard to keep snark away from creations like the one you see here. After all, someone poured plenty of enthusiasm, time and money into turning a 2008 Cadillac XLR into a modern interpretation of the new-old cars typically done by cottage builders like Excalibur and Clénet. Even so, it's hard not to wince when you set an eye on this machine. With its wheelbase stretched to accommodate the extra bodywork, goofy sidewalls and upkicked nose (examine it in profile, it looks slightly bent in the middle), this "neoclassic" takes whatever was loveable about the Cadillac underneath and buries it in a tacky grave.
Miraculously, the engine bay has been left unmolested, which means the retractable hardtop convertible still features a 4.6-liter Northstar V8 engine good for 320 horsepower. If only that were enough to outrun its shame. If, for some reason, you feel like taking this thing home, Harry Kaufmann Motorcars of Milwaukee says it can be yours for a paltry $74,998. We wish were joking. Check it out here.

Cadillac XT5 caught uncovered during photo shoot

It's only been a few weeks since Cadillac announced that its replacement for the SRX, the new XT5, is on its way. Now, we have images of it out in the open and completely free of camouflage. Obtained by a reader at Jalopnik's Opposite Lock forum, the Caddy was spotted during what user Saw930 believes was a photo shoot in New York's trendy SoHo neighborhood. There's only a pair of images, from the front and rear three-quarters, but it's enough to give us a very thorough overview of the exterior styling on the new CUV. In short, the design language that has been seen on Escalade, CTS, and upcoming CT6 has indeed made its way to the SRX replacement. The broad, egg-crate grille is perhaps the cleanest iteration of Caddy's latest styling, while the CT6-inspired headlights look sharp, as well. Expect a similar headlight pattern to the CTS, with strong LED character accents on the outside of the headlights that integrate seamlessly with the lower DRLs. In back, the taillights curve over the rear haunches and blend into an extremely strong shoulder line. It's a dynamic and aggressive piece of design that we'll need to see in person before signing off on. The rear bumper, meanwhile, is a nicely styled piece, complete with twin, integrated, rectangular tailpipes that flank a piece of (probably faux) skid plating. There's a similar off-road treatment in the front bumper, as well. While we wait for scour for more news on the XT5, have a look at the two images Saw930 captured and posted at Oppo and let us know what you think in Comments.