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C7 Corvette won't spawn new Cadillac XLR [w/video]

Between the new 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray and the even newer Cadillac Elmiraj Concept shown off at Pebble Beach, we were already expecting some sort of chatter of a Cadillac XLR redux. During an in-depth C7 Corvette discussion with Tadge Juechter, the car's chief engineer, Fox News asked if a Corvette-based, Bowling Green-built Cadillac will be built off the C7. Non-spoiler alert: the answer is no.
Juechter says that General Motors has "no intent" on transforming this car into a Cadillac product since the C7 has been optimized for the Corvette buyer, a consumer that's generally a different sort of person than a Cadillac intender who might also be cross-shopping a Mercedes-Benz SL-Class or BMW 6 Series.
While we're not ready to write off a future XLR altogether, we assume that the Corvette Cadillac experiment is most likely never going to happen again. The interview with Juechter is posted below, but the XLR discussion comes in at the 9:00 mark.

Weekly Recap: Automakers rethink the definition of luxury

Variety is the spice of life, but it's becoming a prerequisite for luxury carmakers in the ultra-competitive US market. The Detroit Auto Show was strong evidence of this reality. It's not enough to offer attractive and well-appointed cars and SUVs anymore. Luxury brands that want to be competitive need to invest in everything from high-powered supercars to clever hybrids. To be relevant, you need to be green and mean – and everything in between. As General Motors product chief Mark Reuss said after the reveal of the 640-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V: "We are not leaving anything on the table." He was speaking for Cadillac, but he might as well have been speaking for the luxury car market. The CTS-V debuted in Detroit about an hour after Lexus surprised showgoers with the reveal of the RC F GT3 race car and then announced ambitious plans to return to competitive racing. That almost overshadowed the fact Lexus had just revealed another potent addition to its growing F line, the 467-hp GS F. View 20 Photos But for luxury brands, it's not just about maximum horsepower for well-heeled enthusiasts or decadent amenities for the Grey Poupon set. Strong competition from all corners has forced automakers to refine and expand their lineups in ways unforeseen even a few years ago. Case in point: Mercedes-Benz finally has an answer to the BMW X6, rolling out the GLE coupe in Detroit. The X6, which blends coupe-like styling cues with some of the functionality of an SUV, debuted in 2008. Back then it was a punchline, but seven years and more than 260,000 sales later, the X6's success has compelled Benz to respond. Mercedes – one of the strongest proponents of diesel technology – also debuted the C350 plug-in hybrid sedan, which promises a range of 20 miles on electricity, though fuel economy figures were not announced. The car pairs Mercedes' well-received 208-hp turbocharged four-cylinder with an electric motor for total output of 275 hp and 443 pound-feet of torque. Meanwhile, Infiniti will add the Q30 hatchback to its lineup by the end of the year, new president Roland Kruger reiterated in Detroit. It's expected to be joined by a crossover variant, and the additions will help strengthen Infiniti in the United States and abroad. "While we're expanding our product line, we're also expanding our market reach," he said. That's something echoed by Jaguar executives, who are preparing to launch the brand's first crossover, the F-Pace, in 2016.

Cadillac to expand V-Series but discontinue CTS-V and ATS-V

Cadillac said Tuesday it will expand its V-Series performance sub-brand with the arrival of the CT6-V sedan in 2019 ( formerly known as the CT6 V-Sport), with plans to add high-performance variants across its portfolio. The flipside to that expansion is the sunsetting of its two existing V-Series performance cars, the ATS-V (both coupe and convertible) and CTS-V sedan. Two new unspecified sedans will slot below the CT6 in Cadillac's lineup, a spokesman said. The CT6-V will arrive next spring, roughly a year after it bowed at the New York auto show. It will feature Cadillac's new "Blackwing" V8, a twin-turbo engine that displaces 4.2 liters and produces an estimated 550 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, sending it through GM's new 10-speed automatic transmission to drive all four wheels. A less-aggressive version of the engine will also appear in the CT6 Platinum model, offering 500 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. "Beginning with the debut of the CTS-V Sedan in 2004, the V-Series sub-brand sparked new life into Cadillac," Mark Reuss, executive vice president and president of GM Global Automotive Group and Cadillac, said in a statement. "As a result of the overwhelming response the CT6 V-Sport received when revealed in early 2018, we've decided to formally make it a V-Series, signaling the expansion of V-Series." View 61 Photos A Cadillac spokesman tells Autoblog the 2019 model year will be the last for the ATS-V and CTS-V. The ATS-V is powered by a twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 that's good for 464 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque, an increase of 262 hp and 173 lb-ft from the base, four-cylinder ATS, which is also set to go to pasture at the end of the 2018 model year. The CTS-V, meanwhile, boasts a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 under its carbon-fiber hood that puts out 640 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque, good for a 3.7-second 0-60 mph time and a top speed of 200 mph. In a Quick Spin review last year, Autoblog Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore called the car "old-school muscle in an Esquire-approved suit. It's 'roids and cufflinks." As for what's next for an expanded V-Series, Cadillac has the new XT4 crossover, and already other companies are banking on performance versions of crossovers. Cadillac's also developing a less expensive luxury sports sedan called the CT5. It's also said to be planning a production version of the Escala concept starting in late 2021, so those could be possibilities.