Cadillac XLR Auction Recalls The Last Time GM Got Serious About Luxury

03/25/2025 07:40 PM

Cadillac really wants to recapture its glory days. After a decade or so languishing as an also-ran against luxury players like BMW, Lexus, and even Genesis, GM's prestige brand is readying an ultra-premium onslaught by way of the Celestiq sedan, a $300,000-plus EV that hopes to give Rolls-Royce a run for its money. The Celestiq isn't Cadillac's first renaissance flagship, though. Back in the mid-2000s, the company wanted to shake off its stodgy Sedan de Ville image by introducing a splashy, sporty roadster – the XLR. This example, which has just under 13,000 miles on the odometer and is headed to the Mecum Houston auction in April, reminds us of the last time GM got serious about its luxury brand.