Cadillac XLR News

General Motors has only been without a small, rear-wheel-drive roadster for a few years, but the company might leverage its Cadillac division's new compact sedan for a droptop variant.

It's been a while since Cadillac had a roadster in its product portfolio. Since the XLR went out of production at the end of 2009, to be precise.

Cadillac is betting that it can regain its once-lofty standing with the launch of a series of new products that includes the big XTS sedan that made its debut earlier this month at the annual Los Angeles auto show.

To coin a phrase, it ain't easy being Cadillac. They aren't just competing with Lexus and BMW; they are competing with their own past.

Cadillac is going to keep things classy with its upcoming ATS . The top will stay on, which means the lineup will lose the planned convertible version but retain the sedan and coupe .