Cadillac Could Be Planning a Corvette Z06 Based Halo Car

It could be argued that the Cadillac lineup is the best that it has ever been. The ATS, CTS, XTS, SRX and Escalade are all among the best options in their respective segments while the ELR is literally the only true extended range electric vehicle sold in America. The upcoming CT6 will give the Cadillac brand a proper rear wheel drive super luxury sedan to rival the best from BMW and Mercedes, but something is missing. Cadillac doesn’t have a proper sports car, but rumors suggest that they could be working on a fix for that problem and that fix could include a car that is at least loosely based on the C7 Chevrolet Corvette – or even the new Z06.

Modern Cadillac Versus The World
Mercedes has the SLS, the new GT and the rest of the AMG lineup. BMW has the M lineup and the new i8. Lexus has (or had) the LFA along with more reasonably priced models like the IS-F and the new RC-F. Infiniti doesn’t have a proper sports car, but they do have the Q60 models. Audi has the R8 and the far more affordable TT. These are all brands that the modern Cadillac brand is competing with and, as displayed above, every one of them has a proper 2-door sports car. Cadillac does not.

While the new VSport models go a long way in satisfying those folks who want bigger performance from their new Cadillac, those models don’t properly compete with many of the cars in that list above. Even the introduction of the future CTS-V and ATS-V will leave a hole in the brand’s lineup and that hole may leave folks who own a daily driven Cadillac looking elsewhere for a luxury sports car. The ATS-V Coupe could help, but that is still no Mercedes AMG GT or Lexus LFA. However, General Motors has a car in their arsenal that will keep up (if not beat) any of the cars on that list with the new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the Corvette Z06.

Another Cadillac Corvette?
Should General Motors opt to use the underpinnings of the modern Chevrolet Corvette Stingray for a new Cadillac halo car, it won’t be the first time that they have done so. From 2004 through 2009, those Cadillac lovers who wanted a proper sports car could buy the angular XLR. GM sold more than 15,000 examples of the XLR during those 6 models years and while sales numbers peaking at 3,730 units in a year (2005) aren’t scorching, those 15,460 XLR owners bought their sports car at a Cadillac dealership instead of from Mercedes, BMW or some other luxury brand.

There has also been a rumor that Cadillac will have some of its own engines very soon. It should be noted that the Cadillac XLR, which was based on the Corvette chassis, featured a Northstar V8 that was only available in Cadillac models rather than sharing engines with the Vette from those same model years. Should Cadillac use the C7 Stingray chassis to develop a premium halo car for the luxury brand, one of these unique engines could be used in place of the LT1 and LT4 current offered in the Corvette. This, along with body work that would most certainly be nothing like the Corvette and an interior that is far more luxurious than what is available in the Corvette would allow the new Cadillac sports car to differentiate itself from hot selling Corvette.

Stingray, Z06 or Maybe Both
While this is all just speculation based on the rumors of a new Cadillac halo car being developed, we have to wonder if “a new XLR” (which most certainly won’t be called the XLR) would be more closely based on the Corvette Stingray or the Corvette Z06. On one hand, basing it more closely on the Stingray would keep costs down, but basing it more on the new Z06 with cutting edge handing technology and a big, powerful supercharged engine would fall more in line with what we have seen from Cadillac in terms of performance models lately.

Corvette Galleries:
The Debut of the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
The First Images of the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Convertible
The debut of the C7R Chevrolet Corvette race car

What if this new Cadillac sports car was based on the Stingray and the Z06? Perhaps this new sports car could have a “normal” form that had less power and a lower price tag while packing all of the Cadillac comforts while a much more powerful version – based on the new Z06 – would offer true supercar performance in what would amount to a new V Series super-Caddy. Of course, going that route may push the boundaries of competing with the Corvette but when you consider the quality of the current Cadillac lineup and the monster success of the C7 Corvette, a marriage of the two will almost surely result in an amazing luxury sports car.

One key point to consider is that this Corvette-based Cadillac sports car would likely be a few years away at best. By then, the heat on the Corvette will have likely died down at least a bit, so it could make for a good time for GM to roll out a new, unique sports car based on the Corvette chassis.

Im keeping my fingers crossed that all of these rumors turn out to be fact.