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The cars of General Motors are moving in an exciting direction, and Cadillac is leading the way. The stunning new Cadillac XLR is the company's new flagship, a luxurious high-performance sports car built on the next Corvette platform.

Its styling is edgy, classy, powerful, and distinctive. It boasts a beautiful and luxurious interior that befits its $76,200 price. And it's a hardtop convertible: Press a button and the hard top goes up or down in 30 seconds. But the XLR goes beyond that. It boasts impressive cornering capability and thrilling acceleration performance. It benefits from a high-tech structure and a powerful Northstar V8.

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The 2004 Cadillac XLR ($75,385) comes one way, with a convertible hardtop. Its 4.6-liter V8 engine is mated to Cadillac's newest five-speed automatic transmission.

XM Satellite Radio is the only option ($325). The list of standard equipment is long: side-impact airbags, a nine-speaker Bose sound system, DVD navigation and video, StabiliTrak electronic stability control, radar-controlled adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and push-button start, a head-up display, and OnStar, the highway assistance service featuring the helpful voices of genuine human beings beamed to the car by satellite.