2013 Audi A3

Cadillac's ATS Coupe On Hold, Or Is It?

 
10 1,984 views Feb 6, 2012

2013 Cadillac ATS

2013 Cadillac ATS

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Cadillac has been blunt about which competitor is in the crosshairs of its upcoming ATS sedan. Not content to take on the Audi A4 or the Infiniti G37, Cadillac has repeatedly named the BMW 3-Series as the primary rival of the ATS.

Part of the appeal of BMW’s 3-Series is the number of the number of variants it comes in, ranging from sedan, to coupe, to convertible and even station wagon. If the standard 3-Series models aren’t fast enough, BMW even builds M3s in sedan and coupe body styles.

To take on BMW and beat it at its own game will require more than just a sedan, and Cadillac has long been rumored to have other ATS models in the works. Last September, word came that a planned convertible version of the ATS had been scrapped, since low projected sales wouldn’t cover development costs.

Now comes word from Motor Trend that the anticipated ATS coupe has been put on hold. According to reports, the ATS coupe project was shelved for the exact same reasons in an effort to build up the share price of GM stock. Coupes, like convertibles, simply don’t sell in the same volume  as sedans.

GM Inside News, however, begs to differ. According to its sources within GM, development of the ATS coupe was ongoing as recently as last week. While delays to the ATS coupe project have occurred, none are particularly recent. Delays have, however, pushed the original 2014 launch date back to late 2015.

We’re siding with GM Inside News on this one, and we have one more variable to throw into the mix. Since development of new product costs a significant amount of money, we’re betting that any future Cadillac ATS coupe will hinge on the success of the ATS sedan.

If the ATS sedan is a hit, GM recovers its development cost on the project quickly, thus it has an easier time justifying the expense of continuing coupe development. If the ATS sedan doesn’t sell well out of the gate, then it’s likely GM may rethink its position on a low-volume ATS coupe.

Odd though it may sound, if you really want to see an ATS coupe in 2015, buy an ATS sedan as soon as they hit the market and encourage all your friends to do the same. Without solid ATS sedan sales, the coupe's days may never come, much less be numbered.



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Comments (10)

  1. WizardsLore avatar WizardsLore Posted: 2/6/2012 4:56pm PST

    cadilac also needs to increase its reputation to be able to compete with the 3 series. look at the IS from lexus. That is now a viable alternative to the 3 series but at first it was shunned regardless of it being in most parts a better all round package. the Caddy still wouldnt be a direct competitor outside of the US, and maybe even inside as realistically, would you rather a Caddy or a Beemer for your hard earned cash occupying a space on your driveway?
     
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  2. Ernst avatar Kurt Ernst Posted: 2/7/2012 3:14am PST

    @WizardsLore, that's a battle Cadillac will need to fight - winning over the "prestige buyer" won't be easy.
     
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  3. WizardsLore avatar WizardsLore Posted: 2/7/2012 6:18pm PST

    @ Kurt, i think its a battle that they dont have a chance in taking on. If someone was to ask what did they think of when asked about a Caddy. Immediately all woudl assume a cruiser, a big brash cruiser that was an american version of a Rolls. Caddy is trying to market itself as an everyman luxury car maker, and to be honest i dont think they can change their stripes so easily. Public perception rules, and the corporate dollar will always lean towards the Germans when it comes to their private rides.
     
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  4. Ernst avatar Kurt Ernst Posted: 2/8/2012 3:11am PST

    @WizardsLore, the "big cruiser" perspective of Caddy may hold true in other parts of the world, but the CTS put the brand in a (slightly) different light.
     
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  5. WizardsLore avatar WizardsLore Posted: 2/8/2012 4:28pm PST

    @ Kurt, this may be so, but Caddy's plan isnt to take over the US where it maintains a solid foothold, but to expand its brand to the rest of the world. where im sorry i dont believe the consumption of its marque will justify the outlay to market it.
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  6. fb_100001332786054 avatar Td Nbzobse Posted: 2/6/2012 9:08pm PST

    Just what I've not been waiting for! I must be in the minority in wanting a more luxurious car, not a performance oriented vehicle. A Cadillac should be approachable, elegant and dare I say - plush. Last time I checked, my friends and I take an Interstate and a few surface roads with lights to get to work and around town. Leave the sport sedan category to BMW.
     
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  7. Ernst avatar Kurt Ernst Posted: 2/7/2012 3:16am PST

    @Td, I'm sure Lincoln would love to earn your business...
     
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  8. WizardsLore avatar WizardsLore Posted: 2/7/2012 6:16pm PST

    @ Kurt, Lincoln dont stand a chance until they fix that horrific desing language that they maintain. '70s throwbacks arent always a good thing
     
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  9. highburke avatar Adalberto Burke Posted: 2/7/2012 7:07am PST

    IMO, Cadillac's worst enemy is the bad reputation they built for many years. Luxury-Performance is an European invention, which the Japanese understand, extremely competitive, expensive business that started with sports cars and motorcycles, went to sedans later,and is now extending to SUV's and crossovers. Today, Nissan has a Juke-R that outperforms The Ferrari 258 and The Lamborghini LP-700 Aventador. Cadillac made a point with the CTS-V, but it had to borrow the engine from Corvette, and that's Cadillac second biggest problem, they don't have a V6, I-4 or I-6 that can perform similarly to a Corvette's V8. Today performance translates into "able to set a record in Nurburgring". Luxury only is pointless...
     
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  10. Ernst avatar Kurt Ernst Posted: 2/7/2012 8:49am PST

    @Adalberto, I don't disagree. Still, I wouldn't include the Juke R as a performance benchmark, since it wasn't really "built" by Nissan and you can't actually buy one.
     
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