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

By Kurt Ernst

Kurt Ernst

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Kurt has been fascinated by anything with wheels and a motor for a long time. Growing up, he spent his spare time turning wrenches and pumping gas in... More

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10 2,633 views Feb 6, 2012

2013 Cadillac ATS

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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.