Cadillac has been clear that its upcoming ATS sedan was designed to go head to head against the best compact sedans in the world, a list that invariably includes the BMW 3 Series.
As roundel fans will be quick to point out, the BMW 3-Series comes in rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive, with engines ranging from a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, good for 240 horsepower, all the way up to the current M3’s 4.0-liter V-8, which produces 414 horsepower.
Even if you exclude the diesel-powered BMW 335d, that’s a lot of ground to cover. If Cadillac is serious about going up against BMW (not to mention Audi and Mercedes-Benz), it will need more than just a single engine and rear-wheel-drive.
We still don’t know what Cadillac has planned for engine options, but the eagle-eyed crew at GM Inside News appears to found evidence that an all-wheel-drive Cadillac ATS is being developed. Take a look at the video below, which we originally brought you last week.
At 1:50 in, you’ll see the ATS test mule in the background, which appears to be on a lift or jack stands, begin to spin its front wheels. Look close enough, and they even seem to accelerate; unless Cadillac is planning a front-wheel-drive version of the ATS (doubtful), that seems like conclusive enough evidence to say that at least one ATS has been built in AWD for testing purposes.
Cadillac has been extremely tight-lipped about the ATS and its development, except for the few official videos it’s released so far. Expect more information when the car makes its official debut at this January’s Detroit Auto Show.