2013 Cadillac ATS

After more plot twists than a soap opera, the new General Motors has finally confirmed a "baby Cadillac." Sized and priced below the premium midsize CTS, the ATS could be an equally impressive domestic entry in the premium-compact-car class.


We've been waiting for the formal birth announcement of a new "baby Cadillac" since fall 2007, when word got out that General Motors was planning such a car to take on theBMW 3-Series and other premium import-brand compacts. Of course, that was before the economy tanked and GM's losses accelerated, forcing the automaker to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and rethink most new-product plans. After just 40 days in court, GM emerged as a smaller but financially
healthier enterprise--albeit still partially owned by the U.S. government thanks to billions in taxpayer loans. And because it's trying to win consumer trust after its historic bankruptcy, "The General" (now more a Lieutenant Colonel in terms of market share) has decided it was a good time to tell us about the new products we will all be paying for.


Hence the press conference and consumer clinic staged in mid-August 2009, where the post-Chapter-11 General Motors Company revealed the broad outlines of what will reach showrooms as the 2013 Cadillac ATS. (Some reports erroneously indicated it would be a 2012 Cadillac ATS.) It's one of five new models promised from GM's flagship brand. The 2010 CTS Sport Wagonand second-generation SRX crossover, and the 2011 CTS Coupe have already hit the market. Still coming is Cadillac's 2013 XTS, the replacement for Cadillac'sDTS and STS sedans and based on a stretched version of the "Epsilon 2" architecture that's used for the redesigned Buick LaCrosse.

Here's where things get sticky. At the preview, GM said the 2013 Cadillac ATS will offer "high-tech engines, rear-wheel drive, and optional all-wheel drive...to take on the best in the segment"--meaning the benchmark 3-Series. It also showed a concept coupe that's supposed to be very close to the finished article, and said an ATS sedan will be offered too. Recent talk has pointed to ATS convertible and wagon variants as well. However, the company has not yet confirmed the all the details.

Some recent reports claim the new Alpha platform will underpin a wide variety of upcoming General Motors products. Said to be very flexible in footprint, the buzz says this new package will replace the Sigma (Cadillac CTS, STS) and Zeta (Pontiac G8, Holden Commodore) platforms in GM's portfolio. If the speculation is true, the 2013 or 2014 Cadillac CTS, next-generation 2014 Chevrolet Camaro, a large Chinese-market Buick sedan, and the replacement for the Holden Commodore will all use this new platform. There may be rear-drive Buick and Chevrolet sedans for the U.S. as well. Check back for updates.