In October 2010 General Motors announced a significant decision for its Cadillac brand. That luxury marque, which sells midsize and larger vehicles, would finally be getting a compact car. And not just any sedan — this one will take on the segment leading BMW 3-Series when it comes to the market within the next few years.
Compact Cimarron
Granted, this is not GM’s first attempt at building a compact car. From 1982 to 1988 we had the Cimarron, a J-body based car underpinned by the same platform powering similar Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Buick models. Right there you had a big problem — this Cadillac was barely distinguishable from other GM models: sure, it had a special grill, tail light treatments and leather interior, but customers saw right through the Cimarron. When GM pulled the model in 1988 it was a mercy killing.
In the 1990s, GM introduced to the North America market the Catera, a small mid-size sedan from Opel. This car was better than the Cimarron, but it still fell short. Introduced in 1998 and dropped in 2003, the Catera was the “Cadillac that zigged,” prized for responsive handling and an upscale interior, but no competitor for the likes of BMW, Mercedes, Audi and other luxury European makes.
CTS Line
In 2003, GM introduced the CTS line, a midsize sedan that has finally proven that GM can build a European fighting model. This line has since incorporated a coupe, wagon and high output versions of the car, but GM still didn’t have an entry level luxury car to compete against small BMW, Lexus and Mercedes models.
The proposed Cadillac ATS remains a bit of a mystery. GM used its announcement to talk about expanding production at its Grand River plant in Michigan and adding jobs, but said little about the car itself. That may be due to the company’s pending reveal of a concept of the ATS at an upcoming auto show, most likely the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Pure Speculation
At this point, what we can say about the ATS is based on speculation only. So take these words with a grain of salt, but compare what I have to say with the released concept.
Expect that the Cadillac ATS will share the same modified Chevrolet Cruze platform underpinning the upcoming Buick Verano. The compact Cadillac will get a base, but potent inline-four engine and offer the 3.0-liter V-6 found in the SRX and CTS. Seating five passengers, this car may be introduced in Europe where it’ll also offer a diesel engine.
That’s it! Not much to speculate other than to say that GM wants a slice of the compact executive car market, currently dominated by BMW and a logical step to bring people into the Cadillac fold.