The omission of a redesigned CTS coupe from the Cadillac lineup may have given discomfort to Cadillac fans, but perhaps the 2015 ATS coupe will be a good substitute. Set to debut this summer at $38,990 including destination, the ATS coupe has all the magnificent competencies that the sedan has but in a style that a coupe could only bring.
“All of the surface development unique to the ATS Coupe was done with aerodynamics in mind,” says ATS chief engineer, David Masch. “We are able to achieve lift and downforce requirements to insure, at top speed, we retain handling without having to add a rear spoiler.” The roof, doors, rear fenders, and trunk lid are not shared with the sedan. Additionally, the front fenders and fascia are different to handle a wider track with 18-inch wheels.
What shared, however, is the sedan’s tight chassis with 109.3-inch wheelbase that has drawn praise from the automotive media on both sides of the Atlantic. Yet at 60.3 inches front and 61.7 inches rear, the coupe has a 0.8-inch wider track. Overall height is 1.1 inches lower than the sedan’s; overall length is longer by 0.8 inches.
“The wider track also helps improve steering precision and direct response. The lower roof contributes to a lower center of gravity height, which also reduces roll and improves steering response,” says Cadillac Executive Chief Engineer David Leone.
Indeed, the coupe is not just an ATS sedan with two doors lopped off—it’s designed to be lighter, more agile, and more engaging than the already superb sedan (and, naturally, its competitors). When the ATS coupe hits the street this summer, enthusiasts  will have the choice of rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and the power from a 2.0L turbo-four or a 3.6L six.
Comments
While the ATS Coupe is great, and would make more sense at $38k if there was an Alpha G6 Coupe with the same underpinnings at, say, $28k, there isn’t.
Today this car costs within ~$500 of the outgoing CTS Coupe. Which might make sense in a few years when CTS Coupes are long gone – but today?
My mother’s in the market for a new car, and without explaining ATS vs CTS, I laid out the two spec sheets (’15 ATS Coupe and ’14 CTS Coupe) – she said “You’re kidding, right?” She’s test driving the CTS Coupe later this week.
The only way this MSRP makes sense, is if you’re going to be offering incentives up to the highest mountain tops. Which, I suspect, Cadillac is going to do.
It’s a great car. It’s just tragic there’s no luxury-delete version. Genesis Coupe is breathing a sigh of relief there.
“The only way this MSRP makes sense, is if you’re going to be offering incentives up to the highest mountain tops.”
Or the ATS coupe is a better built car than the outgoing CTS coupe. There’s no need for Sigma anymore, so you can happy your mother is driving something less than cutting edge.
The Camaro starts at $23,555 by the way.
There will be a luxury-delete Alpha coupe and it will be called Camaro.
If an Alpha Camaro can be more mainstream, catering to both pony car and mainstream sport car buyers, then you’re right. If it maintains the visibility profile that only a pony car buyer would love, it will send mainstream buyers straight to the imports.
I have no problem with a Camaro being an enthusiast-catering pony car. I’m not asking for it to change.
Camaro today it isn’t a G6 Coupe, Cobalt SS, or anything like a luxury-delete ATS. If Alpha will change that, and keep Camaro fans happy, I’m all for that.
That is why I really wanted the Tru 140s to come to the market! A 1.4t I4 (180HP/195FT-LBS) for LS, 1LT, and 1LTZ, the 2LT and 2LTZ get a 1.8t I4 (250HP/295FT-LBS) while the SS gets a 2.8t V6 (325HP/345FT-LBS).
The G6 was already a good sedan, but needed a better interior and engine/transmission lineup to make stand out from the croud.
Lets see my GTP in 2004 stickered at $32,000 in 2004 and most G6 were stickered at or just over $30K back when they came out.
I hate to tell you but a $28K Alpha would not give you much today.
The reality today is the average price of a car is well over $30K today and until you get to around $35K and higher there is not much in the way or real performance and options other than a stripped down V6 Camaro.
I would let them finish the Camaro and just see what you get in the V6 model and I would also wait to see just what Buick has coming.
$38K for a start on this car is admirable and almost too cheap to be exclusive as Cadillac wants to become. But they need to get butts in the seats and show people they really are world class competitive.
I was stunned the other day and read a ATS review where they said once you get used to the CUE it is not all bad.
A GXP (formerly GTP) would feature a high-performance engine. It’s not fair to compare a Pontiac GXP sticker price to a base Cadillac price – totally different engines there.
Nowhere did I ask for a Pontiac GXP with a starting price of $28k. A G6 GXP Coupe with a Twin Turbo V6 would be an awesome car for around, well, $38k.
There are plenty of people that want to trade luxurious seating, Cue infotainment, and noise-deadening for a TTV6 or NA V8. Today they’re stuck with Hyundai, Dodge, or buying used.
GM knows there is a market there, that’s why the second-gen G6 was going to be based on the ATS and was going to be the first New GM Pontiac… a plan we now know President Obama’s Task Force was the party that forced into the ground.
Please don’t get me started! A 3.6tt G6 sounds more than awesome! I can only dream (unless Ms. Barra wants to bring back Pontiac?).
But we all know that when ordering options on Cadillac’s, prices can get high. I’d say the average selling price for the ATS Coupe will be around $45K-$50K.
Not a high price for such a nice Coupe
Regards from Spain
Cadillac is a luxury automaker.
A “luxury-delete” ATS is a contradiction in terms and is ridiculous. It will never exist.
Fun (Relevant) Fact: Bob Lutz confirmed last year that the second-generation Pontiac G6 was to be based off the Cadillac ATS.
Not like GM isn’t aware of the demand here.
At the time the new second gen G6 was even considered it would have only been an idea as Pontiac died when the Alpha was only on paper. While that may have been the direction there was no certainty that it would have happened.
Bob also had a GTO long before that set to appear on the Zeta but we never saw that too.
The key here is Bob had a lot of good ideas to save Pontiac but he did not have some other things.
#1 he did not have overwhelming support.
#2 he did not have the money needed.
#3 he did not have the time needed to pull it off.
#4 he did not have enough sales to justify any programs.
I believe if Bob had gotten to GM 5-8 years earlier he may have had a chance but as it is he had no chance from the time he arrived.
If you read his book Car Guys vs Bean Counters he talks of this and said he felt that GM saved the wrong division with Buick but now looking back he even states he was wrong on that one. He though moving into China with Buick was a mistake but now admits his error. That is what I do like about Bob is he is one that will point out his mistakes or bad calls he has made. It takes a good leader to do that.
Besides do you understand the cost of a G6 3.6? It would not have been cheap.
As for the Cadillac price they have to be expensive and more exclusive as Bob also pointed out in his book. You make these cars cheap and then they end up in rental fleets and then dumped on the market cheap. The last thing you want is what happed to the Town Car and Deville where they were so cheap they ended up in the average Joe’s garage or in front of the rec hall at every trailer park on bingo night.
As for the G 6 price the non GXP car with out massive discounts were right at $30K if they were nicely optioned.
That same car today would be where the Regal is now and doing the same job as the Regal is at the same price. The GS stickers at $38K with AWD and a nice standard Regal is over $32K or over.
Also you would have the Regal and G6 overlapping the same markets. Again you do not need that in this competitive market. Why spend the money on two cars when one will do the job.
I would watch Buick and the Regal and Lacrosse will be transformed into vehicles much different than what you see today. You should see a return to RWD and more AWD performance models that Chevy could not sell at their price level.
Trust me I loved Pontiac and still own a Pontiac and will continue to own it. I do not Obama and could blame a lot of things on him but the Death of Pontiac was a long time coming within GM as It was a very damaged brand.
Today there is not enough room for so many divisions or the cost of running so many divisions anymore.
It is like a carpenter he may need a 2 pound claw hammer but does he need 5 of them from 5 different companies in his tool box?
We did “see” the Zeta GTO – Holden Coupe60 was it. General Motor’s plan was to continue offering the G8 domestically and create a GTO Coupe (using Coupe60), once the economy began to post positive GDP, as the two Pontiac models. That would have kept Pontiac until ~2014 with the return of the second-gen G6.
It wasn’t GM that vetoed that plan.
I merely continued the conversation to dismiss those that believe that the luxury-delete ATS Coupe is irrational or something un-holy to GM. It not only isn’t, it is well documented that GM attempted it and was forced by the government to stop developing it.
Some people refuse to consider that there are divergent, valid opinions on this subject. Those people need to just go away, in my opinion.
“I merely continued the conversation to dismiss those that believe that the luxury-delete ATS Coupe is irrational or something un-holy to GM.”
A “luxury-delete” Cadillac ATS is a contradiction in terms and is ridiculous. It should be very telling to everyone that no other luxury automaker would ever offer such a foolish proposition as a “luxury delete” option.
Luxury is about having what others do not. By stripping away all the luxuries and comfort idiosyncrasies of the ATS, the “luxury delete” ATS would be reduced to having no redeeming qualities that would make the car anymore noteworthy than a Sonic; drivetrains notwithstanding.
I should expect as much an understanding about what a luxury is from someone who holds Pontiac in high regard, and pangs for the brands return; crying that he’s trapped in a time period where “affordable performance” is an oxymoron.
“It not only isn’t, it is well documented that GM attempted it and was forced by the government to stop developing it.”
Everyone knew about the Alpha G6. GMI had it on their timeline page years ago, along with the stillborn Phi and Tau RWD platforms that would have underpinned the GP and Bonneville respectively. All of them were non-modular anyway, and would have been needless overlap.
Why you’d bother to blame the US government is anyone’s guess; probably because they are an easy target, or rather that the cost to research, engineer, manufacture, and market a compact RWD platform at a price that you and your mother would agree with is an unrealistic pipe dream that dates back o the 1960’s. I’d go with he latter as it actually is believable, as having the US government pull the plug was no different than pulling euthanizing a cancerous 92 year old man; his passing bothers nobody and is quickly forgotten.
Get over yourself. If you want a RWD toy to play with, pay for it and get the best. Work harder, work longer, be productive, and stop blaming your shortcoming on governmental decision to cull a brand that was broken and directionless for 40 years. After all, it’s the American way to work hard and to reward yourself with something nice, isn’t it? Who’d want to reward themselves with a down-market Pontiac?
You’ve seen ‘Poolside’, right? Head in that direction.
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