ATS Will Make Cadillac “Cool”
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It’s no secret that before the introduction of the CTS, Cadillac was the embodiment of old-school luxury. This was mostly due to the fact that the Caddys of yore had very little sporting intentions, even though they did feature some impressive and groundbreaking powertrain technology… on occasion.
Yet since the majority of luxury cars live in the sport compact segment — and since Cadillac was devoid of such a vehicle since its inception — the brand has been missing out on compact buyers — most of whom are young. We already know that the Cadillac ATS looks to change all that, especially since not having a car in the sport compact luxury space meant that “we haven’t been cool”, said Cadillac marketing chief Don Butler.
Perhaps more important is the fact that the ATS was one of the first products developed by the New General Motors, which allowed it to be created differently than some of the other products offered by the company. “The old GM way of doing things would have been to take a look in the parts bin and see what we could piece together,” said Butler. But this wasn’t the case with the ATS. “This isn’t a CTS with parts taken off it to make it lighter.”
And for good measure, because from everything we’ve heard about the next-gen CTS, it will be an ATS, with parts put on it to make it longer… and heavier.
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It has a good chance ……….. but the base 2.5L needs to be in the Verano and Cruze not the ATS.
BMW and Merc offer similar power plants as base engines in the 3 Series and C-class, makes sense for Cadillac to as well.
The base of the 3 series is a turbo 2.0 with 240hp and 260 lb.-ft of torque. Not similar to the 2.5 at all.
the 320i has a 180hp base engine
And is the 320i available in the States?
Silent..you are correct, 2.5 is not a turbo…however, it is a good, solid engine for normal driving; I drove it and loved it and for me is just fine…..a Tubo would be better I think in the liong run; will see later on if I actually get one 🙂
Most young people cannot afford a Cadillac I’m thinking…not in this economy….but I hope there are enough who can.
The ATS isn’t a volume car like a Cruze, they don’t need 100000 to the 25-30yr olds buying the ATS in order to claim it has pulled in the younger demographic.
There a plenty of younger people making enough money to purchase a new ATS.
Andrew….we will see how it sells; I wish Cadillac luck for sure with ATS. I am thinking about one
Dan, in referring to a “young demographic”, the consumer profile refers to those in their 20s and 30s (occasionally 40s) who would buy a competitive model such as a 3er, C class, IS, etc. The goal is to make a customer for life starting with his/her first luxury car and then move the customer through the Cadillac lineup as they age. In other words, its a given that a young luxury buyer is a buyer who can afford the vehicles in the entry premium/luxury segment.
Alex, I understand….saying young can be very vague for sure….30s and 40s is still young of course….I bought my first Cadillac when I was mid 30s and will buy another one someone day .
Autocar had some good initial observations about the ATS and gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars on a “First Drive” (not a full test or a comparison test).
“Caddy has learned from the mistakes of [the truly horrid Cimarron of the early 1980s]. The new ATS isn’t a badge-engineered Chevrolet but a handsome, surprisingly competent junior exec that largely achieves everything it set out to do. Its biggest flaw is the image of the Cadillac brand itself. This just might be the right car to achieve the necessary word of mouth.”
They also thought that “the new Cadillac Cue system [was] arguably the most user-friendly multimedia system on the market.”
I think Autocar hit it on the head – the biggest obstacle for the ATS will be the Cadillac brand. I know so many people who drive either an A3, C-class or 3-Series that it’s going to be very hard to get them to even consider a Cadillac.
At least around LA, most of the cars in this segment are leased, so the “stickiness” of a lease is hard for a competitor to overcome. When a customer gets a call from the dealer a few months before their lease ends inviting the customer to turn his/her car in a bit early and drive off with a brand new car for about the same payment, it’s just easier to do than to let the lease expire, go through the inspection and return process (and possibly pay additional fees) and change to a different brand.
Cadillac will have its work cut out for it and it needs to offer some extremely attractive lease payments to lure customers. It also needs more dealers. In Metro LA, there is only ONE Cadillac dealer from Downtown west to Hollywood to Beverly Hills to West LA to Santa Monica. And that one dealer is kind of old and tired and not exactly prepared to do battle with the much more numerous German dealerships that by far outnumber the General. It’s an uphill climb, to say the least.
Todd…………LA is BMW country in my experience….see them everywhere. Cadillac is seen as anice car but I hope that image can change a bit….the more the car is seen out and about it may help image. I’m still thinking of getting one 🙂
Yes, Alex, it is a very cool car. Like others have said, leases and dsicounts will probably be needed to really move its sales……I hope it does very well. I am still waiting to see/drive one.
Gee I hope the next CTS isn’t that much heavier than the ATS. I was thinking maybe like 3700 lbs would be fine
Tend to disagree about Cadillac being “cool” ? Last time I checked several Cadillac models were cool, Escalade, CTS-V, CTS coupe? Not really affordable, but “cool”.
In my opinion the ATS owes it’s existence/goodness not to the 3-series, but to big brother CTS. The CTS has been around for 10 years now and it has done a great job proving Cadillac can compete with the germans at “their” game. .
Cool is an odd description of Cadillac…but image is trying to be updated….however, Cadillac means luxury and high style traditionally..if that is taken away, I wonder what people will think of it then?
Alex, I was just thinking today that the huge success of the original Seville might be an example of what ATS can do tfor Cadillac today? Hope so….just nothing quite like a nice new Cadillac…I know it gets a lot of looks
Most Caddy dealers are old and tired and not exactly prepared to do battle with anyone. The sales force is old and tired not ready to do battle with anyone that comes in and hits them up for hard information about anything on the lot. Now thats not to say that every Caddy sales person is on geritol, but around here they are.
Rijon….totaly untrue about Cadillac dealers I have ever visited
Dan : Thats why I said……..and I quote.
“Now thats not to say that every Caddy sales person is on geritol, but around here they are.”
As I stated above, my experience is that Cadillac’s dealer body isn’t equipped to sell to BMW and Mercedes customers. The one I mentioned is staffed by fossils. There is another Caddy dealership over the hill in the dreaded Valley (yes, as in Valley Girl). That dealer seems to have a sales staff more on the ball, but the dealership as a whole has a horrible reputation and very negative stuff on Yelp. My direct experience with that dealer group was on repairs for my Dad’s Subaru. They ripped him off and took advantage of his age (he’s in his 90s). When I did research on them, that’s when I saw all the horrible reviews of not just the Subie dealer but the Caddy and other brands they owned.
Sure, Yelp and other consumer review sites are filled with negative things, but you usually see others with positive experiences too. It pays for dealerships to pay attention to these things as the younger buyer (and even middle aged ones like me) do Google searches and look to Yelp to check into a dealer.
I’m sure things vary at different locations as much as things vary from state-to-state or city-to-city. But consistency and customer focus is what made Lexus (it wasn’t the exciting cars) and what the Germans have been honing for decades. To sell the ATS, Cadillac and its dealers need to do better.
I have purchased two Cadillacs…first one in Hollywood….it was a super experince…professionals and I left with a wonderful feeling
There hasn’t been a Cadillac dealer in Hollywood for a very long time. I’ve lived in LA all my life and i cant even remeber a Hollywood Caddy dealer. And the Beverly Hills dealer has been gone for at least a decade. Whatever was in the past is long gone. Time for a major upgrade.
Yes, Hollywood dealer closed and the Beverly Hills one left about 1988…so that means West LA on Olympic and the Valley, Thousand Oaks area, and south of LA…so, it is a drive about to get to a dealer….I would think the bankrupcy destroyed a lot also. Hopefully things will change for customers
There is Simonsons Leasing in Beverly Hills…Hillcrest is long gone, sadly. but there is Lexus; I guess Lexus is a big seller there!
I used to work down the street from Martin in West LA….a nice dealer. A former boss bought her Cadillac in Beverly Hilss….too bad another dealer can’t come along in Miracle Mile or closer in…
I know many people who can buy what they like; sadly, none own Cadillacs….BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, and Lexus…..image is not there for some reason. I will see if any will change…My good LA friend looked at CTS coupe…I think she will go for one as time goes on. She said only a white one:)
I did see today online that ATS can be leased for $289 in Woodland Hills, CA, and $269 in Detroit area….
Dan — the down payment is most likely the reason for the difference…
Alex, it was about $2100….not bad…they all varied….I see Cadillac had $369 at zero down….they are all different per delaer , I guess….I suppose depends on how well each dealer is selling? Interesting to see how they change so often…Verano was $169 or so.
Alex, as you said before, ATS is brand new, so it will be a while before we can see the sales figures and the desire for this car….it is really getting some major awards. Makes me think there is a very good chance for success here. I am still thinking of one but I am waiting a bit. All I know is that it is a lovely car with lots of potential; Cadillac crest says a lot about it.. Class and style both at once 🙂
Not cool enough I guess. A friend just bought a new BMW 3 series. Said he’s not old enough for a Caddy no matter what Caddy it is.
Not to worry. It’s the first in a long line of products that are part of the new Cadillac strategy.
I saw a guy at Cadillac lot in BMW sedan….he was looking at SRX….maybe a second car….I think it had zero %…a ’12, I bet…..
Yes Alex, but the question is not……Will the long line of products that are part of the new Cadillac strategy make Cadillac “Cool”
You’re missing the point. The ATS is the first in the long line of new products. Both will turn brand perception around. Perhaps not for your BMW friend, yet slowly but surely.
Alex, yes, Cadillac is American so some people will never buy it, many others are/will. Look at Buick’s wonderful success, XTS sales are super, etc. No one is forced to buy anything; shopping around will result in some good GMC/Cadiilac sales, I know…remember that article about Miami and the Buick sales? I see New York and LA are responding very well to Cadillac also 🙂
Nope not missing anything … This thread is about the ATS. I don’t see anything in the heading “ATS Will Make Cadillac “Cool”” that points out the long line of products that are part of the new Cadillac strategy.
Are you going to make a point, or beat around the bush?
Alex, some people probably do not have much of a point to make…like all the noise that is not heard in the ATS? Just saying.
Alex your thread is about the “ATS” not “Caddy” as a whole. Sorry if you don’t understand your own posting.
ATS Will Make Cadillac “Cool”
RJ, you seem to lack the simple ability to see the bigger picture. Good work!
Alex your thread was not about the BIGGER picture. It is about the ATS in the Cadilac line up. Maybe start a new thread on Caddys big picture and not the ATS.
RJ — so what? The topic and following discussion isn’t insular to the ATS. It’s a work in progress for the model and for the brand. One is not disparate from the other. In other words, looking at the ATS without looking at 1) Cadillac as a brand and 2) Cadillac’s future models is missing the forest for the trees.
Even so, the strategy is working. Maybe not for your friend who bought the BMW, but it’s a colossal improvement that represents the first of many future steps for The Wreath and Crest:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/11/70-percent-of-cadillac-ats-buyers-new-to-brand/
Now, is your goal to steer a healthy discussion into some kind of badinage?