Do you know what happens when you build a class-leading vehicle? You get nominated for the 2013 North American Car of the Year award — that’s what.
The ATS is among the three finalists for the COTY award, selected by a panel of 49 journalists. The ATS is up against the 2013 Ford Fusion and 2013 Honda Accord — neither of which holds a candle to the ATS in terms of performance or driving dynamics… but we digress.
Offered in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations as well as a choice of powerful yet fuel-efficient four- and six-cylinder engines, the ATS also happens to be the lightest car in its class thanks to its unique vehicle architecture. Dubbed Alpha, the platform is engineered for nimble and sporty driving performance.
“The all-new ATS is the result of a comprehensive and focused mission to create a new sport sedan that challenges the world’s best,” said vice president of Cadillac marketing Don Butler. “It’s rewarding to the entire team that created ATS to be recognized for its hard work by auto experts.”
The COTY winner will be announced on January 14th during the North American International Auto Show. The car that’s not on the shortlist of COTY contenders, however, is the much-maligned Chevy Malibu — which has been criticized mostly for its subpar fuel economy and lackluster rear-seat room; the midsize sedan is crucial to GM’s sales volume success, and is expected to receive a refresh sometime next year.
The 2013 Truck of the Year (TOTY) finalists include the Ford C-Max (is that a “truck”?), Mazda CX-5, and Ram 1500. The last time a GM product won a COTY or a TOTY was the Chevy Volt, which took the 2011 award.
So, who do you think will win the COTY this year? Vote in the poll and sound off in the comments below!
Comments
Cadillac ATS is also a finalist in the autoguide.com COTY as well…..this only shows how stellar a cat the ATS really is……Cadillac deserves to win both award, and if it wasn’t for the Tesla…..I am sure it would have won motor trends golden calipers as well
Autoguide? The Dane Cook of car sites…
Cadillac is really doing a great job…after so much anticipation of this car, I think we are seeing the rewards of excellence; the designers should be very proud of a job well-done 🙂
The ATS would top the Ford or Honda easily, but it bothers me that it’s a premium brand. Are BMW, Merc, Lexus allowed into this group? It makes me uneasy that it could win.
What allowed it to compete that forced others out? I mean, a Ferrari would win hands down, so why isn’t it in the running?
because value for the dollar is part of the equation….
I definitely want the ATS to win, but I know for sure the Fusion is the most likely winner, as for the accord, there are endless amounts of cars that should have came before it.
ford fusion nominate whit recall wow..
James, the COTY award is given to cars that are new for a given model year, so each year a manufacturer may introduce a new or updated model. The ATS nameplate and platform of course is brand new for 2013, the Fusion and Accord are brand new restylings and platforms for 2013 thus they are in the hunt… If Ferrari was introducing a new car then yes it could be in the hunt as well; however just because a car company introduces a cool car doesnt mean it is right for the masses, or affordable and reliable for the common driver. Thus you have genrally more down to earth cars like the ATS, Accord and Fusion winning the Car of the year award… And thus you see in the advertisments ect… That such and such companies car won the car of the year award.
I believe it will come down to the Honda Accord and the Cadillac ATS. The Fusion has 2 recalls going against it and these recalls are of a fire nature, not a good sign to be COTY with warnings on fires. I like the Accord , for it looks upscale. But love the ATS, for it being an honest attempt to show the World, Americans can make a World Class compact luxury sedan with the performance to match.
The ATS has a lot going for itself the only weakness that’s holding it back is its transmission and a beta cue system, which isn’t that hard of a fix with software updates and a better tranny makes the ATS a winner in my eyes ,right now the ATS is 68% there
There is more than one transmission; from what I understand the manual has its challenges but isnt the end of the world.