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Cadillac ATS Take Rate Is Nearly 70 Percent Made Up Of Conquest Buyers

The Cadillac ATS sold 3,587 units in March 2013 — just short of the combined sales of the Audi A4/Allroad. But it still has a ways to go if it plans on catching up to the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C Class in sales, both of which raked in over 8,000 sales in the same month (the 3 Series actually came closer to 9,000 units).

But here’s the impressive part: according to Cadillac VP of US Marketing Don Butler to WardsAuto, the ATS is a net for conquest buyers, with nearly 70 percent of sales coming from former customers of rivals such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and even Lexus.

This is a very positive sign for Cadillac, and more so for the ATS: offering only one body style and not even being on the market for a full year, the ATS is managing to attract customers from the competition. Plus, the car is only expected to continue gaining momentum.

Of the ATS sales mix, 50 percent of buyers opt for the 2.0L turbocharged engine, while the 2.5L four-pot and 3.6L V6 each get 25 percent of the sales pie.

Photo by Steven Pham.

Former staff.

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Comments

  1. This is good to see as this is the only way Cadillac will grow. Thy need to take buyers from other makes as they need not fish in the GM pond for new buyers.

    The CTS should just continue to add to this.

    These new cars are going to set a new vibe at Cadillac. I just hope the new owners experience is killer so they will be back for more. Quality and Dealer Service need to spot on.

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  2. FWD wouldn’t have done such a good job…

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  3. If Cadillac is serious with going against the Europeans, there is only one way to do it:

    Go global.

    Live up to being the ‘Standard of the World’ and penetrate every market possible.

    BMW and Mercedes are attractive brands because they are recognizable everywhere; Cadillac has never gone completely out of the US in decades and is only aggressive in China. There are several generations of people in the world who grew up thinking of Cadillacs as the land barges of yore, and as a luxury brand, they must change this perception.

    Now that they have a very competitive lineup, achieving this will be quite attainable.

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    1. They will be. But a lot needs to be done for Cadillac before it’s ready to enter Europe.

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  4. That 3.6 is showing up in all kinds of states of tune. How about trying out the 400plus HP edition?

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  5. Cadillac R&D has put together a competitive and compelling product in the ATS. Now it’s time for GMAC/Ally Financial to put together an extremely aggressive leasing program. A huge percentage of BMW 320/328i sales occur on lease with free scheduled maintenance.

    If the physical dimensions on an ATS are within millimeters of a 328i than a lease program should be within a few dollars too! Much like the Buick Experience, Cadillac needs a similar program particularly for their entry model. I think the new ATS has the residuals to do it.

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  6. I read articles like this about the ATS and the CTS and I think “Why wasn’t Cadillac doing this back in the 90’s”? The Catera was available back then, but nobody is really remembering that car as being something truly special.

    The ATS is truly special. Lots of cars be said to have reshaped public opinion of the brand that makes them; those cars are special. Fewer can be said to have reshaped public opinion in a positive manner. In this way, the ATS is truly special.

    As I’ve said before, I never once expected the ATS to dethrone the 3 in a model year; that’s just being unrealistic. The ATS might never reach such volume of 7000K units per quarter, but I can’t fault Cadillac for ACTUALLY trying and doing a damn good job at it.

    I can only look at the ATS and think that brighter days lie ahead for it. Each new model year adds more features, and some day the second gen ATS will come around and male the current one look inferior. All the while, with each passing day, Cadillac will remove another shackle that held it down for over 50 years, and thrive.

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  7. Good sales figures for its first year out of the box…impressive really.IF the new model year ushers in some better standards and gives more than competition, I bet it will do even better 🙂

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  8. to be honest i agree with some people about the ATS not reaching that many sells, but it will take time…..trying to change such a strong market value from one car to the next will take this gen. and the next gen ATS. Also the coupe and the wagon of the ATS still havent come out nor have the V’s of these cars………so we will wait and see…..with the momentum cadillac has now i see them truly becoming the standard of the world when there line up is full and complete…..

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  9. Encouraging news. This is the direction they need to go, keep whittling away at the competitions numbers.

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  10. Surly with Audi & BMW continuing to go more mainstream with every model (small hatchbacks, crossover mini SUV’s etc) it is time for Cadillac to fill the gap they will leave (before Mercedes & Jaguar do) & sell premium cars people want & need to a global audience.

    Reply

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