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Community Question: Should Cadillac Continue To Offer A CTS Coupe?

The all-new 2014 Cadillac CTS was revealed just over a week ago at the 2013 New York International Auto Show. In person, the car is simply gorgeous, and is sure to get customers in the driver’s seat based on looks alone. Though depending on who you ask, there’s only going to be one body style for the CTS to choose from, at least as things currently stand.

Nobody is expecting a CTS/CTS-V Wagon to be offered during the life cycle of all-new model. Pity, because we really can’t think of anything else in the world that offered such an amazing combination of driving performance, cargo capacity, and overall luxury. And for that matter, an all-new CTS/CTS-V Coupe may not come to fruition, either. This might affect sales of the CTS, as 30 percent of the current take rate is from the two-door version, though speculation is that an ATS Coupe could fill that void.

At the same time, Mercedes continues to offer an E-Class Coupe, and BMW offers the 6 Series. Neither of which sell in droves, but for the demanding consumer that insists on no more than two doors, they’re available.

All things considered, should the people behind Cadillac find it in themselves to bring an all-new CTS Coupe to market? Or should engineering efforts be put elsewhere? Give us your thoughts in the comments below, and participate in our new poll.

Former staff.

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Comments

  1. Yes, the CTS-V Coupe is the only Caddy I would ever consider buying

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  2. The CTS coupe is stunning and is great for sales. Then add to that the V series and it’s Cadillacs halo car. They’re amazing vehicles in design and performance and with Cadillacs direction they will be winners. Build it.

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  3. oops…

    I think there should DEFINITELY be a ATS coupe
    I think there should DEFINITELY be a CTS wagon
    The CTS coupe, however, is something I would question.

    Remember that this new CTS is a whole new animal. Do not base the argument for a coupe on the current CTS sales. Those buyers are now buying an ATS coupe. The new CTS rivals are the E class, 5 series, GS, and A6. Only 1 of those, the E class, comes in coupe form. (3 of them have a hatch/wagon form)

    GM hasn’t mentioned a $90K touring coupe to rival the CL(S), 6 series (gran coupe), and A7. This is probably a bigger priority for the future of Cadillac. The CTS coupe can exist, but it should not step on its toes.

    My conclusion would be yes, but Cadillac has to be careful.

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  4. Everyone whines and whines that the wagon is going away and it makes me laugh. Do you realize than hardly anyone buys the wagon? 90% of the people on here and other websites cry for the wagon but none of them would actually pony up the cash and purchase one. So it’s no suprise the wagon is going away. The only reason the wagon was built was to get a foot in the European market. As for the coupe, I’d love to see a 6-Series competitor but right now, an ATS Coupe is more importaint because it will attract younger buyers

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  5. It doesn’t make much sense when people say “My current CTS coupe is awesome! they should make the new one a coupe!” The new one is half a class size bigger. It’s more refined and more expensive. Current CTS buyers would be happier buying an ATS coupe. Why is that such a big deal? It’s not like the CTS name has history. It’s a freakin’ acronym.

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  6. I never understood the attraction of coupes. I’ve had both and I’d take a 4-door any day. For me, the loss in utility outweighs any supposed gain in aesthetics. It’s worse than the stupid fins on 1960’s cars – those were useless but at least they didn’t actually detract from the cars functionality. With coupes, you’re actually paying more to get less car.

    The doors on a coupe are larger. Their size doesn’t help you get in and out unless you are unusually huge. In fact, it actually makes it more difficult to get in and out because you often can’t open the door sufficiently if you’re in a crowded parking lot. Plus you’re much more likely to ding the neighboring car. Also, coupes are structurally weaker than 4-doors because there is a larger side area that is not supported by the car’s frame. And I haven’t even touched on the obvious fact that if you have more than two people a coupe is simply a pain in the ass.

    So can someone please explain to me what’s the attraction of a coupe? All I see is a dubious “it looks better” argument, defeated by a very solid “yeah, but works much worse” argument.

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    1. @HenryE who ever said that car buyers (especially luxury car buyers) make purchase decisions based on reasonable arguments, logic, and general utility? 😉

      On a more serious note, the aesthetics/design theory behind coupes makes for a stronger appeal to those buyers than functionality, or any of the reasons you pointed out. Add in their limited attainability (higher exclusivity thanks to higher price), and you have the second reason behind the general attraction of coupes.

      The fact of the matter is that luxury and sport coupes sell in limited numbers but are highly profitable for the automaker, making them an attractive offering. And since appeal and demand exist (albeit small compared to sedans and crossovers), it would be silly to not feed it and profit by it.

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      1. You are, of course, absolutely right that many people buy things (especially cars) to show off, not for practical reasons. And yes, people associate coupes with wealth, youth, bling, etc. I don’t, but I’m in the minority here.

        But I do question whether coupes really are “highly profitable for the automaker” as you put it. Yes, I accept that coupes sell for more than equivalent 4-doors, so on a car-by-car basis, the coupe would come across as more profitable. But does this count all the costs of designing, testing, building, etc, the coupe model?

        Using numbers completely out of thin air, let’s say it costs GM $100 Million to design and bring to market a CTS coupe, over and above whatever they paid for the CTS 4-door. And let’s say GM sells 5,000 CTS coupes per year, and the model run is 5 years. So GM sells 25,000 CTS coupes over the 5 years. That means GM must sell the coupes for at least $4,000 above the price they get for the CTS 4-door, otherwise they should have simply stuck with the 4-door.

        Now, my example is very simplified and discounts a lot of important variables. My only point is that, in the above example, if GM sells a customer on a CTS 4-door for $40,000 or a nearly identical CTS coupe for $43,000, GM might actually make more profit on the lower-priced 4-door.

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    2. “So can someone please explain to me what’s the attraction of a coupe?”

      Because some people can only think in a frame of reference from the 1960’s and not any earlier.

      To them, large and mid-size coupes are what makes a Cadillac a Cadillac; not sedans and wagons. These people are idiots and are nearly xenophobic by deriding other body styles as “too European” and “Not American”. Rather than hold that Cadillac should make cars that appeal to lots of people, they feel that Cadillac should “stick to it’s roots” and “heritage”. Even it it’s detrimental to the growth of Cadillac, they feel that large coupes are what will “save” Cadillac from disappearing into a vacuum of consumer disinterest.

      These people have ignored how the industry has changed in since the 60’s and their thinking reflects it. Just today, I’ve have someone tell me the only way to save Lincoln is with, predictably, a large coupe not unlike the old MK series.

      If Cadillac is to make a CTS or ATS coupe, they may have to sustain a financial loss for years and years before the number of units sold per year is high enough to make a profit. I very much doubt that a new CTS coupe would take it’s respective segment by storm and leave the Germans out.

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      1. Cadillac CTS Coupe actually outsold all of its competitors by a wide margin. If I’m not mistaken,the car is the best selling luxury coupe in America. And it’s not about the dogma of old body styles (at least, that’s not what I’m implying here). Rather, it’s about variety, it’s about growing as a full-line luxury brand, and the possibility of increased sales and conquest buyers because of the variety. But if we are to see a CTS Coupe, it’s imperative for the sedan to do well first.

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  7. How is that even a question… of course they should!!!

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  8. My initial thought is no, because, the ATS 4 door is styled like a “gran coupe.” (reference the BMW GC). It’s not a 1982 Sedan de Ville with a boxy roofline. I think a coupe might not look right like the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix- it looked odd as a coupe. If the sales can justify it then fine, but if it’s a question mark they shouldn’t.
    I used to be strictly a coupe and V8 RWD guy, but the products have changed, I got over it.

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    1. @Michael Yes, but (outside of a few exceptions like the CLS) a four-door is a sedan… not a coupe, no matter how it was made to look.

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  9. Personally, I don’t GM have any thing to loose by building the new CTS coupe. Cadillac needs a coupe to compete with BMW’s 6- series, Jaguar XK, and even the E-Class coupe. I thought the XLR look great. So I also think, that Caddy needs a coupe to compete with the 3-series, Lexus IS, Audi A-5. In my opinion, ATS and CTS coupe/convertibles are definitely needed to gain more market share along with broadenig the brands global appeal.

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  10. Yes, I think they need it. Purely for the sake of having a performance model in the line up.

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  11. Just build a few; they will sell.

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  12. Alex, being the evolution of art and science is more advanced on the CTS, the decision is to take this further with the coupe of the CTS. This will grow current buyers already an established market and we are number 1 in the market. an ats is not out of the question but behind the CTS as far as coupe goes hope this helps.

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    1. Interesting, as that’s been pretty much the opposite of what’s currently being reported.

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  13. Yes they should, I know coupes don’t generate much if any profit but they are a great image car for the company. You can never have too many coupes.

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    1. @V8 Jon For luxury manufacturers, coupes are highly profitable. That’s why every single one of them offers at least one coupe, and it’s also the reason for the recent onslaught of four-door coupes.

      The reason for the coupes’ (and 4-door coupes’) increased profitability is simple: they carry a much higher price tag, but cost nearly the same amount to build — especially if the coupe variant of the sedan was in the plans for the vehicle line to begin with (and the manufacturing plant was built with coupe production in mind).

      So, not only do coupes make total financial sense for the luxury automakers, but they also deliver on the aspects you mentioned, including building image and brand cachet.

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  14. Cadillac does need a coupe. However, in the tradition of the company, it should be a stand -alone brand not just a two door version based on a current offering…something like the Eldorado.

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    1. Don — the tradition that you refer to is being (has been?) erased, and is no longer relevant. In fact, Cadillac is trying to rid itself oh-so-quickly of the image it had when the likes of the Eldorado was produced.

      The practice of naming sedans and coupes differently may have worked a decade or two ago, but today, there’s a reason that every single luxury manufacturer (that matters, and is respected, and whose products are truly desirable) uses its sedans as an engineering and branding base for its vehicles, including:

      Mercedes-Benz
      BMW
      Audi
      Lexus
      … and soon, Cadillac.

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  15. It should be an ATS coupe and ATS wagon now with the redesign of the CTS.

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