General Motors introduced the next chapter for the acclaimed Alpha architecture at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last month, the 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe.
Even though the ATS Coupe rides on the same architecture as the Sedan, it has a more aggressive, sporty stance thanks to a 20mm increase in width in the front and a 40mm increase in the rear. The two-door also uses a different roof, trunk lid, doors, rear fender, front fender and front fascia than its four-door counterpart.
The ATS Coupe is the first production car to sport Cadillac’s newly revised crest, which will start to appear on 2015 model year and newer Cadillacs. The emblem, now without its iconic wreathe, is a large step away from the current shield with a smaller, more stretched design. The new emblem makes its presence known on the ATS Coupe, appearing relatively large on the front grille.
The ATS Coupe represents a new era for two-door Cadillacs. It carries a more mature, grown-up design language than the outgoing CTS Coupe, while still remaining visually striking. But design is a subjective matter, so tell us, is the Cadillac ATS Coupe Hot or Not?
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Comments
Very hot! I am leasing a Regal now but if Buick doesn’t come out with a coupe before 19 months passes and my lease ends, this will most certainly be my next ride. I’ve had three Buicks in a row, I’m not thrilled however with the current Buick lineup. Idk maybe I’ll change my mind.
This ATS coupe is much more elegant than the 428i, I think that it will compete very favorably with the BMW. This new car is beautiful, keep it up Cadillac!!
Buick needs to refresh its lineup (except Regal, LaCrosse and Enclave). The Verano needs a 3/5-Door hatch and the Regal needs a coupe, convertible and wagon. .
I completely agree Evan, Buick needs to realize that not everyone needs or wants a 4 door sedan.
I absolutely love my CTS coupe. Most likely will get another one. I get a lot of compliments on the car. The new ATS back end is very boring. It looks like a sedan. People that get a two door car do not want their car looking like a boring sedan.
Regal/Insignia is my favorite GM car. This design is bold yet not over done. Opel/Buick needs to remember this car as they put the finishing design touches on the next generation line up.
I sometimes think Opel/Buick offers a more compelling design language than Caddy with the ATS coupe being a keen example.
Weak ATS/CTS demand should really concern GM. It demonstrates how far Caddy still needs to go in terms of persuading buyers to give the line a try.
Handsome and somewhat hot car. They could have made it hotter by having a very raked roofline toward the back like the CTS coupe, but I’m glad they didn’t. That car had a useless back seat due to lousy rear seat headroom, in a 4000 lb car. This roofline looks like it should be able to fit people in the back seat, with their heads attached. Way to go, GM!
Why must all GM designs have huge, high rear ends? That makes them look heavy and like they’re in panic stop mode all the time.
I agree with bronc624. The CTS and its’ roofline suggests hatch but does look good. No room back there because of this. On the other hand the ATS is totally new because we’ve been assaulted by sedans now for so many years and thus completely, totally HOT because of this and I love it.
I don’t think it’s fair to compare the ATS coupe with the 2nd gen CTS coupe. A different segment, a different platform, and a different expression of A&S.
That, and I think the 2nd gen CTS couple is kinda vulgar looking; that it worked well in 2009, but not so much in 2014.
Graw, I do understand the differences, but both are Cadillac coupes, more specifically the only one available at each time. The ATS coupe now is to the lineup what the CTS coupe was. And, when I see the CTS coupe on the road, I still love the looks. But then I think of how useless it is for more than 2 people.
On an unrelated note, damn the coupe looks good in that blue!!
I think vulgar might have been too strong a word.
The CTS coupe was, and still is, striking in it’s appearance. But the Grawdaddy of 2009 is dead and isn’t as provoked and moved by the car as he once was.
Maybe it’s my change in tastes, but back then the CTS coupe didn’t feel alien to me, it felt “of the times we lived in”. Whereas today, I’d sooner have the ATS coupe instead of the CTS coupe because the ATS looks like it belongs in 2014 (or the 2015 MY).
It is entirely possible that GM could produce a 3rd gen CTS coupe, and I image it would look damn brilliant. But there would be no shortage of people bemoaning the loss of the CTS coupe to ‘softening’ – a symptom of the evolution of A&S.
The ATS coupe is subtle in it’s appearance and I feel that doing so widens the appeal of the car. By not pushing towards styling extremes like the CTS coupe, it gives the ATS greater leverage. If GM wants teh ATS to be a little brash, we can wait for the V.
So sexy! I’ll take a RWD Performance 2.0t, Majestic Plum Metallic and Kona Brown. .
I always agree with you except now. 🙂
CTS is perfectly seamless, unique in so far as a truly American language of design and the furthest thing possible from vulgar. It takes risks, much like French design, but those risks produce a stellar and most beautiful pay off.
Manwhile this ATS Coupe looks too German, an amalgamation of BMW, Audi and Benz–Buick turf.
I feel like GM is sprinting away from A&S in favor of rounded edges and (safe) vanilla design.
I liked the CTS coupe but as we can see it is very and so polarizing that it has hurt more then helped sales. In the coupe market sales are difficult enough to get so while cars like the CTS are cool to some it is a risk that can really hurt a vehicle that is not going to be a big volume anyways.
The ATS is a safer move and should sell in the numbers it needs.
As much as I like the CTS coupe I have to remind myself just how many do you see on the roads. Not as many as I should.
I also think it looks great—but the wheels seem to small on that body or what do you guys think ??
I find the ATS coupe to be quite attractive. Far more tasteful and streamlined compared to the CTS coupe, which was a tad to brash and unpropertied in my opinion.
Robert get used to the 18 inch wheels as GM is looking to lose the oversized wheels.
The oversized wheels add nothing to handling and in fact hurt it with too much un-sprung weight. Also they can lose a lot of weight in a car by keeping away from 20″ wheels.
Trust me I love large wheels too as I have 19″ on my car but I expect more automakers will cut back on size to save weight as CAFE get harder and harder to meet.
When it comes to wheels bigger is only better for looks.
18 inch wow, they look like 16 inch or less on the back
In general, I think luxury design has softened, become less controversial and generally more vanilla in an effort to reach as broad an audience as possible, much like the value based market a la Camry. We now live in a world where Audi is considered hot and conformity is seen as a socially desired virtue.
I like the ATS coupe well enough, don’t get me wrong. I just wish more designers would take risks like Citreon did and the current DS line does. Even Jag has recently begun taking a fair amount of chances.
With billions at risk unless a company is desperate they tend not to take chances anymore.
Auto styling is like music. You can do it for the art and go broke or you can do it for the masses and make money.
Yeah, design risk (more losers than winners) is how PSA was born.
I can still look at beautiful ERL 🙂
I mean let’s face it. It doesn’t looks as good as my 2004 Bonneville GXP or 2001 Grand Prix GTP Coupe, but it is still very stunning!
I too agree that automakers are going towards making their vehicles with a more “soft” design language to attract more customers. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing though…
I loved Pontiac Grand Prix, too. (My favorite GM line!)
I’m glad GM will sell more cars, on the one hand. On the other, I’m not thrilled about this ever so common “come one come all” velveeta school of automotive “design” sameness. I’m a fan of emotive styling which at its core will always polarize a minority of buyers on some level. I’m still stunned how tame design like Rover Evoke came cause controversy.
I do like the ATS coupe. I’m just worried that the brand is moving in a more conservative direction where sophisticated will be confused with boring.
I love this new coupe. In my mind, it corrects the slight frumpiness, especially in the C pillar and rear deck, of the sedan. I saw it in person at NAIAS in Opulent Blue and it looked stunning. One styling element worth comment is the lower air intake in the front. So many cars have adopted grossly overdone “Popeye mouth” lower intakes. The ATS designers thankfully have avoided the urge to go that route.