The Cadillac CTS Coupe can be spotted from a mile away, mostly thanks to an easily distinguished wedge of a derriere, a thick side-profile, and an aggressive roofline. It did a lot for Cadillac’s design credentials, and many figured it pointed toward the looks of future Cadillac coupes, and while it almost did, brand designers thought it best to tame the shape for future models, such as the now-available 2015 ATS Coupe. This was all based on focus group feedback.
“We had an earlier version (of the ATS Coupe) which is more severe with a lot more wedge and rake to the belt. The side body was thicker. The grille… more severe. Customers told us that it looked heavy, inefficient – it didn’t look fun to drive. So we brought that information back to the studio and we took as much visual mass out of the car as we could,” said Cadillac Director of Exterior Design Bob Boniface in a Detroit News interview.
The result is what we see today, a look that’s more subdued, but still hints at a wild side when observed from certain angles. Especially when looking at the real thing and not a photo.
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Comments
This would all be forgivable if there was a new CTS Coupe to carry on the torch… and design language.
But really, it’s the sportwagon that I have the most sorrow over losing. Too close to a G8 GT for me to own both… but definitely the most regretful loss in the New GM NA lineup.
Holden Ute still has the most regretful loss in New GM WW lineup… no we don’t want a Gamma II pickup!
Hmmm, looking fun to drive has far more to do with the wheel base length than the thickness of the body – assuming they kept the overall height of the car low to begin with. I don’t personally see where this car appears to be anything other than a ‘nice cruiser’ visually.
I don’t mind a nod of consideration toward focus group opinions, but honestly the weakest cars visually are almost ALWAYS designed by focus group/committee. This explains the ho humness of the ATS coupe and CTS sedan overall. They are nice looking cars, but hardly eye catching or dynamic. And sales aren’t proving to be that great either.
Next time Cadillac should go for a little more excitement. It did wonders for the 2nd gen CTS.
Amen jzEllis!
Well you have to look at this both ways.
The past Coupe while some enthusiast loved it the general public was not really marking it as a must have car. I loved the car but I had many people tell me you like that?
The truth is in this class and segment mucho radical is not always a slam dunk. Lets face it the BMW and Benz has really not taken much risk in this segment as the general buyer is looking for a good car but one that is comfortable to drive too.
While I am willing to take the blind spots and limited rear window vision most people are not in this class. Coupes are a hard sell as it is in this age and you have to appeal to the widest group of buyers you can.
This is what I expect to see. Cadillac will continue an ATS Coupe after the sedan arrives and I expect them to make some additions to really make it more aggressive but yet still acceptable to those who want the standard ATS that is just a good coupe.
If this was a limited edition coupe like the Benz Gullwing that cost $200,000 you can appeal to the limited performance market as you will make your money back but Cadillac has to try to capture as many sales they can from all ATS buyers not just the lower volume V coupe.
I expect a wagon at some point but it will not be till Cadillac goes back to Europe. There is just not enough market here to support it as we have seen time and time again. No matter how good you make these cars there is just little interest. We were lucky that GM just went through with the last one after the Europe market closed to them.
This deal on styling is much like Metallica Black Album. While the old time thrash purist rejected it or were disappointed the Black Album when on to be their best seller ever as it had a good balance of everything and appealed to a wider audience. So the bottom line is you can appeal to a small select crowd or you can appeal to the wider crowd with a less edgy car. In the end in this price range and sales volume you must choose what will sell in the greatest numbers and make the most money.
In time I expect Cadillac to enter the limited volume model markets with more edgy and more risky models but right now to establish a good solid base they need to focus on reaching the greater segment of buyers and not play games. They needs a good solid string of hits. Case in point just look at the ELR and the hits they are taking for the car. If it is not the price it is the rear seat room etc. Even some complained about the styling that I just don’t get.
If they are going to do a coupe in anything larger they need to skip the CTS for now and focus on the Omega. This is the cat that can make a real statement that you can build a solid CTS on later. The higher price and the limited market volume is just right to do a larger coupe just right.
Also the larger car is so much easier to get the styling right as you has much more sheet metal to work with and get it to flow right.
How does the CTS Coupe not look fun to drive? I have one and I absolutely love it. Never a bad compliment about it (except about getting into the back seat which I don’t care about, I’m driving). They could have evolved the wedge shape and smoothed it out and made it look light and elegant, much like the ELR. I don’t hate the design they went with, but coupes are supposed to be emotional, radical, and attract attention. Its a drivers car from a brand bought to signify success, you want to be seen in these cars.
For some cynical reason I’m picturing 3 people in a focus group selected from a population of what some marketer thought would be Cadillac buyers saying they wanted a less aggressive looking design. And then some old fogey executive at Cadillac saying, “See, I told you so!!!”. The trouble is, the point of a coupe is it’s supposed to appeal to the buyers that don’t want a “typical” Cadillac sedan. Maybe it doesn’t have to be as “different” as the current CTS coupe, but the ATS is a little too bland. At least the coupe is some improvement over the sedan, but it doesn’t really stand out.
Just saw a CTS coupe on the road the other day, and it’s looks really grab you – it’s a stunning car, I’d have one if I had the money to burn. The ATS coupe is nice, but it would look great as a Cruze coupe, a Cadillac should stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately, 2 doors have a limited market no matter what – not the first choice for hauling passengers or cargo, and sometimes suffer from lesser resale value. I believe the CTS coupe will some day be a collector car, where the ATS couple will be just a nice coupe.
I don’t think anyone of us can comment until we see the car in person. Photos of the ATS Coupe does not do the car justice in comparison of seeing the car in person. The ATS coupe in most reviews in terms of styling has been favorable so I don’t think we need anything to worry until it is available and we see it in person.
I have seen the ATS coupe in person and the car really looks elegant. It’s a clean very attractive design IMO. The current CTS coupe is interesting but rear visibility is a no go for me and that car offends me from certain angles.
I keep hearing that we won’t see a CTS coupe. Is that true?
I’m ready for new wheels in the next 8 to 24 months. Build a CTS-V coupe (with better rear visibility) with Z0-6 powertrain including the 7 speed manual and GM will get my money.
With all the good equipment on board, there are no vented front seats…