“The fact that we offer coupes and wagons, that’s gonna continue,” Don Butler, the VP of marketing for Cadillac told us recently. But, he clarifies, “I’m not saying that will necessarily continue forward in the way we’re doing it today.”
Below, we hash out the details.
Cadillac Should Follow Audi’s Coupes
Today, Cadillac offers its CTS in sedan, wagon, and coupe forms. With the arrival of the entry-level ATS, the next-generation CTS will grow larger, better targeting rivals like the BMW 5-series and Mercedes-Benz E-class. A large CTS coupe would likely be a poor seller; the days of Eldorados and other big two-doors are long gone, with BMW’s 6-series and Benz’s E-class coupe moving in small numbers. Instead, we expect Cadillac’s two-door to slot between the ATS and CTS. Last year, a source at GM told us that the ATS will spin off a four-seat convertible positioned above the ATS but below the CTS. A hardtop coupe—which we now know for sure will be built—would sensibly do the same thing. Not only does Audi do this with its A5 and S5, but zombie rumors tell of BMW planning a similar move, christening the next 3-series coupe a 4-series.
Our ‘tweener Cadillac coupe—let’s not call it a BTS—would likely pull directly from the ATS’s powertrain options. Maybe the coupe will skip the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four from the bottom of the ATS lineup, but could do well with the 270-hp turbo four and 318-hp V-6. As we know, a 400-ish-hp ATS-V is planned; we have no doubts that a coupe and convertible on that platform would get the same treatment.
Wagon On
Execs at General Motors have been clear that the CTS wagon was a success. It didn’t rack up tons of sales, but Cadillac claims it outsold the 3-series wagon, and attracted new customers. As such, we’re still expecting a second-gen CTS wagon. In the U.S., luxury wagons attract some of the most affluent car shoppers in any segment. In Europe, where Cadillac is hoping to finally make some inroads, wagons are hugely popular—especially in the CTS’s future segment, the E-class/A6/5-series universe. Barring interstellar catastrophe, Cadillac will build a V version of the next-gen CTS, and considering that roughly one in three CTS wagons sold was a CTS-V, the Terminator wagon will be back.
That said, it leaves us skeptical that we’ll see an ATS wagon. A CTS better meets the needs of the older, richer luxo-wagon buyers. The younger buyers that Cadillac hopes will prefer the ATS over a CTS would also probably prefer a crossover to a traditional wagon. Cadillac’s got that crossover in the SRX, and as bland as it is, the SRX sells like gangbusters.
Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/dissected-2013-cadillac-ats-feature
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