GM Introduces ‘Light, Agile’ Cadillac ATS Coupe

DETROIT – General Motors today introduces the ’15 Cadillac ATS Coupe, a first-ever sports coupe from the brand due to arrive at U.S. dealers in the summer.

GM boasts the ATS coupe will be lighter, more agile and more engaging to drive than competitors in the segment. GM launched the ATS sedan in model-year ’14 and the lightweight car won honors including North American Car of the Year.

“The 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe is a natural step in the brand's progression and another distinctive, fun-to-drive and technologically advanced product for a new generation of drivers, extending our target groups,” says Uwe Ellinghaus, chief marketing officer- Global Cadillac.

“It is an exclusively distinctive American alternative, unique in its class, yet delivering a sporty and sophisticated driving experience rivaling the world's best,” Ellinghaus says in a statement ahead of the car’s reveal at the 2014 North American International Auto Show here.

The ATS Coupe extends the nameplate’s product line to two and the brand’s full lineup to 11 cars, trucks and CUVs at a time when Cadillac deliveries are booming.

According to WardsAuto data, Cadillac sales grew 21.9% last year to 182,543 units from 149,782 in 2012. Deliveries in the luxury sport segment, which the ATS Coupe will occupy, also are skyrocketing. Sales jumped 31.2% in 2013 to 57,457 units from 43,803 in 2012 to grab 2.9% market share of light-vehicles, up from 2.5%.

The ATS Coupe will be powered by a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cyl. engine making 272 hp and 295 lb.-ft. (400 Nm) of torque. The engine, a 2013 Ward’s 10 Best Engines winner, receives upgrades from its application in the ATS sedan to produce 14% more torque.

GM also will make available an optional 3.6L V-6 engine with 321 hp and 275 lb.-ft. (373 Nm) of torque. The V-6 also previously has appeared on Ward’s 10 Best Engines list.

Transmission choices include a 6-speed manual gearbox and a 6-speed automatic.

Fuel economy estimates for the 4-cyl. engine are 21-31 mpg (11.2-7.6 L/100 km) city/highway and 19-28 mpg (12.4-8.4 L/100 km) for the V-6.

GM expects the engine and materials usage on the ATS Coupe to combine to offer the best power-to-weight ratio in its segment.

The ATS Coupe rides on the same rear-wheel-drive platform as the sedan and the two cars share a 109.3-in. (2,775-mm) wheelbase. But all of the coupe’s sheet metal is unique, including the front and rear fascia. It rides on 18-in. wheels.

The coupe wears a revised version of Cadillac’s badge, a gamble the brand’s new design chief says only the ATS could do because its focus is on new, young customers without preconceived notions of Cadillac.

“Only we have the flexibility to take that risk,” Andrew Smith tells WardsAuto during a sneak peek of the car last month.

Smith also says a coupe makes sense for Cadillac, despite generally declining popularity of 2-door cars industrywide. “This customer does not need four doors,” he says.

The cabin of the ATS Coupe focuses on the driver and includes sporty, luxurious materials such as handcrafted cut-and-sewn upholstered interior combinations, decorative stitching and authentic leather, aluminum, carbon-fiber and wood treatments.

Interior color themes, each with unique accent trim materials, range from light, open and warm to dark and serious, and to technical and sporty.

The interior features a host of connectivity technologies, including Bluetooth; a reconfigurable, 5.7-in. (145- mm), 3-window instrument-panel cluster display; and an OnStar 4G LTE connection with a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot.

Pricing will be announced closer to the start of production.

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