Cadillac ATS

The Cadillac ATS is a

Prior to the debut of the ATS, Cadillac's smallest vehicle was the E-segment CTS.^[10] The CTS was comparable in price to D-segment competitors like the Audi A4, the BMW 3 Series, the Lexus IS and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, however was comparable in size and weight to the more expensive BMW 5 Series. Although Cadillac believed that customers would favor a Mercedes-Benz E-Class-sized sedan at the price of a 3 Series, this assumption was proven to be incorrect. Cadillac's research found that target customers who already owned vehicles like the 3 Series or A4 did not want a larger vehicle.^[11]

Cadillac debuted the ATS to the press in the United States in January 2012, placed the ATS into production in July 2012 and began selling the ATS in the United States in August 2012 as a 2013 model. GM began selling the ATS in China in November 2013. Cadillac sold the ATS in the United States, Canada, Mexico,^[12] Europe,^[13] the Middle East,^[14] China,^[15] Japan,^[16] and South Korea.^[17] The ATS was replaced by the Cadillac CT4 in 2019 for the 2020 model year.^[18]

Cadillac, upon discovering that the public wanted something small and designed with consideration, began full-scale development of a compact car from 2009; that car being given the designation "ATS".

Cadillac took two years to conclude the development of the ATS. Ken Kelzer, engineering executive for GM,[27] said that it would have been possible to simply cut down a CTS, which would have resulted in what Kelzer calls a "pretty good car". However, he states that as the BMW 3 Series was its direct competitor, a unique platform would be optimal.^[28] Larry Craig, the ATS Program Engineering Manager says that several iterations were completed until a compromise was made between manufacturability, weight and strength. Consequently, the lightest ATS weighs 3,315 lb (1,504 kg), compared to a BMW E46 328i at 3,461 lb (1,570 kg).^[29] Dave Leone, vehicle line executive for rear-wheel-drive and performance cars, knew that downsizing the larger CTS would result in a small car not able to deliver the performance wanted in the segment. Leone states, that he and his team established a dollar-per-kilogram strategy to measure the cost-effectiveness of weight-reduction.^[26] The engineers made sure to monitor materials used in developing the ATS; this resulted in an almost-perfect weight distribution figure of 51 percent and 49 percent for both front and rear, respectively.^[30]

The exterior was designed by a team under the direction of Bob Boniface. Boniface says the well-designed exterior was due to its well-constructed interior and chassis, and so the design team desired to make its exterior as quality as its system. The design team worked closely with the engineering team to make sure its exterior design met all of the performance metrics they set out.^[31] Taki Karras, ATS design manager, stated that it was significantly harder to make an entirely new architecture rather than reskinning something else.^[31] Cadillac previewed a two-minute video, which featured an interview with General Motors North America President Mark Reuss, test-driving a pre-production development variant of the ATS, along with the ATS engineers and developers David Leone, Chris Berube, and Kevin Zelenka.^[32]

Kelzer states that it took two years to develop kinematics models and building six mules to test theories, and additionally an extra three and a half years to go from formal program approval to production.^[28] Tony Roma was the chief engineer of the ATS-V, which has 25 percent greater structural stiffness than a non-V ATS.^[33] Cadillac debuted the production ATS to the press on 8 January 2012.^[34] General Motors began selling the ATS in the United States in August 2012 as a 2013 model. Sales in China began on 21 November 2013.^[35] Chinese-market vehicles were initially imported from the United States by Shanghai GM.^[36] The Chinese-assembled ATS-L was launched in China in August 2014.^[37]

As is becoming increasingly more common, the ATS benefits from

The ATS features Cadillac's first five-link independent rear suspension.^[41] On all four sides, the upper and lower control arms make up four of the links, with the fifth being a toe-control link to increase control over the wheel on a horizontal plane, primarily during cornering. The front suspension is a MacPherson strut, double-pivot set up, using a pair of ball joints and lower control links. Third-generation Magnetic Ride Control active suspension is optional on the Premium trim level in rear-wheel drive. A mechanical limited-slip differential is standard with the manual transmission variant and is available on the premium automatic.^[42] Straight steel arms are used in place of aluminium, each with lightening holes stamped in. Underbody aero shields help redirect wind around and under the car, additionally contributes to decreasing noise in the cabin. The ATS achieves a drag coefficient of 0.299 C_d.^[43] The ATS benefits from advanced materials in multiple locations, which includes ultra high strength steels (UHSS) placed throughout the car,^[44] aluminium hood and magnesium engine mounts, a laminated windshield, which is lighter than traditional tempered glass, and door trim panels that are made from natural fibers, which is lighter than the standard plastics.^[43]

The ATS offers 10.4 cubic feet (290 L) of boot space,

The ATS's safety development was based on what GM calls a "control and alert" strategy which makes effective use of advanced technologies to help avoid crashes.^[50] Don Butler, vice president of Cadillac marketing, states that the ATS features systems that can "react faster than humans". It features visual and acoustic alerts, depending on the alert feature, which helps drivers identify forthcoming crash incidents and intervene when a crash threat appears more imminent.^[51]

Available safety systems include:

The ATS features frontal and side airbags for the driver and front passenger, side curtain airbags for all, and knee protection airbags for driver and front passenger.[52] The frontal airbags for the driver and front passenger also feature Passenger Sensing System and automatic passenger airbag suppression.^[53] Two packages are available: the ESS I includes lane departure warning, forward collision alert, rear thorax air bags and Rainsense wipers. The ESS II features side blind zone alert, rear cross traffic alert, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and a full-color head-up display.^[51]

Testing conducted by the United States

In North America, and other countries excluding China, at the time of the model's introduction, the 2013 ATS was available in four trim levels: Standard, Luxury, Performance and Premium.[56] Standard features on the base trim include 17-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors, automatic headlights, aero grille, cruise control, dual-zone automatic climate control, six-way power front seats with power lumbar, vinyl upholstery, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, General Motor's OnStar system, Bluetooth connectivity, a seven-speaker Bose sound system with satellite radio, and an auxiliary audio jack.^[57] On the base ATS, optional features include Cadillac User Experience infotainment system and an upgraded sound system, which adds HD Radio, an 8-inch touchscreen audio display, 10-speaker Bose sound system with a CD player, and a rear-view camera.

Cadillac User Experience comes standard on the Luxury trim, which additionally adds run-flat tires, keyless entry and start, remote engine start for automatic transmission models, eight-way power front seats, front and rear parking sensors, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, leather seating, memory functions and a 60-40 split-folding rear seat.^[57] Adding to the Standard and Luxury trims, the Performance trim adds dual exhausts, a Driver Awareness package which comes with a variety of safety systems, xenon headlights, an upgraded 10-speaker Bose surround-sound audio system, and sporty front seats.^[57] The Premium trim adds 18-inch wheels, navigation system, and a color head-up display. Rear-wheel-drive Premium trim levels additionally feature with run-flat summer tires, a sport-tuned suspension, adaptive suspension dampers and a limited-slip rear differential.^[57]

In China, at the time of the model's introduction, the ATS is available in five exterior colors and two interior colors over four trim levels: Standard, Luxury, Elite and Comfort.^[58]

In mid-December 2011, Cadillac unveiled the newly-developed 2.0-litre engine, intended for use in both the ATS and the Chevrolet Malibu. Extensive efforts went into minimizing friction, resulting in the engine being able to produce 90 percent of its torque at just 1,500 RPM.^[59] At the time, the ATS' 276 hp (206 kW) 2.0 engine had the highest specific output of any General Motors engine, and is the most power-dense engine certified by the Society of Automotive Engineers, at 138 hp (103 kW) per litre.^[60]

The ATS initially offered three engine options and two transmissions;

In 2014, for the 2015 model year, Cadillac had made minor engine adjustments. General Motors increased torque figures to the 2.0-litre model by 47 N⋅m (35 lbf⋅ft), representing a 14 percent increase over the previous model.[68] This was achieved by engine calibration that resulted in increased boost pressure for better performance.^[69] In 2015, for the 2016 model year, Cadillac had redesigned the 3.0 V6 engine, which features a new paddle-shift eight-speed automatic transmission. The 2.0-litre turbo and the 3.6-litre V6 models both introduce Stop/Start technology, while the 3.6 model adds Active Fuel Management, a technology initially used by GM cars such as Holden, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles which allows the V6 engine to "turn off" half of the cylinders. This technology, General Motors says, enhances fuel economy up to a company-estimated 9 percent over the previous V6.^[70] The 2-door coupe variant went on sale in Q2-Q3 of 2014 as a 2015 model.^[71]

Due to the 23 percent decrease in sales of the ATS through May 2016, Cadillac had decided to streamline the lineup for 2017 by discontinuing the 2.5-litre engine,^[72] which had left the 272 hp (203 kW) 2.0-litre turbo inline-four engine as the ATS' entry-level offering.^[73]

EPA estimated fuel economy

In May 2014, Cadillac had announced the ATS would receive a minor facelift to better replicate its coupe counterpart. The front receives the updated Cadillac emblem, which removes the laurel wreaths around it and increases the emblem's size. Featuring a more streamlined design, the recently-released ATS Coupe was the first Cadillac model to adopt the new badge, the second being its four-door counterpart. The other large change applied to is the redesigned lower grille. The outgoing model features a three-piece unit with added chrome detailing and vertical

Cadillac had updated the ATS significantly for 2017. Trims levels were renamed for customer clarity; these consist of the Standard, Luxury, Premium Luxury and Premium Performance. 17-inch premium alloy wheels, 17-inch alloy wheels, and 17-inch Sterling Silver premium alloy wheels have been slightly altered for 2017. The Sterling Silver wheels are no longer available, however the other two have been revised.[79] A Carbon Black sport package, which blacks out the chrome and adds body-colored door handles and spoiler are also available for 2017 in addition to optional Recaro seats, complementing the Cadillac signature exterior and interior design. This model is available with exterior colors consisting of Black Raven, Phantom Gray Metallic, Red Obsession Tintcoat, Crystal White Tricoat, and interior colors including Jet Black or Light Platinum.^[80]

For 2018, Cadillac had removed the Moonstone Metallic, Deep Amethyst Metallic, and Bronze Dune Metallic colors, with the addition of the Satin Steel Metallic color, discontinued the Carbon Black Package and Black Sport Appearance Package, removed the CD glove box, introduced an updated CUE system, and replaced the heated steering wheel with an automatic heated steering wheel, which turns on the heated steering wheel automatically based on ambient air temperature.^[81]

In July 2014, Cadillac announced that it would be producing a long wheelbase version of the ATS for the Chinese market known as the ATS-L.^[3] The ATS-L has a wheelbase 85 mm (3.3 in) longer than the standard ATS sedan and was manufactured in China by Shanghai GM.^[82]

Prior to the introduction of the ATS-L, standard wheelbase vehicles had been imported to China from GM's Lansing manufacturing facility in Michigan. However, models from 2014 destined for the Chinese market were built at a recently-established factory in Shanghai. General Motors invested approximately

• 
  Cadillac ATS-L
• 
  Cadillac ATS-L

The 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe debuted at the 2014

Motor Trend conducted a comparison between the BMW M3, ATS-V, and Mercedes-AMG C63-S. The Cadillac managed to accelerate faster than both German vehicles and was the fastest around Willow Springs International Motorsports Park; it was also the least expensive in the test.^[96]

Cadillac competed at the

The ATS-V sedan was replaced by the Cadillac CT4-V.^[99] The coupe ATS-V was discontinued without replacement.

The following table represents sales figures for the ATS in both the United States and other markets.

General sources

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  from the original on 1 December 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
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  from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
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  from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
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  from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
• Undercoffler, David (18 October 2012). "Car Review: Cadillac Makes a Right Turn with 2013 ATS".
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• Vlasic, Bill (23 August 2012). "The Great Cadillac Hope (G.M. Has High Hopes for New, Smaller Cadillac)". The New York Times (New York ed.). p. B1.
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• 2013 Cadillac ATS Owner Manual (PDF) (First Printing ed.). General Motors. 2012. Part No. 20931542 A. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
• 2013 Cadillac ATS Owner Manual (PDF) (Second Printing ed.). General Motors. 2012. Part No. 20931542 B. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
• 2014 Cadillac ATS Owner Manual (PDF) (First Printing ed.). General Motors. 2013. Part No. 22839997 A. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cadillac ATS and Cadillac ATS Coupe.

• Cadillac ATS Sedan (official US site) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2018-04-01). Additional archives: ATS-V Sedan, ATS Coupe, ATS-V Coupe.