Today is the big Super Bowl ad release day for the car companies. Most of the ads we've seen have been pretty standard Super Bowl ads -- over the top and just tangentially related to the product they're selling.
Not Cadillac. This new ATS ad is ALL product with no fancy gimmick or pointless dream sequence. Cadillac just wants to world to know that they have a new sport sedan and that they've done some serious tuning work on the Nurburgring. And if anyone doesn't believe it, Cadillac says you can tell them to go straight to "Green Hell."
robs249 says:
11:09 AM, 01/30/12
ATS takes on the 3sereis and the XTS takes on the 5series...so what does the CTS take on?
deanoflas says:
11:12 AM, 01/30/12
design looks like it will become dated very quickly... but hey they are aiming their bows at the "yearly redesign" kings aren't they? The reviews of the driving dynamics of the ZL1 have me thinking this little Caddy will be an instant classic. The lights certaintly are back on in Detroit.....even if we've got to chip in for the bill
deanoflas says:
11:15 AM, 01/30/12
Considering it was built on the Buick Lacrosse platform I'm not so certain Caddy would like to pit the XTS against the 5 series and the rest of the German midsize segment so suddenly- maybe on its next iteration it will have a more lively, perhaps original, chassis and go fishing in those waters
csubowtie says:
11:37 AM, 01/30/12
The ATS competes with the 3 series, the XTS is just a temporary thing for the nursing home DD's to drive, and the CTS currently is closer to the 5 series in size. I've heard it will compete even more directly with the next generation. Performance wise, the CTS-V can hang with anything in the 5-series line-up.
gregnv says:
11:42 AM, 01/30/12
@robs249
I think the ATS is being aimed at the 3 series and the CTS is being aimed at the 5 series ( http://www.insideline.com/cadillac/cts-v/2009/comparison-test-2008-bmw-m5-vs-2009-cadillac-cts-v-vs-2009-mercedes-benz-c63.html )
The XTS seems like the new "great american highway cruiser" (heir to the DeVille throne) without any BMW counterpart.
moparbad says:
11:59 AM, 01/30/12
Very good work to turn around Cadillac.
blackdynamite1 says:
12:06 PM, 01/30/12
I was going to hell, but Cadillac beat me to it!
BD
ls7505 says:
12:06 PM, 01/30/12
I can't wait to see the kind of excuses made to discredit this car. Cadillac has been developing its mainstream cars on the 'Ring before just about every other automaker. The original CTS, SRX and RWD STS were all honed on the German track, not just the V versions. So, we are talking about about 10 years of experience on the 'Ring. Now all of sudden, other manufacturers want to play up their 'Ring tuning but I don't recall them doing that before Cadiilac.
Much to the chagrin of the auto press, the DTS was a popular car. Cadillac would be foolish to abandon those customers. The XTS competes with no german car, it will be sold to traditional Caddy customers who don't want a firm/direct ride. The CTS is somewhat stiff for a lot of Cadillac customers and now that the STS is gone, Caddy need a replacement larger sized car with a huge backseat.
duck87 says:
12:20 PM, 01/30/12
@ls7505: Not sure if you realize this, but the Nurburgring is in Germany. So you can probably bet that most of the Germany automakers have at least used the Nurburgring quite extensive for a long, long time.... especially since it's 5 hours away from BMW HQ, 4 hours from Audi HQ, and MB only 3 hours away.
blueguydotcom says:
01:57 PM, 01/30/12
Testing on the Ring doesn't prove a company makes a good car to drive the ring. Look no further than the the A4 and C Class for proof of how little use Ring testing is if you only care about making bland cars.
Hopefully the ATS was built with an eye on driving the Ring and beating the 3.
gloss says:
06:11 PM, 01/30/12
Saw the ATS in the flesh at the Washington Auto Show - color me impressed. It's a great-looking car. Excited to see how it feels/performs.
explorerx4 says:
06:33 PM, 01/30/12
Can it beat Sabina in a van?
http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/sabine-in-a-van-2
transpower says:
08:37 AM, 01/31/12
I predict that this will be a big hit for Cadillac.
ls7505 says:
08:48 AM, 01/31/12
"@ls7505: Not sure if you realize this, but the Nurburgring is in Germany. So you can probably bet that most of the Germany automakers have at least used the Nurburgring quite extensive for a long, long time.... especially since it's 5 hours away from BMW HQ, 4 hours from Audi HQ, and MB only 3 hours away."
No I can't probably bet that because I have seen no proof of that ever, have you? i didn't think so.
bimmerjay says:
12:46 PM, 01/31/12
"Cadillac has been developing its mainstream cars on the 'Ring before just about every other automaker. The original CTS, SRX and RWD STS were all honed on the German track, not just the V versions. So, we are talking about about 10 years of experience on the 'Ring. Now all of sudden, other manufacturers want to play up their 'Ring tuning but I don't recall them doing that before Cadiilac."
This is completely wrong, a cursory Google search could tell you that. The Nordschleife was built over 80 years ago partly with the intent of being used a test track for the German car manufacturers and others. It has been used by Audi/VW, Mercedes, Porsche and BMW longer than any other car company.
Cadillac only came to the 'ring about 10 years ago when it became fashionable and they decided to stop building only land yachts like the Fleetwood Brougham and Sedan DeVille. Among other luxury competitors, Cadillac was actually one of the LAST to test at that track.
roadburner says:
12:57 PM, 01/31/12
"This is completely wrong, a cursory Google search could tell you that. The Nordschleife was built over 80 years ago partly with the intent of being used a test track for the German car manufacturers and others. It has been used by Audi/VW, Mercedes, Porsche and BMW longer than any other car company."
Exactly. Here's just one example of German testing:
http://www.worldcarfans.com/10611145732/bmw-nurburgring-test-facility-renovated-and-expanded
legacygt says:
01:05 PM, 01/31/12
I'm pretty excited about this car but I'm worried about it's exterior design. Haven't seen it in person but from the angle shown in this post, it looks about as boring as a car on two wheels could look. The ATS should look fresher than the CTS but I'm not sure it isn't the other way around.