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Cadillac Exec Hints at “Something Below ATS”

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17-inch wheels are standard for the 2016 Cadillac ATS sedan

2016 Cadillac ATS Sedan
Photo: © General Motors

Cadillac may be angling to compete with the Mercedes CLA by building a rear-wheel-drive sedan that would slot below the current ATS and carry a price tag at or around $30,000.


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According to Road & Track, Cadillac executive chief engineer Dave Leone confirmed ongoing development of “something below ATS,” adding specifically that “one of [Cadillac’s] strengths in sedans is that we are known for being rear-wheel drive.”

This would be interesting if only because GM already offers a luxury-level RWD small sedan in the RWD, which saw a 27% decline in overall sales this past year. It’s also worth noting that GM’s other RWD sedans, the Cadillac ATS and Chevrolet Camaro, both utilize the much larger Alpha platform, which means that building a sub-ATS sedan on that same platform would be quite difficult.

Rumors of an entry-level RWD sedan go back a year to the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, where Cadillac President Johan De Nysschen expressed that the ATS’ higher price point was the primary reason that that model was losing business to competitors such as the CLA and Audi A3.

Cadillac certainly already has plenty on its plate, up to and including introducing upwards of three new crossovers to the lineup and importing two new diesel engine options, so it’s entirely possible that talk of a new sedan may simply remain a subject of more talk for the foreseeable future.


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News Source: Road & Track