Cadillac ATS was almost based on the Chevy Cruze platform - report

Could have been front-wheel drive to save costs

The Cadillac ATS has proven to be a huge success but a new report is indicating the model came close to being front-wheel drive.

According to Automotive News, Cadillac almost used the Delta platform that underpins the Chevrolet Cruze. The decision was pretty close as work began in 2007 when GM was bleeding cash ahead of their impending bankruptcy.

As GM's vice president of global product programs, Doug Parks, explained "We were going to do a front-wheel drive Cadillac compact off of Delta because it was going to be less expensive." He went on to say that several people were okay with the move because they felt confident that engineers could make the chassis competitive. Parks contends the prototypes were "pretty darn good" but felt "you can't go beat BMW or Mercedes when you don't have the right weight balance and everything else."

Enough executives were swayed and eventually green-lighted the rear-wheel drive Alpha platform that underpins the ATS as well as the new CTS.

Report: Cadillac mulling CTS Coupe successor after all

The 2014 Cadillac CTS made a big splash last week at the New York Auto Show, but now that we've seen the sedan, we can start to wonder about whether coupe and wagon versions are in the cards. According toEdmunds, Cadillac is at least considering bringing back the CTS Coupe for a second generation, which seems like an even better chance since the brand's global marketing director, Jim Vurpillat, was quoted as saying that the car was the top-selling luxury coupe in the industry.

Of course, this goes against reports we heard last year that Caddy's coupe and wagon would live on just not under the CTS name, but the interview with Vurpillat has us hopeful for a next-generation CTS Coupe. If it does come to fruition, we would expect the new two-door to have a largely unique exterior design like the current CTS Coupe, to echo that of intended rivals like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe and even the high-dollar BMW 6 Series.

Specs Check: 2014 Cadillac CTS Against the Competition

How Does the New Guy Rank Statistically Against the Segment's Best?

When the dust from the 2013 New York International Auto Show settles, a few new vehicle debuts will stand out as stars — and the 2014 Cadillac CTS will definitely be one of those cars.

We’ll contribute to the time-honored tradition of bench racing by laying out some specs for the newly enlarged 2014 CTS and its competitors. With the new CTS currently on our list of must-drive cars, we’re looking forward to comparing the Caddy against its midsize luxury sedan competitive set. Driving the CTS is still a ways out, but how do the numbers stack up so far?

Cadillac CTS

Fresh off the NYIAS floor, the new CTS no longer needs to straddle the compact and midsize luxury segments. The exterior and interior designs have been pulled closer to what we’ve been seeing in Caddy’s modern stable, and there’s a bevy of new technology at play, including a hot twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V-6.

Cadillac CTS
Engines	Horse power	Torque (lb-ft)	Transmission	Fuel economy (mpg, city/highway)
Turbocharged 2.0L I-4	272	295	6A	RWD – 19/30*, AWD – 18/28*
3.6L V-6	321	275	6A, 8A	RWD – 19/28 (8A)*, AWD – 18/27 (6A)*
Twin-turbocharged 3.6L V-6	420	430	8A	RWD – 17/25*
Interior dimensions	Front (inches)		Rear (inches)
Headroom	39.2		37.5
Legroom	42.6		35.4
Shoulder room	56.9		54.8
Cargo volume (cubic feet)	13.7
*estimated

The Competition

Audi A6/S6

New for 2012, you know the drill for the A6. Quattro all-wheel drive is a rewarding feature, unless you’re behind the wheel of the front-drive A6 2.0T with the CVT.

Audi A6/S6
Engines	Horsepower	Torque (lb-ft)	Transmission	Fuel economy (mpg, city/highway)
Turbocharged 2.0L I-4	211	258	CVT, 8A	FWD – 25/33 (CVT), AWD – 20/30 (8A)
Supercharged 3.0L V-6	310	325	8A	AWD – 18/27
Twin-turbocharged 4.0L V-8	420	406	7DCT	AWD – 17/27
Interior dimensions	Front (inches)		Rear (inches)
Headroom	37.2		37.8
Legroom	41.3		37.4
Shoulder room	57.5		56.3
Cargo volume (cubic feet)	14.1

BMW 5 Series

Looking for a manual transmission? You’ll need to turn to BMW, which offers six-speed sticks on the I-6 and V-8. Now if only there were a way to hide the Gran Turismo models.

BMW 5 Series
Engines	Horsepower	Torque (lb-ft)	Transmission	Fuel economy (mpg, city/highway)
Turbocharged 2.0L I-4	240	255	8A	RWD – 24/34, AWD – 22/33
Turbocharged 3.0L I-6	300	300	6M, 8A	RWD – 20/30 (6M, 8A), AWD – 21/30 (8A)
Twin-turbocharged 4.4L V-8	400-560	450-500	6M, 7DCT, 8A	RWD – 15/22 (6M), RWD – 14/20 (7DCT), RWD – 17/25 (8A), AWD – 16/24 (8A)
Interior dimensions	Front (inches)		Rear (inches)
Headroom	40.5		38.3
Legroom	41.4		36.1
Shoulder room	58.3		56.2
Cargo volume (cubic feet)	14

Infiniti M/Q70

The Q70, as it’s now known, will surely be on the receiving end of some sprucing up soon, if Sebastian Vettel has any say in the matter. For now, we use the M37/M56/M35h specs.

Infiniti M
Engines	Horsepower	Torque (lb-ft)	Transmission	Fuel economy (mpg, city/highway)
3.7L V-6	330	270	7A	RWD – 18/26, AWD – 17/24
5.6L V-8	420	417	7A	RWD – 16/24, AWD – 16/23
3.5L V-6 + electric motor	360	N/A	7A	RWD – 27/32
Interior dimensions	Front (inches)		Rear (inches)
Headroom	39.1		37.7
Legroom	44.4		36.2
Shoulder room	58.4		56.7
Cargo volume (cubic feet)	14.9 (M37, M56), 11.3 (M35h)

Jaguar XF

The group’s elder statesman was given a face-lift for 2012. Like the CTS of yore, the XF doesn’t have a dedicated compact sibling. But it’s coming.

Jaguar XF
Engines	Horsepower	Torque (lb-ft)	Transmission	Fuel economy (mpg, city/highway)
Turbocharged 2.0L I-4	240	251	8A	RWD – 19/30
Supercharged 3.0L V-6	340	332	8A	RWD – 17/28, AWD – 16/26
Supercharged 5.0L V-8	470-550	424-502	8A	RWD – 15/23
Interior dimensions	Front (inches)		Rear (inches)
Headroom	37.1		37.6
Legroom	41.5		36.6
Shoulder room	56.8		56.3
Cargo volume (cubic feet)	17.7

Lexus GS

After winning the last six-cylinder midsize luxury sedan comparison, the Lexus GS is the bogey to beat. Can the 2014 CTS topple the tantalizingly fun GS 350 from its throne?

Lexus GS
Engines	Horsepower	Torque (lb-ft)	Transmission	Fuel economy (mpg, city/highway)
3.5L V-6	306	274	6A	RWD – 19/28, AWD – 19/26
3.5L V-6 + electric motor	338	N/A	CVT	RWD – 29/34
Interior dimensions	Front (inches)		Rear (inches)
Headroom	38		37.8
Legroom	42.3		36.3
Shoulder room	57.3		55.7
Cargo volume (cubic feet)	14.3 (GS 350), 13.2 (GS 450h)

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Updated for 2014, the auto industry perennially expects only the best from the E-Class, and there are plenty of engines here.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Engines	Horsepower	Torque (lb-ft)	Transmission	Fuel economy (mpg, city/highway)
3.5L V-6	302	273	7A	RWD – 20/30*, AWD – 19/28*
Twin-turbocharged 3.0L V-6	329	354	7A	TBD – 2015MY launch
Twin-turbocharged 4.7L V-8	402	443	7A	AWD – 16/26* (one year only)
Twin-turbocharged 5.5L V-8	550-577	531-590	7A	AWD – TBD
3.5L V-6 + electric motor	329	N/A	7A	RWD – 24/30*
Turbodiesel 2.1L I-4	195	369	7A	AWD – TBD
Interior dimensions	Front (inches)		Rear (inches)
Headroom	37.9		38.2
Legroom	41.3		35.8
Shoulder room	57.8		56.9
Cargo volume (cubic feet)	16.4
*estimated

Which brings us to this hypothetical comparison story:

Six-Cylinder Midsize Luxury Sedan Dream Matchup

Audi A6 3.0T vs. Cadillac CTS V-6 vs. BMW 535i vs. Infiniti M37/Q70 vs. Jaguar XF 3.0 vs. Lexus GS 350 vs. Mercedes-Benz E350

Horsepower ranking

1)      Jaguar XF 3.0 – 340

2)      Infiniti M37/Q70 – 330

3)      Cadillac CTS V-6 – 321

4)      Audi A6 3.0T – 310

5)      Lexus GS 350 – 306

6)      Mercedes-Benz E350 – 302

7)      BMW 535i – 300

Torque ranking

1)      Jaguar XF 3.0 – 332

2)      Audi A6 3.0T – 325

3)      BMW 535i – 300

4)      Cadillac CTS V-6 – 275

5)      Lexus GS 350 – 274

6)      Mercedes-Benz E350 – 273

7)      Infiniti M37/Q70 – 270

Sounds fun, but here’s the potential story that’ll really get the blood boiling:

Performance Midsize Luxury Sedan Dream Matchup

Audi S6 vs. Cadillac CTS Vsport vs. BMW 550i vs. Infiniti M56/Q70 vs. Jaguar XF Supercharged vs. Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic

Combined hp: 2532, combined torque: 2570

Horsepower ranking

1)      Jaguar XF Supercharged – 470

2)      Audi S6 – 420

2)      Cadillac CTS Vsport – 420

2)      Infiniti M56/Q70 – 420

5)      Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic – 402

6)      BMW 550i – 400

Torque ranking

1)      BMW 550i – 450

2)      Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic – 443

3)      Cadillac CTS Vsport – 430

4)      Jaguar XF Supercharged – 424

5)      Infiniti M56/Q70 – 417

6)      Audi S6 – 406

Headroom ranking

Front

1)      BMW 550i – 40.5

2)      Cadillac CTS Vsport – 39.2

3)      Infiniti M56/Q70 – 39.1

4)      Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic – 37.9

5)      Audi S6 – 37.2

6)      Jaguar XF Supercharged – 37.1

Rear

1)      BMW 550i – 38.3

2)      Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic – 38.2

3)      Audi S6 – 37.8

4)      Infiniti M56/Q70 – 37.7

5)      Jaguar XF Supercharged – 37.6

6)      Cadillac CTS Vsport – 37.5

Legroom ranking

Front

1)      Infiniti M56/Q70 – 44.4

2)      Cadillac CTS Vsport – 42.6

3)      Jaguar XF Supercharged – 41.5

4)      BMW 550i – 41.4

5)      Audi S6 – 41.3

5)      Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic – 41.3

Rear

1)      Audi S6 – 37.4

2)      Jaguar XF Supercharged – 36.6

3)      Infiniti M56/Q70 – 36.2

4)      BMW 550i – 36.1

5)      Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic – 35.8

6)      Cadillac CTS Vsport – 35.4

Shoulder room ranking

Front

1)      Infiniti M56/Q70 – 58.4

2)      BMW 550i – 58.3

3)      Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic – 57.8

4)      Audi S6 – 57.5

5)      Cadillac CTS Vsport – 56.9

6)      Jaguar XF Supercharged – 56.8

Rear

1)      Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic – 56.9

2)      Infiniti M56/Q70 – 56.7

3)      Audi S6 – 56.3

3)      Jaguar XF Supercharged – 56.3

5)      BMW 550i – 56.2

6)      Cadillac CTS Vsport – 54.8

Cargo volume ranking

1)      Jaguar XF Supercharged – 17.7

2)      Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic – 16.4

3)      Infiniti M56/Q70 – 14.9

4)      Audi S6 – 14.1

5)      BMW 550i – 14.0

6)      Cadillac CTS Vsport – 13.7

Which comparison including the 2014 Cadillac CTS would you like to see?

Cadillac Debuts New CTS in NYC

Wonder how the Cadillac CTS could get even more angular? Feast your eyes on the latest model being unveiled today at the New York Auto Show.

The doors are opening at the Javitz Center today for the New York Auto Show, and with it comes the reveal of the highly anticipated new Cadillac CTS. A little bit longer, slightly narrower and a good 200 lbs lighter than the model it replaces, the third-gen CTS looks even more angular than the model it replaces. It also bears a strong resemblance to the smaller ATS, and incorporates some exciting new features that aim to take the fight to Cadillac’s German rivals like no American automaker has ever before.

The dramatic styling of the new CTS draws its inspiration from the Ciel concept in an even more dramatic fashion than its stable-mates. The sharp design is most obviously punctuated by those vertical LED elements which have by now become Cadillac’s signature design trait. Underneath the low hood sit three engine choices: Base models start out with a 2.0-liter turbo four producing 272 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. The next step up is a 3.6-liter V6 with 321 hp and 275 lb-ft. The most exciting option, though, is the new twin-turbo V6 that churns out an impressive 420 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque.

That may not be as much as the outgoing CTS-V with its 556 hp and 551 lb-ft of torque, but a new CTS-V is on its way that promises to push the envelope even further. In the meantime, Cadillac is offering a Vsport model that upgrades on the twin-turbo V6 with Brembo brakes, more air vents, an electronic limited-slip differential and more. The first two engines in the range are paired to a six-speed automatic and can be ordered with all-wheel drive, while the top-of-the-line turbo six drives the rear wheels only through an eight-speed auto. (No dual-clutch or manual transmissions to be found here.)

All models also get the Magnetic Ride Control suspension from the outgoing CTS-V. There’s also a full suite of the latest technology, including adaptive cruise control, panic braking system, collision alert, lane departure warning… the works. Inside the new high-quality interior (which can be ordered in one of eight specifications) you’ll also find Cadillac’s CUE infotainment system, complete with 12-inch LCD screen. All of this and more propels the CTS into even more upscale territory, and puts the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz on notice.

Photos of 2014 Cadillac CTS Leaked on Flickr

The puzzle pieces of the 2014 Cadillac CTS are slowly starting to come together ahead of the car’s official reveal later this week. We know the three engines that will be offered on the new CTS, including the 420-hp 3.6-liter Cadillac Twin Turbo V-6, and now, we get a better idea of what it will look like. A handful of exterior photos and one sneak peek at the interior were leaked on Flickr under the nebulously-named account of “upcomingvehiclesx.” To nobody’s great surprise, Cadillac’s bread-and-butter mainstream sedan shows a strong resemblance to its new smaller sibling, the ATS. The most obvious and strongest resemblance is in the front headlight design, which like the ATS, tapers far back onto the front fender with an LED accent strip. Although bisected by a thin section of the front bumper, the LED strip continues down onto the lower bumper, for a distinctive and dramatic look. The grill plunges down below the bumper centerline for a shield-like appearance, similar to newer Audi models. The rear of the new CTS is a little less distinctive, showing more of a resemblance to the more conservative XTS sedan, but like the front, employs LEDs liberally, for the vertical taillights as well as the trunklid spoiler-mounted third brake light. However, Cadillac was an early domestic pioneer in the use of LEDs for taillights, so not a lot earth-shattering here. But the sole photo of the interior shows some interesting materials and textures. The door uppers appear to be wrapped in suede, with natural-textured wood trim accents. With faux wood trim becoming more and more convincing, many luxury brands lately are turning to more roughly-textured trim to showcase the cellulosic authenticity of their materials. So far, we’re liking what we’re seeing. Expect to see the 2014 Cadillac CTS in all its glory at the 2013 New York International Auto Show later this week.