Mark Reuss, North American President of General Motors, made official today what we already knew, that Cadillac’s lineup is growing by two new vehicles. These growing will start with the XTS full-size sedan, which will come in the spring of 2012 and the ATS compact sedan in the summer.
Along with this announcement, GM also released a teaser image previewing the new ATS (pictured above). The same announcement states that “ATS” is only a codename for the new car so we could see something else used by the time it arrives in showrooms.
Based on the XTS Platinum Concept that debuted at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, the XTS, which will be available with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. As a refresher, the XTS Platinum Concept showed GM’s 3.6-liter V-6 mated with a plug-inhybrid system and all-wheel drive. Together, the system generates 350 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.
According to Cadillac’s general manager Bryan Nesbitt put it, the XTS is meant to be “an automotive personal headquarters, using advanced technology to enable new levels of connectivity and luxury.”
The ATS is likely to come onto the market as a 2013 model and it will be produced at GM’s Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Michigan, creating some 600 jobs in the process. This model will go up against Germany’s finest including the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class as well as the Lexus IS range.
“The car we codenamed ATS is being developed to be a driver’s car on an all-new Cadillac-specific RWD-AWD architecture,” Reuss said. “We have extensively and exhaustively studied the competitive segment, and we have benchmarked the best. And when this car comes out, that will be readily apparent.
Beside this, GM is also slated to reveal a new Cadillac concept, either a preview of the ATS or XTS at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which will start later this month.
Source: GM
