2015 Cadillac ATS-V spied chasing BMW M3

[Bru]

2015 Cadillac ATS-V spy photos and information - Autoweek

The Cadillac ATS was conceived as a BMW 3-series fighter, so it stands to reason that a hotter version of the rear-wheel drive sedan -- a Cadillac ATS-V -- would be called forth to challenge the mighty M3.

New spy photos seem to show just that.

Of course, this could be a case of a privately owned BMW M3 being in the right place at the right time, catching up with what appears to be a heavily camouflaged Cadillac ATS-V on the road somewhere outside metropolitan Detroit. Except that the Bimmer was wearing manufacturer plates, which means the General likely added it to the company fleet for benchmarking purposes.

We probably won't get a clear view of the ATS-V until next year, perhaps at the 2014 Detroit auto show. But these photos show camo that was carefully extended to cover the wheel arches, so we could be looking at some mild fender flares. Some shots also seem to show a bulge on the hood. And is that a small rear spoiler?

If we could say for sure from the photos, the guys charged with applying the camouflage would probably be out of a job.

What we can see are beefy brake discs and calipers and quad exhausts. Exhaust note was reported to be “healthy,” with a twin turbocharged version of the company's 3.6-liter V6 being a likely bet for a powerplant. To go head-to-head with the BMW M3, the Cadillac ATS-V would need to produce 414 hp; the twin-turbo engine in the XTS kicks out 410 hp. In the CTS V-Sport, a similar engine is good for 420 hp.

Beyond that, the wrapper on the front fascia can't entirely conceal what appear to be larger openings, perhaps for air intakes. Feel free to speculate away until we have more information -- or more revealing spy photos.

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[Flyn]

Looks like Cadillac is serious about taking on BMW. Could we eventually end up with an American car that beats the best Europeans?

 

[BS ISF]

I sure hope so! I would jump back to an American car if it has the same or better all around performance.

 

[Turk]

Depends on your definition of "beat". The american cars are sometimes faster around road courses and drag strips, but consistently lose in magazine comparos.

 

[Primalzer]

Yeah GM seems to be getting better in terms of quality of their products, but they are still well behind the Germans. I do like the direction Cadillac is heading. Their cars are really good looking, and if they can improve some of the materials on the interior and exterior of their cars, then we could start adding them to the equation.

 

[Bru]

Depends on your definition of "beat". The american cars are sometimes faster around road courses and drag strips, but consistently lose in magazine comparos.

Agreed. It's not all about flat-out speed. The ATS is fast and drives very similar to the 3 Series on the track, but the four-cylinder is loud and unrefined and the interior, while has a ton of tech, isn't the most well-built.

 

[slowchevy]

Yeah GM seems to be getting better in terms of quality of their products, but they are still well behind the Germans. I do like the direction Cadillac is heading. Their cars are really good looking, and if they can improve some of the materials on the interior and exterior of their cars, then we could start adding them to the equation.

have you been in a new cadillac? they're millions of miles ahead of what's come before....

 

[wombat]

have you been in a new cadillac? they're millions of miles ahead of what's come before....

:rollpicard:

 

[Primalzer]

have you been in a new cadillac? they're millions of miles ahead of what's come before....

I never said they were terrible, I said they were still well behind the Germans...

 

[YoushallgoFo]

unfortunatly for cadillac they're going to have to work hard to just erase their image from the past few decades no matter how good they make them. I feel people still dont see caddy as a player. They've got the performance game down now though. They just need to work on the materials and build quality.

 

[jason05gt]

I never said they were terrible, I said they were still well behind the Germans...

+1

They are way behind the Germans in terms of interior quality and actual fit/finish. Its easy to make something look luxurious, its another to make it feel luxurious.

 

[Jfrost]

In. I was hoping a V model would eventually come out, very excited to see more details.

 

[Turk]

+1

They are way behind the Germans in terms of interior quality and actual fit/finish. Its easy to make something look luxurious, its another to make it feel luxurious.

C7 is a perfect example.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Meh

 

[Mike K]

Agreed. It's not all about flat-out speed. The ATS is fast and drives very similar to the 3 Series on the track, but the four-cylinder is loud and unrefined and the interior, while has a ton of tech, isn't the most well-built.

Indeed and when you're up against BMW "almost as good" isn't going to move many units. Personally I feel like the BMW is way better looking. When you have something to prove you don't build something as good as the competition; you build something that blows the competition out of the water.

unfortunatly for cadillac they're going to have to work hard to just erase their image from the past few decades no matter how good they make them. I feel people still dont see caddy as a player. They've got the performance game down now though. They just need to work on the materials and build quality.

And even then it's still an uphill battle. Prestige and brands sell cars. Nobody looks at a Cadillac in your driveway and says "wow, they made it". This is why (nutswinger alert) companies like Tesla have a distinct advantage in that nobody has any formed opinions about them so they can pop out a $100,000 electric car, build it insanely well and people just accept that they're a luxury brand.

They are way behind the Germans in terms of interior quality and actual fit/finish. Its easy to make something look luxurious, its another to make it feel luxurious.

Great point. It's the in thing these days to make cars that aren't luxurious look luxurious. The 300C is a great example of this. Leather stitched instrument cluster, heated and cooled cupholders, sun shade, leather door inserts, etc but once you get beyond the surface you realize it's just lipstick on a pig. You can sit in the bottom rung BMW 128i and it will feel more solid than the top of the line 300. The MKZ was similar in that it looked the part but didn't feel it.

Cadillac still has a long way to go... They have a couple really solid cars now and they need to build off of that. Personally I don't think the ATS is going to be the knockout sales king they think it is. It doesn't disrupt the class of car it's playing in. It's just an American copy of a German car with much less prestige, poorer fit and finish, an unproven drivetrain and almost as much money. The problem companies like GM get into is they put blinders on to the rest of the industry and just improve off their past offerings. Sure the ATS is loads better than any other entry level sedan they've ever offered but it's not loads better than any other luxury entry level sedan being offered now and that's all the customer cares about. Being the entry level Cadillac ever won't sell cars; being the best entry level CAR ever will.

 

[nytebyte]

Except that the Bimmer was wearing manufacturer plates, which means the General likely added it to the company fleet for benchmarking purposes.

It's good that GM is trying improve by comparing their car to a BMW, but I bet BMW doesn't buy Cadillac's for "benchmarking purposes".

 

[sickmint79]

I sure hope so! I would jump back to an American car if it has the same or better all around performance.

the next m3 will be benchmarked against the existing m3.
the next ats-v will be benchmarked against the m3 available at the time.

 

[Lead Pipe]

Sign me up as long as it comes with the new TT V6 from the CTS. E85 and tune will put it well over 500hp.