Cadillac News: New Badge, Tech For The 2015 Cadillac ATS Sedan

[William Maley]

The wreath-less Cadillac badge that debut on the ATS Coupe will soon be appearing on the 2015 ATS Sedan. That's not the only change in store for the ATS sedan for the 2015 model year though.

Along with the badge, the 2015 ATS sedan gets some revised sheetmetal in the front to better match the ATS Coupe. On the tech front, the 2015 ATS sedan will get 4G LTE connectivity, text message alert, and a Powermat wireless phone charging dock.

Power-wise, the turbo 2.0L four sees an increase of 14 percent for torque. Numbers now stand at 272 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The 2.5 four and 3.6L V6 carry over into 2015.

Cadillac hasn't revealed pricing at this time, but expect the 2015 ATS sedan to be sitting along the side the ATS coupe later this summer.

Source: Cadillac, Automobile Magazine

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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[G. David Felt]

Me Like BIG TIME these improvements! AWESOME

[bobo]

The grille is better.  I still haven't warmed up to the new badge.

[balthazar]

I'm NOT of the camp that feels it's an improvement (the new badge).

 

I also seldom prefer 'full-width' lower intakes (in general), and here I liked the first ATS treatment better. 

[Drew Dowdell]

I like the bump in torque, I wonder where it comes on in the RPM band.... 

[William Maley]

I'm NOT of the camp that feels it's an improvement (the new badge).

 

I also seldom prefer 'full-width' lower intakes (in general), and here I liked the first ATS treatment better. 

 

I'm in the same camp. That badge looks really awkward.

 

 

I like the bump in torque, I wonder where it comes on in the RPM band.... 

 

295 pound-feet @ 3000-4600 rpm

[aurora97]

The new badge is supposed to be three dimensional.

 

However, it won't stand out properly unless the grille has more chrome surrounding it.

[smk4565]

Not a fan of the new badge either, the Wreath and Crest division is now just the Crest, a form of toothpaste.

[§carlet §wordfish]

It's far from the first time the Cadillac badge has gone wreathless. It's been squashed and stretched and stylized so much over the decades, this one's far from radical. I think it's a decent refreshment, helps emphasize the width of the cars.

 

I like the coupe's front fascia, but I think it would be better if the sedan kept its own to differentiate them a little more.

[Drew Dowdell]

I think the new fascia seems to make the ATS sedan look longer

[balthazar]

It's far from the first time the Cadillac badge has gone wreathless. It's been squashed and stretched and stylized so much over the decades, this one's far from radical. 

This is quite true of course, but from a long-running observation of the consumer mindset, it seems to me that we've long been in a state where consistency gets valued over 'freshening'. Cadillac's crest USED to be tweaked every few years (on occasion; every year), but hasn't been revised (other than the minor simplification in '00 and a 'hollowed' version for '77) since '63. It's appeared with a Wreath, with a V and with nothing, but the Crest has been consistent. I had no issue with the 2000 'reskin', but it came with a 'reskinned' Wreath, too, and for decades now, that has been a very regal, very well recognized emblem 'package'. It just looks so excellent on the -say- '14 CTS.

 

The prior 'naked' Crest was done circa '70-71 (and on the Car-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named), but they were brief occurrences that I do not believe got positive feedback, because the V quickly returned on deVilles for '72 (and by '83 on ThatOther Car; it got the Shield in a circular border). IMHO the new job looks 'naked', too, but I could live with the current shield much better if it had either a V or a ovaloid Wreath with it. 

Edited July 11, 2014 by balthazar

[Drew Dowdell]

I too think they should have put the V under it.. but the current crest wouldn't stop me from buying an ATS coupe, 2.0T AWD in pearl white with the red interior......

[smk4565]

The 335 twin turbo six gets better gas milage than the ATS 2.0T. The ATS needs new engines and transmissions not a new logo on the front. Audi and Lexus are starting to surge in this segment too, the ATS needs more help than it got, but maybe that is coming next year.

[G. David Felt]

Looking at the sales reports, Audi only had a huge surge as they did not have the A3 a year ago so it seems huge for their sales increase and Lexus shows very small gain year over year so I do not see the surge you talk about in their auto's competing with the ats.

[Drew Dowdell]

The A3 and the CLA are not in the ATS class... they are substantially inferior cars to the ATS.  If people are opting for those two over the ATS, it simply proves brand snobbery.

[balthazar]

Inferior, but in the same price range basically ($29K / $34K). No doubt there's a degree of cross-shopping.

Edited July 11, 2014 by balthazar

[smk4565]

Audi is doing well because of the A3 but those younger buyers are key to get if they can get repeat business.

The Lexus IS sales are up 118% this year, I would say they are surging. The 3-series is up 5% but by far the best seller in the class beating the C-class 2 to 1 right now. The ATS is down 22%.

Buyers are looking elsewhere, if badge is what is hurting Cadillac then they need a flagship sedan and a mid engine supercar or something to build image.

[Z-06]

Audi is doing well because of the A3 but those younger buyers are key to get if they can get repeat business.

The Lexus IS sales are up 118% this year, I would say they are surging. The 3-series is up 5% but by far the best seller in the class beating the C-class 2 to 1 right now. The ATS is down 22%.

Buyers are looking elsewhere, if badge is what is hurting Cadillac then they need a flagship sedan and a mid engine supercar or something to build image.

 

Have you looked at it because BMW is offering no payments for 6 months, and C class has close to $5,000 on the hood? May be rich-wannabes care for some cash savings with the badge as well. Even Lexus is offering $2,000 on the IS.

[Drew Dowdell]

Around me, one can get into a 335i for $2,999 down and $319 a month.

[G. David Felt]

So then the Germans and Asians are doing what American auto companies have done in the past. Have weaker product, throw ton of money on the hood to keep the poor quality auto's selling.

[smk4565]

GM discounts as much as anyone. Cadillac can't match BMW leases though because Cadillacs depreciate too quickly. Cadillac can offer free maintenance or cheap leases, if that is all it takes to sell cars but I think the problem is in the product and not the lease payment.

[G. David Felt]

GM discounts as much as anyone. Cadillac can't match BMW leases though because Cadillacs depreciate too quickly. Cadillac can offer free maintenance or cheap leases, if that is all it takes to sell cars but I think the problem is in the product and not the lease payment.

I will have to disagree with you about depreciates, at least here in Seattle, BMW and MB 2yrs old or older are side by side with Cadillacs at the same cheap rates. Maybe it is the affluent High Tech Industry that keeps turning cars here over quickly, but I do not see a premium for the German auto's on the used lots. I see much higher prices for all CUV/SUV's. American, Asian or German. The cars not so much unless it is the M series or AMG or V series.

[§carlet §wordfish]

IMHO the new job looks 'naked', too, but I could live with the current shield much better if it had either a V or a ovaloid Wreath with it. 

I was thinking it would be cool to bring back the chevron for the V-series cars.

[dwightlooi]

I am sorry, but Cadillac needs to stop wasting time on silly gestures like changing their badge. What they have done is trade in a perfectly elegant and, more importantly, perfectly recognizable Wreathed Crest for an oversized "Transformers" logo that is neither elegant nor recognizable. If they believe that this will fix the fact that Audi, BMW, Benz and Lexus are all up and they are flatlining they are sadly mistaken.

 

Let's give credit where credit is due. Yes, Cadillac has improved their quality and design dramatically over the past generations. Yes, the ATS is arguably a better looking and better handling car than the F30 3-series. Yes, the new CTS is a step up over the old one more or less justifies the $12,000 increase in price. But that doesn't mean Caddy hasn't had their missteps. CUE is a joke... and that broad swath of glossy plastic that makes up the center dash which vibrates and shocks you when touch is arguably the worst luxury car HVAC/Infotainment UI to grace anythingon the market. Touch sensitive plastic with printed symbols makes zero sense... touch is a tactile hell it has always been, if you want an all-touch based UI at least have a screen that goes all the way down the dash so the "buttons" can be graphically driven dynamically! Otherwise, mechanical buttons are superior in every way. The ELR is a re-skinned Volt selling for twice the price with no performance or technology to show for it, meaning it appeals to neither the practical minded hybrid buyer nor the Tesla crowd looking for maximu green creds. The long anticipated S-class/7-series competitor is a no show. All-in-all caddy the Caddy 4-pot engines still have more direct injector noise than the competing engines from VW/Audi and BMW, not a big deal by itself but little things add up.

 

There are plenty left to fix in Caddyland... the stupid emblem isn't one of them!

[smk4565]

Dwight nailed it.   Lincoln does that black plastic touch button thing too, I will take real buttons any day.

 

GM's incentive spend is $3,376 per car, highest of the biggest 8 automakers, the industry average is $2,450.  January 2014 was the newest I could find, but GM was spending $3,600 per car in incentives in 2012 also.

 

http://www.ibtimes.com/here-are-january-2014-big-8-us-auto-sales-numbers-gm-ford-chrysler-toyota-honda-nissan-kiahyundai

 

So the deals and incentives are there, the Cadillac sales problem is half product, half brand image in my mind.  Both are hard to fix.

[Z-06]

Dwight nailed it.   Lincoln does that black plastic touch button thing too, I will take real buttons any day.

 

GM's incentive spend is $3,376 per car, highest of the biggest 8 automakers, the industry average is $2,450.  January 2014 was the newest I could find, but GM was spending $3,600 per car in incentives in 2012 also.

 

http://www.ibtimes.com/here-are-january-2014-big-8-us-auto-sales-numbers-gm-ford-chrysler-toyota-honda-nissan-kiahyundai

 

So the deals and incentives are there, the Cadillac sales problem is half product, half brand image in my mind.  Both are hard to fix.

 

 

If Dwight nailed it then how can you justify co-existence of your statement and his statement? Unless as usual you like to selectively nail it to forward your wrong agenda.

 

 

I think a downside to Cadillac interiors is the shiny piano black plastic and the chrome knobs and buttons, it just seems to tacky and blingy inside their cars.  And little things like the carpet seem like what Chevy has in it,

 

 

Yes, Cadillac has improved their quality and design dramatically over the past generations.

[Z-06]

GM's incentive spend is $3,376 per car, highest of the biggest 8 automakers, the industry average is $2,450.  January 2014 was the newest I could find, but GM was spending $3,600 per car in incentives in 2012 also.

 

http://www.ibtimes.com/here-are-january-2014-big-8-us-auto-sales-numbers-gm-ford-chrysler-toyota-honda-nissan-kiahyundai

 

So the deals and incentives are there, the Cadillac sales problem is half product, half brand image in my mind.  Both are hard to fix.

 

GM's average incentive spend number does not necessarily mean Cadillac's incentive spend number. GM may be spending $3,500 on Chevrolets which sell at roughly 10 times more than Cadillac whose incentives may be only $2,136 to give your $3,376. We all know trucks have more incentives than cars. And GM is a truck company.

 

Also, where are your luxury brands in this comparison?

[smk4565]

I found that currently Mercedes has about $2,800 in incentives per car and BMW $3,100. GM is offering about $3700 per car in July but they have $4500 on Silverado so that pushes the average. Cadillac and Audi I couldn't find a breakdown from the parent company it gets lumped in with GM and VW.

I think if it were as simple to give $1500 cash back plus 0% finance on all Cadillacs and get BMW sales numbers GM would have done that. The problem is deeper, it is brand image and the product.

[balthazar]

^ Depends on the mercedes model, and that HAS to be sales-weighed. S-class ATPs are thousands and thousands under base MSRP, and the option list on the s-class is like $30K long. s-class is frequently sold over ten grand under sticker, sometimes much more.

 

I just looked up the 2015 S550 AWDs available within 100 miles of me. There are 209 cars available (!!) of that exact model, with a low price of $104K and a high price of $127K. It was 14 pages of S550s, and the 7th page sticker prices were $112K, so the price transition is pretty linear.

 

Problem is, trucar.com for the same vehicle & area shows an average transaction price of only $96,215 for 31 sales... so on an average median sticker of $115K, your getting $19,000 off the sticker. That's an entire 'nother car off and a country mile away from "$2,800".

 

Gotta be a huge image problem if you're giving away a free second car to move your flagship off the lots.

 

Watch your blood sugar on all that Kool-Aid, smk.

Edited July 12, 2014 by balthazar

[smk4565]

$10,000 off a $100,000 car is the same as $2,000 off a $20,000 car.  Silverado has $4500 off this month, that is more than 10% of the MSRP.

 

The S-class is the most profitable car Mercedes makes, and it sells better than any competitor.  There is really no problem with it.  Mercedes-Benz passenger car division makes more profit than all of General Motors.  Where is all the profit from GMC truck and Cadillac?  New grille and badge isn't going to save them, they need new marketing and better cars.

[balthazar]

It's not $10,000, it's $20,000. On higher models it's OVER that. The car line is profitable after they drop $19K off the sticker, because it costs FAR LESS to build than many people think. The whole "$1500 headlight" fantasy was a laugh riot.

 

GMC division makes a steady profit, tho neither of us has a figure for an individual brand of GM- it's never reported. The Corporation on the whole made $5.6 billion profit in 2013.

 

Cadillac doesn't need "saving"- it's in no danger of being discontinued for lack of profit. No one from Cadillac has stated they were struggling or "needed saving" - this is wishful damnation on your part.

[yougojay]

Not a fan of the new badge either, the Wreath and Crest division is now just the Crest, a form of toothpaste.

LMAO, Yee!

[G. David Felt]

 

Not a fan of the new badge either, the Wreath and Crest division is now just the Crest, a form of toothpaste.

LMAO, Yee!

 

At least it is one of the best toothpastes out there!

[ZL-1]

New logo = Meoowwwww