Cadillac May Drop ATS Sedan In 2019 Leaving Only The Coupe

The ATS is one of the worst packaged high end small sedans ever made - its rear seat is a joke - and while its suspension is really nice - without the utility and space of a sedan - there are other choices FAR better - LOTS of them.

Cadillac LOST its way long ago - even my CT6 is not particularly good looking - and although is drives well - there is NO prestige in having one. They waited too long - and now the market for Luxury cars is falling - and CUVs are taking over - but Cadillac CUVs are hardly worthwhile - when you can get the same platform in a Buick of Chevy for lots less.

DeNysschen clearly has waited TOO TOO LONG - and the market has moved on - and while Cadillac ONCE meant something special - today both Cadillac ANd Lincoln are simply poor attempts that are there to take money from the generation still living that remembers them - and they will only buy ONE.

Making a good reputation among the next generations will be as impossible for Cadillac and Lincoln as it was for "your father's OLDSMOBILE". WHo really want's to be seen in a Cadillac?

Goodbye and good riddance to a horrible product that was as pointless for Cadillac as the Cimarron.

Cadillac so needs to "pull and Lincoln" and go back to traditional, American themes and names.

They certainly had any number of great concept cars that reflected those American themes and had real names. It may be too late at this point and simply not worth the effort.

Cadillac just needs to get into the rental market which is where their cars belong.

@jonesharrison Watch out @TheSteve will write you an essay and @cidflekken will lose his mind at any criticism of Audi.

But Matt - Cadillac is not trying to compete with AUDI - which are at best second tier - GM has buick for that. Cadillac is trying to compete with REAL Luxury level cars like Mercedes - and they certainly DO NOT have a single car that anyone is really really wanting. THE only runaway best seller they have has a name and it NOT a car. THAT should tell GM something - but apparently it is falling on deaf ears.

@TomM The issue with Cadillac is that they aren't building Cadillacs. If they returned to building Cadillacs, their market share would return.

Matt - I am not so sure about that any more although I once thought that.
The problem is that the now CADILLAC no longer means anything special - unlike when I was young and it meant you were rich. When I was young - the Doctors and Lawyers drove Buicks/Chryslers - Cadillacs were ever a step above them.

The fact is - EVEN IF Cadillac brought out the ElMiraj today - (As I said - I am not big on the Escala) - would younger people be willing to spend a premium price for it? I believe the market has moved on = just as it did to Oldsmobile - and getting it back will take a LOT more than just producing a Big American Large Luxury Vehicle. It will still be viewed as an OLD person's vehicle.

@TomM I've flipped a few Cadillacs from the 60s and they are a rolling event. They are CADILLACS and then some. The CT6 is a nice enough car but it's so generic and devoid of flavor that it's not an event. I'd love to see them give the CT6 a formal roofline like the 76 Seville, drop the art and science crap, do 76 Seville styling aged forward, call it a Seville, price it like a Mercedes E, and kill the ATS, CTS, and CT6.

Cadillac needs to stop chasing the Germans and leverage their American iron heritage...big powerful in your face vehicles, lots of luxury, bright colors, mega torque with smooth ride, with an attitude. "I'm American luxury and I'm damned proud of it!"

REALLY REALLY GOOD Styling can make a car sell.
THe original mustang was nothing more than a fancy Falcon coupe - but it really did look good.
GM has a history of really bad cars - that sold well at least initially because of their styling.
And who could forget the rush to get fine corinthian leather!

THe problem is - DeNysschen failed to take advantage of a series of spectacular prototypes - styling exercises that really got the juices flowing - and he let the "arts and science" look AGE for too long. Frankly - while it is not bad - the Escala is a non starter with a Hatchback - and I still believe that the Ciel and the El Miraj were far better.

Of course - the other problem is that Cadillac has tried to keep up with Mercedes Prices as well. THat won't work in the market.

What Cadillac NEEDS to do is to produce compelling Luxurious Styling - along with cars that are Tweeners - slightly bigger than the cars they compete with. I believe if the CT6 had been priced originally (It sells there) at around the 5/E class level - it would have sold a lot more - BUT the CT6 does not have the presence of an S-Class and can never compete at those prices.

The original CTS was a tweener that was priced with the 3class - but was larger inside - and it sold reasonably well.

The other problem is that - at that price level - people want a car that they want to be seen in - and the BIG Cadillac should actually LOOK BIG - NOT smaller than they actually are. Stylists CAN do that - put a New Impala next to a Ford Panther based car - and you will see what I mean. The Impala - when right next to the Lincoln - is actually a large car - but the Lincoln - on its own - simply Looks bigger.

OF course - I am OLD - maybe younger people would disagree - although they seem to agree with their pocketbooks

Exactly!

The ATS is an oxymoron - it is such a highly flawed product but the sedan (not the coupe) is the best-proportioned and best looking in the Cadillac lineup.

The other Cadillac's that are packaged better (and are only marginally better sellers) are just awkward looking.