Cadillac will expand its model lineup in 2012 with a brand new model, a compact luxury sedan code named ATS. Cadillac is aiming at a 44 mpg vehicle, which would be the most fuel efficient in the Cadillac line-up, and even more fuel efficient than the best-selling 2012 Chevrolet Cruze.
The new smaller model will give Cadillac a rear-wheel drive luxury sports car to compete head-to-head with the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4 in the luxury market's largest segment.
The new small Cadillac will begin production next summer, most likely as a 2013 model, at Michigan's Lansing Grand River assembly plant. This is the same plant that builds the award-winning midsize Cadillac CTS sedan, coupe and wagon.
GM invested $190 million to retrofit the plant for the new model, which also means 600 new factory jobs, plus a boost for suppliers, local restaurants, and so on.
“The car we codenamed ATS is being developed to be a driver's car on an all-new Cadillac-specific RWD-AWD architecture,” GM president for North America Mark Reuss told a news conference. “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.”
There's no pricing yet. Stay tuned.
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