Cadillac ATS Wins 2013 North American Car of the Year

The 2013 Cadillac ATS luxury sport sedan today was named the winner of the North American Car of the Year award.

A jury of 49 automotive journalists considered every new car released in the past year, and selected ATS as the winner. The award was announced at a press conference opening the 25th annual North American International Auto Show.

"This is a very meaningful honor for the entire Cadillac team, especially the men and women who build the ATS in Lansing, Michigan, and our dedicated and talented designers and engineers," said Bob Ferguson, GM vice president, global Cadillac. "A car like ATS is the result of incredible commitment and focus. That's the only method for creating a great performing luxury car."

The new ATS is the lightest car in its class with a unique architecture designed for nimble driving performance. The North American Car of the Year award is the latest in a growing list of accolades for the ATS, which was named Car of the Year by Esquire, and the Motor Press Guild, as well as several other awards.

A compact sport sedan, the ATS is offered in rear- and all-wheel drive versions, with a choice of powerful and efficient four- and six-cylinder engines. It recently received a 5-Star overall crash test rating in the New Car Assessment Program run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Congratulations to Cadillac. Well done

Congratulations to Cadillac. Designing a new car from scratch that is a true sport sedan competitive with the best in the world is a great accomplishment. I personally have been wanting a US company to do this for a very long time.

I looked semi-seriously at the ATS until I sat in it and tried to work the touch-screen. It's freaking awful. That's a dealbreaker, ladies!

Originally Posted by chasfh

I looked semi-seriously at the ATS until I sat in it and tried to work the touch-screen. It's freaking awful. That's a dealbreaker, ladies!

CUE got bad reviews by most reviewers, interestingly almost everyone who bought the ATS liked it after getting used to it. I think this is one of those new things people have to be willing to learn to use, or not.

I suspect more guys are willing to play with it than ladies though

@tim330i

I give you credit for posting this news release.

Originally Posted by tim330i

The 2013 Cadillac ATS luxury sport sedan today was named the winner of the North American Car of the Year award.

A jury of 49 automotive journalists considered every new car released in the past year, and selected ATS as the winner. The award was announced at a press conference opening the 25th annual North American International Auto Show.

"This is a very meaningful honor for the entire Cadillac team, especially the men and women who build the ATS in Lansing, Michigan, and our dedicated and talented designers and engineers," said Bob Ferguson, GM vice president, global Cadillac. "A car like ATS is the result of incredible commitment and focus. That's the only method for creating a great performing luxury car."

The new ATS is the lightest car in its class with a unique architecture designed for nimble driving performance. The North American Car of the Year award is the latest in a growing list of accolades for the ATS, which was named Car of the Year by Esquire, and the Motor Press Guild, as well as several other awards.

A compact sport sedan, the ATS is offered in rear- and all-wheel drive versions, with a choice of powerful and efficient four- and six-cylinder engines. It recently received a 5-Star overall crash test rating in the New Car Assessment Program run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Excellent choice by a group of unbiased knowledgeable experts who obviously put a lot of thought and research into . , , , , , , , ,

Oh wait, Cadillac won? Not BMW?

That clueless, inept and incompetent group of fools were obviously bribed.

The ATS is car for old people. I recently had the opportunity to sit in an ATS at an Auto show, I looked in the rear view mirror and was shocked to see that there was some old fart sitting in the car. I was even more shocked when I realized I was looking at my own reflection,

CA

Originally Posted by captainaudio

Excellent choice by a group of unbiased knowledgeable experts who obviously put a lot of thought and research into . , , , , , , , ,

Oh wait, Cadillac won? Not BMW?

That clueless, inept and incompetent group of fools were obviously bribed.

The ATS is car for old people. I recently had the opportunity to sit in an ATS at an Auto show, I looked in the rear view mirror and was shocked to see that there was some old fart sitting in the car. I was even more shocked when I realized I was looking at my own reflection,

CA

LMAO. At least you don't have a walker parked outside the vehicle.

Originally Posted by bayoucity

LMAO. At least you don't have a walker parked outside the vehicle.

+1 LMAO too.

.

Originally Posted by dtc100

CUE got bad reviews by most reviewers, interestingly almost everyone who bought the ATS liked it after getting used to it. I think this is one of those new things people have to be willing to learn to use, or not.

I suspect more guys are willing to play with it than ladies though

A "modern" system that is designed so the driver has to take his hand off the wheel and eyes off the road to try to touch virtual target in a moving car jiggling over a rough road. What could possibly go wrong? At the Cadillac event I went to the first thing the grey haired men looking at the car at the same time I was (the only other people looking at it) noticed about the CUE screen was that it was covered in fingerprints.

Originally Posted by captainaudio

Excellent choice by a group of unbiased knowledgeable experts who obviously put a lot of thought and research into . , , , , , , , ,

Oh wait, Cadillac won? Not BMW?

That clueless, inept and incompetent group of fools were obviously bribed.

The ATS is car for old people. I recently had the opportunity to sit in an ATS at an Auto show, I looked in the rear view mirror and was shocked to see that there was some old fart sitting in the car. I was even more shocked when I realized I was looking at my own reflection,

CA

Who was on the jury? North American journalists, it would seem. The ATS's popularity kind of reminds me of the popularity of a certain Johnny-come-lately politician. It's new, exciting, and unexpected. Reviewers are very taken with the idea of it, even if the reality is actually less. The ATS is good. That is true. But, I think the current reaction to it here in the U.S. has more to do with automotive types' excitement and glee at the fact that it is produced by a U.S. automaker than the actual reality of the car. btw - yes, I have actually driven the car.

Congratulations to Cadillac. But, it appears very few are watching. I continue to see XTSs on the road. Not so, ATSs.

Originally Posted by tturedraider

A "modern" system that is designed so the driver has to take his hand off the wheel and eyes off the road to try to touch virtual target in a moving car jiggling over a rough road. What could possibly go wrong? At the Cadillac event I went to the first thing the grey haired men looking at the car at the same time I was (the only other people looking at it) noticed about the CUE screen was that it was covered in fingerprints.



Who was on the jury? North American journalists, it would seem. The ATS's popularity kind of reminds me of the popularity of a certain Johnny-come-lately politician. It's new, exciting, and unexpected. Reviewers are very taken with the idea of it, even if the reality is actually less. The ATS is good. That is true. I think the current reaction to it here in the U.S. has more to do with automotive types' excitement and glee at the fact that it is produced by a U.S. automaker than the actual reality of the car. btw - yes, I have actually driven the car.

Did you not hear Captain? The ATS is for old people and the judges were bribed.

Originally Posted by dtc100

Did you not hear Captain? The ATS is for old people and the judges were bribed.

I am not sure if I have driven an ATS of not. I just can't seem to remember.
Maybe I am getting it confused with an ATV?



CA

Originally Posted by dtc100

Did you not hear Captain? The ATS is for old people and the judges were bribed.

No, it's more like the best car is always the one you own. I've been reading the posts in the Corvette forum and people there are saying how much they prefer their current Vettes over the new C7. I actually feel that GM did a nice job with the new design, overall with some exceptions, but I also sold my Vette and can now be totally objective.

Originally Posted by beden1

No, it's more like the best car is always the one you own. I've been reading the posts in the Corvette forum and people there are saying how much they prefer their current Vettes over the new C7. I actually feel that GM did a nice job with the new design, overall with some exceptions, but I also sold my Vette and can now be totally objective.

Looking forward to seeing it in person this week!

I am hoping the interior has decent touch points.

I am also looking forward to EPA numbers, these cars could always pull good highway numbers since the Ls1 came around. Now we have less weight, direct injection and better aerodynamics.

Would be cool to see a 450hp Vette nail 26-27mpg highway.

Originally Posted by Jamesonsviggen

Looking forward to seeing it in person this week!

I am hoping the interior has decent touch points.

I am also looking forward to EPA numbers, these cars could always pull good highway numbers since the Ls1 came around. Now we have less weight, direct injection and better aerodynamics.

Would be cool to see a 450hp Vette nail 26-27mpg highway.

My '09 ZO6 with 505 HP averaged 27+ MPG at an average highway speed of 76 MPH on a relatively flat N/S I-95 during my last trip from SE FL to PA. I read an article quoting GM saying the new C7 with 450+ HP should do 28-30 MPG doing legal speeds on the highway.

That's incredible from a V8. My '01 C5 Vette with 340 HP used to get 32 MPG in 6th gear on the highway averaging 72 MPH all day long.

BMW really could learn from the GM engineers about how to get high MPG from high output engines.

The C7 will be a bit heavier than the C6.

Originally Posted by beden1

My '09 ZO6 with 505 HP averaged 27+ MPG at an average highway speed of 76 MPH on a relatively flat N/S I-95 during my last trip from SE FL to PA. I read an article quoting GM saying the new C7 with 450+ HP should do 28-30 MPG doing legal speeds on the highway.

That's incredible from a V8. My '01 C5 Vette with 340 HP used to get 32 MPG in 6th gear on the highway averaging 72 MPH all day long.

BMW really could learn from the GM engineers about how to get high MPG from high output engines.

The C7 will be a bit heavier than the C6.

The target for the C7 was UNDER 3000lbs, so nearly 10-12% lighter. There is no official data yet, but even though I think it's going to crack 3100, it should still be lighter than the C6.

Remember, your Z06 was on a different chassis utilizing lighter weight materials than the regular C6.

I really want to test drive a Cadillac ATS 3.6 321HP, to see if will click like the 3-series.

EPA says that it costs only 150$ more in fuel annually than a 328i.

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

The BMW 320i - The Cadillac ATS Killer.

The shortest reign of a North American Car of the Year Champion in automotive history. But, hey, those three hours must have felt really nice for the folks at GM.

BJ

Good, at least you will have something to make you feel better, as very soon you will be driving your F30 along side of all those 20 year olds, who would have bought E90s, but now can suddenly afford your 320i F30.

I drove the ATS when it first came out. It is really quite good. The main thing that drives me nuts about it (and a lot of recent GM cats) is the use of shiny black trim in the center console. Oh and the fact that they seem to have followed BMW right off the cliff with the use of Run Flat tires. Ahh well at least they seem to use Michelin run flats.

Originally Posted by asus389

I drove the ATS when it first came out. It is really quite good. The main thing that drives me nuts about it (and a lot of recent GM cats) is the use of shiny black trim in the center console. Oh and the fact that they seem to have followed BMW right off the cliff with the use of Run Flat tires. Ahh well at least they seem to use Michelin run flats.

Off a cliff? That's a litte over dramatic...

I got to admit that I didn't like RFTs at first either, but all it takes is one incident, and you'll be a fan for life.

They work as advertised.

Originally Posted by krash

Off a cliff? That's a litte over dramatic...

I got to admit that I didn't like RFTs at first either, but all it takes is one incident, and you'll be a fan for life.

They work as advertised.

At risk of making this "yet another runflat thread", I guess I have been lucky with respect to tire leaks/blowouts. Almost all of mine have been slow leaks that I have been able to get fixed.

But I had runflats on my 2006 e90 for the first 3 years before I switched to regular tires. During that time period I had 4 bent wheels and a sidewall bubble on my summer set and 1 bent wheel on my winter set. (225/45R17 and 205/55R16 profile tires respectively). In the 3 years since on regular tires I haven't had any. And just for reference one of our other cars during that time period had non RFT 245/40R19 tires and was driven over the same roads and it only had one bent wheel.

One thing the ATS may have going for it is that GM is an American company that tests their cars at least in part on the poorly maintained streets of Detroit. Perhaps that means that the ATS have won't have the same RFT complaints as we have seen here. In my brief time behind the wheel of the ATS, it did seem more "muted" over bumps. Pothole explosions weren't as big of a nuisance. Not sure if they have worked out a suspension/wheel setup that handles RFT better or if they are just using better tires. OTOH GM has been using RFT for a while on the Corvette and the Corvette forums see the same complaints about RFT that you see here. I guess time will tell.

ugly