Cadillac's "3-Series" Launch Time Frame

[nsap]

Cadillac's "3-Series" Launch Time Frame
GM didn't announce a time frame, so GMI will instead.
www.gminsidenews.com
October 29, 2010
By: Nick Saporito

Yesterday General Motors announced a $190 Million investment into their Lansing Grand River assembly plant for an upcoming Cadillac small car. While GM brass acknowledged the new Cadillac will be competing with the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes Benz C-Class, they neglected to announce a time frame for the car.

Known by the public as the "ATS," this new Cadillac will be the first product to debut on GM's new Alpha rear-wheel drive architecture. According to sources the car will have an all-new four-cylinder engine standard, while GM's 2.0-liter turbocharged four cylinder and a V-6 will be optional. The V-Series model is expected to carry on the tradition of having a V-8 under the hood.

GMI has confirmed with two independent sources the current time frame for all model variations of the upcoming Cadillac. The same sources also state that the car will be hitting the IVER stage of development soon. See the below list for the current time frame:

• Sedan - fall 2012 (2013 model)
• Coupe - nine months after sedan (2014 model)
• Convertible - nine months after coupe (2014.5 model)
• V-Series - NA (2015 model)

[boblutzfan]

Give me a V6 with a smooth shifting six speed manual in my ATS Sedan please. Do so, and I will order mine on launch day.

[nsap]

Give me a V6 with a smooth shifting six speed manual in my ATS Sedan please. Do so, and I will order mine on launch day.

I've already been told the car will have an optional manual in all (or almost all) configurations. In fact, it will be an all-new manual.

[61BelAir]

A 2.0L turbo with the boost turned up sounds like it would be lots of fun.

[matt.w]

2.0T is NOT the base engine? Umwut?

[K-1]

A non-turbo 4-cyl base model? Ugh.

[Parlay84]

Is the new 4 pot the 2.5? Or will it be smaller and with a turbo.

[JBsZ06]

2015 model year for the ATS V? UGH! thats way too long...IMO.....Well at least its supposed to have a V8 engine..

Thats always a big win.

I think the turbo 4 if it puts out 300hp like the motor in the Pontiac Solstice GXP.. That would make a sweet handling competitor to the rumored BMW 3 series four cylinder that should be out by then...(especially if fuel prices continue to rise)

I'd be very tempted to buy a turbo 4 ATS coupe with a dual clutch or MCT transmission...instead of the ATS V if its out earlier..and is a handling maniac and priced reasonably....

[CamaroCrazy]

A non-turbo 4-cyl base model? Ugh.

If this car is light enough, a new hi-po naturally aspirated 4 cylinder making 200hp might be a solid base engine. Most buyers would be ok with a car making that much power and doing 0-60 in the high 7's.

I wish this car was coming sooner, but with the XTS coming next year, Cadillac needs to make sure they put their resources behind that car and give it a proper launch. So, 2012 for the ATS makes sense to me.

[V8GMT360 Guy]

2.0T as in the same engine as the Regal GS, but this car will be smaller/lighter than the Regal... correct? Meaning that theoretically, Buick's "performance" sedan could end up being out-performed by the non-performance variant Caddy ATS.

Not sure how I feel about that.... but it almost makes the Caddy more attractive considering it will also be on a RWD platform. Wonder how the pricing is going to compare between those two?

The next thing I find interesting is that if the Alpha platform is going to be set up for 4-cyl. and 6-cyl. engines in the ATS, and assuming they won't drop the availability of V8s in Camaro when it moves to Alpha (which could be an incorrect assumption, I realize), do I smell the possibility of an ATS-V with a V8 under the hood (M3 fighter)?

That would be particularly good for GM if BMW does what I recently heard they were considering and moves back to an I6 engine in the M3, dropping the V8 they're using now.

[PA Dweller]

I've already been told the car will have an optional manual in all (or almost all) configurations. In fact, it will be an all-new manual.

What are the chances of seeing a DSG style transmission in this car? I don't hear much news on GM's development of a DSG transmission and this has me concerned.

[bballr4567]

Hmmm 2014 for the ATS-V. That sounds like a perfect time line for me. Hopefully, hopefully, it will come with awesome cloth like seats or get rid of the pitiful stuff GM calls "leather." or give us an option for Recaros.

[ZeeTwentyFour]

I'm actually kind of glad that this is still down the pipe a bit; it gives me time to save up for it. I just need to see some concept or pre-production version soon so I know if I'm going to wait for it or not. Its hard not pullig the trigger on a regal or used G8.

[63GrandSport001]

As we all know BMW use to offer a smaller engine in the 3 series in the US (now it only offers it everywhere but America) however from my understanding BMW may bring this model back to America.

This engine in Europe uses a 2.0L engine that produces 140BHP and 140ft-lbs of torque. If GM used the current 2.4L direct injected motor then you are looking at 182BHP and 172ft-lbs of torque. That would compare nicely to the BMW smaller I-4 engine in the base unit and in the ATS it may get something around 32MPG on the highway.

Maybe its going to be a newer engine that is something like 2.0L direct injection without the turbo that gets around 140BHP. 2.0L turbo then 3.0L or 3.6L V-6.

[Variant]

The standard engine better be able to deliver over 200HP. Seriously.

Base four - 220HP
2.0T - 280HP
3.0T - 340H
New V8 - 450-500HP

That would be the perfect engine lineup, IMO.