ATS Coupe, New Escalade On The Way

With 70 percent of its buyers new to to the brand, the Cadillac ATS is an important way for the brand to bring new buyers into the fold. But the ATS is still missing an important product that its main competitors currently have; a coupe.

While the coupe market is small overall, two-door variants still count towards the overall volume of vehicles like the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. And with the demise of the current CTS Coupe, a two-door ATS will fill a hole in Cadillac’s lineup by replacing a vehicle that attracted a bit of a following.

Also on deck for Caddy is the new Escalade, reportedly an evolutionary update of the current design. Reports state that a great deal of work has gone into upgrading the interior, which looks fairly dated at this point in time. While most enthusiasts will be excited by the prospect of an ATS coupe, a case can be made that the new Escalade is the more compelling product.

The Escalade is arguably Cadillac’s flagship, but the brand has apparently changed course late in its development cycle, moving away from the obnoxious (but awesome) bling-bling aesthetic to a look that M ark Reuss has called “understated yet elegant”. Personally, I think this is the wrong move; nobody buys an Escalade to fly under the radar (that’s what the Yukon Denali is for – check your local country club if you don’t believe me), but they do buy it to make a certain kind of statement. Beyond that, the public has embraced the Escalade in its role as the ride of choice for athletes, rappers and wealthy proles. In that niche, it truly is the standard of the world, more recognizable by name than even the Range Rover and the G-Wagen, the current ride of choice for America’s favorite nouveau riche Armenian clan. If only Cadillac would embrace it. If you want to make a statement about sustainability and your social conscience, go buy an ELR.