Cadillac ATS

The Cadillac ATS (ATS as an acronym for Alpha Touring Sedan) is a compact executive car (D-segment) manufactured by General Motors and marketed by Cadillac from 2012 to 2019, available in both four-door sedan and two-door coupé body styles. In the US, it is the brand's first locally-built entry-level premium car since the Cimarron, and in Europe, it is the successor of the Swedish-built Cadillac BLS. The ATS was developed at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan and assembled the ATS at the Lansing Grand River Assembly plant in Lansing, Michigan.

The ATS is based on General Motors' Alpha platform and is offered in either rear- or all-wheel drive configurations. The ATS base engine had been a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter I-4 gasoline engine that produces 202 hp (151 kW), until the 2016 model year. Optional engines include a 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 gasoline engine that produces 272 hp (203 kW) and a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 gasoline engine that produces 321 hp (239 kW). The 2.0-liter engine replaced the 2.5-liter engine as the base engine for the 2017 model year. All versions were equipped with a 6-speed GM 6L45 Hydra-Matic automatic transmission as standard until the 2015 model year. An 8-speed automatic transmission was introduced for the 2016 model year. The 2.0-liter turbocharged, rear-wheel drive version can be mated to an optional 6-speed Tremec M3L TR-3160 manual transmission.

Prior to the debut of the ATS, Cadillac's smallest vehicle was the E-segment CTS. The CTS was comparable in price to D-segment competitors like the Audi A4, the BMW 3 Series, the Lexus IS and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, however was comparable in size and weight to the more expensive BMW 5 Series. Although Cadillac believed that customers would favor a Mercedes-Benz E-Class-sized sedan at the price of a 3 Series, this assumption was proven to be incorrect. Cadillac's research found that target customers who already owned vehicles like the 3 Series or A4 did not want a larger vehicle.

Cadillac debuted the ATS to the press in the United States in January 2012, placed the ATS into production in July 2012 and began selling the ATS in the United States in August 2012 as a 2013 model. GM began selling the ATS in China in November 2013. Cadillac sold the ATS in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, China, Japan, and South Korea. The ATS was replaced by the Cadillac CT4 in 2019 for the 2020 model year.