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With a little less camo on the rear for testing purposes, Brenda Priddy's spy network was able to capture new details of the Cadillac ATS. First, Priddy points to the very sharp character line that slopes upward, a line that can be seen starting behind the covering on the front door.
A very elegant chrome door handle is also easy to see, along with the true shape of the rear glass and the cut line for the door itself. Another impressive feature of this prototype is the CTS Coupe-inspired rear end, which appears to come to a point at the rear.
Riding on GM's new, rear-drive Alpha chassis, the ATS has been described as a smaller, CTS-like vehicle. From the overall look of these prototypes, we'd say that's an accurate description. GM intends it to be a true competitor to the BMW 3-series.
As far as motors go, the ATS should get GM's 2.0L turbo-charged four-cylinder. The 3.0L V6 or the 3.6L V6 (or maybe both) should also find its' way into the ATS.
Currently, production of the ATS sedan is slated to start in July 2012, followed by the coupe in July 2013. Back in October, GM announced a $190 million investment in the Grand River Assembly Plant in Lansing, Michigan, to build the all-new Cadillac ATS line of vehicles.
Expect pricing to range from the high 20s to mid 30s.
If you're wondering what that contraption is on the rear door, it's an optical fifth-wheel sensor. A lens points toward the ground to give an extremely accurate measurement of speed, acceleration and g-force. Given that this particular ATS was doing wide-open-throttle runs, we'd say they were checking the acceleration!
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Photo Credit: Brenda Priddy & Company