jwong77

Its kinda sad to see the ATS on that list of cars that are being overlooked. It seems like a good effort at least on paper.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Most of the ATS's problems lie internally much with the CUE infotainment center. Otherwise the car itself looks great (IMO) (I had to do a double take on the freeway the other day - some sexy black one was cruising by me), and the cars suspension at least in highest form that magnetic ride control is one of the best in the business. It's also one of the lightest in class. A 8-Speed auto could probably also help with acceleration and fuel economy too.

Mr. Burns

ATS needs a new engine, transmission, interior, and infotainment system.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

that's crazy talk.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Maybe a new 8-Speed and more refinement to CUE, but the interior is pretty well appointed, and the engine offerings are great. A base 2.5L I4 to keep the entry price low and very competitive. A volume turbo 2.0L I4, a strong 3.6L V6, and we know the upcoming ATS-V with it's twin turbo 3.6L V6 420ish hp is going to be a hoot

I agree

natnut

Sounds like the ATS would work better as a coupe than as a sedan considering all the feedback about the near un-useable rear seating.

An ATS-V coupe with an improved CUE could be an unbeatable combination.

Mr. Burns

I was mainly referring to the 3.6L option when I said new engine. CUE needs an overhaul, with real buttons. The transmission in the ATS is just not great, needs an 8 speed. And the interior in terms of materials and execution still lags the top dogs in the segment. All these areas are where the ATS has been dinged in comparison tests.

I recommend you watch this video:

spwolf

So much for ATS bringing it up for GM.
Let the discounting begin.

It is not easy to get people to buy luxury vehicles... for instance, i have been going around German showrooms with best buddy to get him into one of the cars there, and he is looking at 1. brand, 2. interior and exterior looks/feel.

We have been talking about cars for a while now and he is looking to spend 80k on one, and we still have to drive single car.. it is all about sitting down and feeling things for him.

I have been trying to get him into BMW instead of Audi, but both 3 and 5 series have relatively poor interiors are mid-option levels compared to the FWD A6 thats also mid spec.

TangoRed

Near-unuseable is a grand exaggeration. The size is around that of an E46/E90, which was "fine" like 2 years ago. Cadillac made the mistake of ignoring its competitors' moves to bigger sizes for rear seat space and now it's paying for it.

84Cressida

The ATS' biggest problem is that it's incredibly tiny. Way smaller inside than a 2IS or last gen 3 series. Wouldn't bother me since I'm in the driver seat, but I can see why some complain about the size. I've sat in the back, and even I felt a little crunched in. Someone bigger than me would have real problems. Seeing how GM benchmarked a 14 year old BMW in dimensions, I'm not surprised.

LexFather

Not sure how a car winning or faring well in comparos and selling pretty decent considering its a small caddy could need what people are saying here.

It's a great first effort. It's pricey which was a bold move by Caddy.

The ATS is a great car.

Och

iTrader: (3)

The ATS looks horrible inside and out. It might be a good car, but its exterior is silly and not sporty looking at all, and interior looks like transformers toy.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

asoksevil

I meant that the entry-level is a very important segment for every tier 1 manufacturer. Jaguar lacks lots of sales because of it and it's a very good idea to bring up the XS with the same design language as the XF, XJ.

Russia and Ukraine in Europe, China and Taiwan in Asia and Australia in Oceania. Besides, Mark Templin said that starting from late 2013 we might see the ES in other right hand drive markets as well so Australia might not be the last market and they might approach the South East Asia region.

GS69

Fleet Flip-Flop:
Detroit 3 are Down; Asians Pick Up the Slack

The Detroit 3 slashed fleet sales in July, but Nissan North America, Hyundai-Kia and Toyota Motor Sales picked up the slack with huge gains.

Domestic-brand fleet activity dropped by 15,300 units last month, down 36 percent at Chrysler Group, 9 percent at Ford Motor and 6 percent at General Motors.

But 3 automakers made up for all but 1,700 units of the Detroit 3 decline. Fleet sales surged 87 percent at Nissan North America, 43 percent at Hyundai-Kia Automotive and 34 percent at Toyota Motor Sales.

So overall, July fleet volume for the 7 biggest automakers fell 1 percent to 143,800, while retail volume rose 16 percent to 983,000.

Industry fleet volume usually declines in the 2nd half of the year. But July was abnormally low at just 13 percent of total sales, compared with 15 percent a year earlier. That was enough to cut the major automaker fleet mix a point, to 19 percent, from 20 percent through the 1st 7 months.

For the most part, July exaggerated broader yearlong trends.

So far this year, Detroit automakers have trimmed their reliance on fleet sales and boosted retail. Chrysler leads this trend, increasing sales through dealers 16 percent while reducing fleet 8 percent. GM fleet activity through 7 months was flat but retail was 12 percent higher. Ford was up 8 percent on fleet and 15 percent on retail.

Despite July's surge, Toyota was down 6 percent on fleet and up 10 percent on retail through the 1st 7 months. Nissan was balanced, up 8 percent for fleet and 9 percent for retail.

Hyundai-Kia sales were flat overall through 7 months, but only because a 62 percent fleet spike offset a 7 percent retail drop.

PHP Code:

Retail vs. fleet sales
Estimated retail and fleet volume for July 2013 vs. July 2012
                          
Retail    July 2013 retail sales    July 2013 % retail    July 2012 retail sales    July 2012 % retail    July % change
General Motors    189,100    81%    153,500    76%    23%
Toyota Motor    184,600    95%    158,400    96%    17%
Ford Motor    151,000    78%    126,800    73%    19%
American Honda    138,600    98%    114,600    98%    21%
Chrysler Group    125,700    90%    103,600    82%    21%
Hyundai-Kia    98,200    85%    98,400    89%    0%
Nissan N.A.    95,800    88%    91,300    93%    5%
Top 7    983,000    87%    846,600    85%    16%
                          
Fleet    July 2013 fleet sales    July 2013 % fleet    July 2012 fleet sales    July 2012 % fleet    July % of change
General Motors    45,000    19%    47,700    24%    –6%
Ford Motor    42,700    22%    47,200    27%    –9%
Hyundai-Kia    16,800    15%    11,700    11%    43%
Chrysler Group    14,400    10%    22,500    18%    –36%
Nissan N.A.    13,300    12%    7,100    7%    87%
Toyota Motor    8,800    5%    6,500    4%    34%
American Honda    2,800    2%    2,300    2%    21%
Top 7    143,800    13%    145,000    15%    –1%