2014 Cadillac ATS Gets Fine-tuned for New Model Year

In a sign of how competitive the marketplace has become in the past year—or perhaps showing Cadillac’s renewed commitment to continuous improvement—the brand is adding some notable tweaks to the 2014 Cadillac ATS. Now, it’s not like the award-winning sport sedan has seen any noticeable changes to its sheet metal or underpinnings, but considering how much critical acclaim the car received in its launch year, some may be surprised to discover the 2014 Cadillac ATS will add:

• A new leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, with a larger diameter, on models equipped with Cadillac’s paddle-shifting automatic transmission
• Intellibeam headlight technology for the ATS when equipped with the available Driver Awareness and Driver Assist packages
• A rear-console 110-volt power outlet as part of the CUE and Navigation package
• A frameless rearview mirror
• More exterior finishes, including Phantom Gray Metallic, Mocha Steel Metallic, Majestic Plum Metallic and Red Obsession Tintcoat

Cadillac also is providing owners with more ways to personalize the 2014 Cadillac ATS through an expanded lineup of dealer-installed accessories. Among them: Aluminum sport pedals, black-chrome rear-applique trim, a sport grille accented with black chrome, 19-inch Y-rated summer tires and three new 19-inch wheel designs. Naturally, Cadillac will allow owners to include the price of the accessories in any monthly vehicle payments.

Also, with a third of the current selling season in the books, and the 2014 Cadillac ATS on the horizon, now is a good time to see how the 2013 version is doing against its rivals—which we’ll do on the next page.

2013 Cadillac ATS: Sales Update

The Cadillac ATS was developed to be the brand’s answer to the BMW 3-Series, and there’s no question that it has achieved that mission in the minds of most critics. Customers, on the other hand, haven’t been quite as welcoming—which has led to some nice deals for those who have purchased the car. And speaking of customers, here are the sales numbers for the Cadillac ATS and its closest rivals for both April and the year to date (ranked by the former):

• BMW 3-Series—8,236 April sales; 28,898 YTD sales
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class—7,338 April sales; 30,250 YTD sales
• Audi A4—3,143 April sales; 11,648 YTD sales
• Cadillac ATS—2,725 April sales; 12,475 YTD sales
• Lexus IS—1,794 April sales; 6,970 YTD sales