Car Throttle

One of the most anticipated debuts at Detroit is the Cadillac ATS.  We've been hearing rumors and catching slow leaks of information about GM's first credible 3-series challenger for ages now, and today GM released pictures of the whole thing.  On paper, it's a match for Bavaria's best - but that's not the first time we've heard that.  Does the ATS have what it takes? The ATS is part of GM's plan to flesh out the Cadillac brand as a more direct competitor.  The XTS fits above the CTS as a relaxed luxury car, and the ATS below it as a sportier small sedan.  All three of them are remarkably similar-looking, with the ATS resembling the XTS more than the mid-sized brother.  Headlights that pull

Take a bite... outta news!  I'm back again with today's News Bites, where I hand-feed you today's automotive this-and-that with a humorous spoon.  So what's news today? Cadillac's ATS has been circulating the rumor mill for a while now.  This small, rear-wheel-drive sedan is pitched directly against BMW's all-conquering 3-series and Audi's A4.  We've known a bit about it's underpinnings for a while now - it will sit on GM's new Alpha RWD chassis, which fits below the Zeta RWD chassis - G8, Camaro, CTS, etc.  GM announced what you'll find under the hood, and there's reason to get excited.  Not about the base model, which will be powered by a 2.5L I4 (likely the same one in the new Malibu, with 190bhp/180lb-ft).  No, the mid-level

Right across the street from Charles Agapiou Bentley/Rolls Royce on Santa Monica Blvd is the kind of dealership you could just stand and drool in for a while.  Heritage Classics is exactly what it says on the label: a purveyor of high-end desirable classics parked wall to wall.  Unlike a lot of classic dealers, this one didn't seem to specialize in one marque or even genre: there was everything from a classic Porsche 356 to a Cadillac Eldorado.  But what lured me in the door first was this... A Ferrari 330GTC, what I think is probably the prettiest front-engine V12 Ferrari ever made.  Styling by Pininfarina, a 4.0L Colombo V12 breathing through six carbs up front, a five-speed, two seats and independent suspension.  The

It's somewhat unusual that you can't go into a Cadillac showroom right now and buy a big sedan.  The quick-selling CTS fits somewhere in between a 3 and a 5-series BMW as far as interior room goes, but those looking for a "traditional" land yacht Cadillac don't have an option... unless the Escalade counts.  (which I think it does, but YMMV.)  Since the demise of the DTS (DeVille, front-wheel-drive with a transverse Northstar 32v V8) and the STS (rear-wheel-drive, longitudinal 3.6 V6 or 4.6L Northstar V8), it's been CTS or nothing. Cadillac is about ready to rectify this situation with the upcoming XTS large sedan.  It will flesh out Cadillac's model line, fitting above the CTS (and the upcoming ATS sedan will fit below it).  If

Here's Part II of the SEMA Preview coverage.  Alternative title: Turbos, widebodies, big brakes and roll bars, oh my!  In the previous post I covered GM, Mopar, Mazda, and Hyundai.  Now we're moving on to Toyota.

Toyota, Lexus, and Scion have always had a strong presence at SEMA. This year will be no different, with all three divisions bringing concept cars in a futile attempt to convince us the brand is still interesting. Toyota's "big announcement" was the introduction of the F-Sport package for the new-generation Lexus GS350 sedan, which makes the car better looking (negotiable) but not any faster. The exterior gets 19" alloy wheels with 235/40/19 tires (RWD F-sports get 265/35/19 rears, AWD's are square), a more aggressive front

With the V-Series lineup, Cadillac has dispelled any lingering notion that it isn't capable of producing some of the world's best performance vehicles. The CTS has gotten a lot of accolades in standard form, in addition to high praise for the V-Series lineup. When it first launched back in 2003, the CTS was designed to compete in the compact entry-level segment. While it is priced in that range currently, with the next-generation car that launched in 2008 it moved up to mid-size status. The ATS is coming, looking to rectify that situation with a vehicle aimed squarely at the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and other sedans in the segment like the Infiniti G37. If it is going to have any hope of competing with those

While BMW and Mercedes-Benz (not to mention Infiniti, Audi, etc) have competitors in the compact segment and are looking to downsize even further, Cadillac has been left out. The CTS is the smallest car Cadillac sells, and it undoubtedly is the star of the show at the brand - especially the splendid V-Series lineup. The new ATS looks to rectify that situation with a car that is aimed directly and the 3-Series and C-Class. It will enable the CTS to refocus and compete in the mid-size segment. Various spy shots have come out about this program, and it appears to be shaping up as a very credible contender. In the beginning the ATS lineup was originally supposed to include a sedan, coupe, convertible and wagon

Cadillac has been making cars people under AARP admission age actually want for a few years now.  Being a legitimate BMW competitor is a big step for a company that once peddled wares to those tired of their Buicks.  The resurgence at GM is alive and well - 10 years ago, who would have thought that Cadillac of all brands would be selling a 556-horsepower, 6 speed manual sports wagon that can rip off 4.0 second 0-60 times? What they don't really have is a "halo" model.  An exorbitantly expensive top-of-the-line vehicle that's more concerned with "look what we can do!" than profit margins.  And while the Ciel concept (from the French word for "Sky"), which debuted today at Pebble Beach, might not be that

Cadillac has experienced sales success with the SRX crossover, redesigned for the 2010 model year. The first-generation SRX was based on the Sigma rear-wheel drive platform, and while it received rave reviews from critics, failed to sell well. That was mostly attributed to styling. Overall, a more mainstream approach has paid off for Cadillac - SRX is now the second best-seller in its segment, with a 71 percent conquest rate. For 2012, Cadillac is making further changes to streamline the car to better suit the market's tastes. The expensive 2.8-liter turbocharged six-cylinder as well as the previous base 3.0-liter V-6 engine have been dumped. In their place is General Motors' direct-injected 3.6-liter V-6 making 308-horsepower. Cadillac says it has the most standard power in its class. Other, more

I always make it out to Raleigh's Cars & Coffee event the first Saturday of every month. It's always worth it, even though I abhor waking up early, because there's always awesome stuff to see.  A lot of the same cars show up, so I won't show pictures of stuff you've already seen - for those you can check previous Cars & Coffee coverage here, here, and here. For starters, here is one of 337 Porsche 959's ever built, which was Porsche's rolling technical showcase that blew everything else out of the water in the 1980's, and set the standard for supercar performance.  None were ever imported to the US; it's likely this one has been fitted with the Canepa Design engine