If what they say about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, then Cadillac’s German counterparts and especially BMW should feel extremely flattered – and to avoid any misunderstandings, we’re discussing the luxury brand’s product lineup and strategy.
On Tuesday, the Detroit auto show hosted the world premiere of the second member of the ATS family after the sedan, the new Coupe, both of which are aimed squarely against the German competition in the compact executive segment – think BMW 3- and 4-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
And this is only the beginning, according to Cadillac global chief Bob Ferguson, who told Autonews that the brand is considering additional body styles, including a convertible and a station wagon.
“You’ve made the investment. You’ve built a brand within a brand,” said Ferguson. “If you have a winner, you should exploit that and offer variations.”
A high-performance V Series model is also a given, with Ferguson adding that there could be another variant beyond that.
However, the GM brand won’t try to cover every single niche carved by Audi, BMW and Mercedes, with Ferguson stating that Cadillac will choose its battles in certain categories instead of going “as far and wide as Mercedes and BMW”, obviously referring to cars like the 3-Series GT.
“We want to keep our focus on a limited number of vehicles and do them very well,” said the Cadillac executive.
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