Cadillac to Reveal ATS Sports Sedan at Detroit Auto Show  

ANDOVER, Mass., Dec. 29, 2011 – Cadillac has the German luxury automakers square in its sights with its 2013 ATS sports sedan, which will make its official debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January. Slated to reach Cadillac dealers next summer, the new Caddy will also be the smallest in the lineup, making it a direct competitor against the Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3 Series.

Thus far, Cadillac has only released teaser photos of the ATS, but the shadowy shots reveal the crisp lines and sharp angles of the automaker’s Art and Science design philosophy. Edmunds’ InsideLine.com says Cadillac fans can eventually expect coupe and convertible variants, as well as a high-performance V-Series model further down the road, but the first Cadillac ATS models to reach showrooms will all be rear-wheel-drive compacts of the four-door variety.

“The addition of the ATS will be key to Cadillac’s expansion both in America and globally,” said Bill DeLuca III, president of Andover, Massachusetts Cadillac dealership Bill DeLuca’s Woodworth Chevrolet Cadillac. “The 2013 ATS will be competing in the largest segment in the luxury-car industry, and Cadillac is positioning itself to steal a large enough chunk of the market to disrupt the German status quo. It won’t be easy, but the ATS is more than equipped to take on the competition.”

Cadillac will offer a trio of engines in the ATS, all of which are capable of keeping pace with the speedy competition, including two all-new four-cylinder engines. Base-model ATS vehicles will be powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine, while the next rung up the performance ladder will feature a turbocharged 2.0-liter mill producing 270 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. The likely range-topper of the ATS lineup is the 3.6-liter V6 engine that currently resides in the Cadillac CTS midsize sedan. It produces 318 horsepower, good for 18 more horsepower than the turbocharged V6 in the BMW 335i.

To ensure the ATS has the handling chops to match its acceleration, Cadillac spent an extensive amount of time testing on Germany’s famed Nurburgring, the longest permanent racetrack in the world. Approximately 16 miles in length, the Nurburgring, also known as The Green Hell, is a challenging mix of fast sweeping corners and tight sections that put a car’s chassis, brakes, suspension and engine to the test. With 90 turns and nearly 1,000 feet in elevation changes, a drive on The Green Hell makes any commute seem tame in comparison.

“Cadillac hasn’t cut any corners in the development of the ATS,” DeLuca noted. “It takes time and effort to build something that can stand up to the German luxury competition, and Cadillac has fully invested itself in creating vehicles that will not only compete, but will also create new benchmarks in their segments.”

That effort extends to Cadillac’s other new luxury car, the XTS full-size sedan. Replacing the Cadillac STS and DTS when it arrives at dealerships this spring, the 2013 Cadillac XTS features a direct-injected 3.6-liter V6 with an available all-wheel-drive system that should prove appealing to those in the Snow Belt. The XTS will also be the first vehicle to feature Cadillac’s CUE infotainment system, which combines navigation, communication and entertainment functions in an intuitive, customizable interface.

  

One Fast Five-Star: Chevy Camaro Tops Tougher NHTSA Safety Ratings

Sports Car Is First to Earn Five Stars Across the Board in New Car Assessment Program

ANDOVER, Mass., Dec. 5, 2011 – Sports cars aren’t the first models to come to mind when it comes to crash safety, but the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe has become the first vehicle to earn all perfect scores in the revised New Car Assessment Program from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Starting with 2011 models, the NHTSA instituted more stringent crash-testing criteria that rate vehicles in a number of categories, and the latest Camaro Coupe earned the highest possible five-star safety rating across the board.

When the NHTSA revised its testing standards last year, the system was upgraded to include tougher crash tests and an overall score to make it easier for consumers to compare vehicles within a class. Currently available at Chevy dealerships, the 2012 Camaro Coupe earned five stars in the frontal crash, side crash, rollover and overall categories, making it both the first sports car and the first vehicle on the market to accomplish the feat.

“It’s impressive that a sports car as powerful as the Camaro was the first car to sweep all of the safety categories, because the car is normally more associated with its roaring engine and raising customers’ pulses,” said Bill DeLuca III, president of Massachusetts Chevy dealership Bill DeLuca’s Woodworth Chevrolet Cadillac. “It’s not surprising though, because the Camaro is made by Chevy; even their fun toys incorporate their high build quality and wide array of safety features.”

While its ultra-strength steel safety cage and six standard air bags helped the 2012 Chevy Camaro Coupe earn its five-star ratings, the sports car includes other high-tech features to help passengers stay safe. Antilock brakes and StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control reduce the likelihood of getting in a crash, and six months of OnStar Automatic Crash Response comes standard to dispatch emergency response teams if a collision happens.

The Camaro Coupe’s brother, the 2012 Camaro Convertible, has yet to be rated by the entire NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, but it has earned a five-star safety rating in the rollover category, making it a prime candidate for anyone seeking a safe convertible. For those seeking even more power from their drop-top, Chevrolet unveiled the 2013 Camaro ZL1 convertible at the LA Auto Show last month. Chevy’s most powerful production convertible ever will share the same 580-horsepower LS9 V8 engine as the ZL1 coupe when it goes on sale in late 2012.

Chevrolet designed the Camaro ZL1 coupe to eventually accommodate a convertible model, so the vehicles share many structural similarities. The Camaro ZL1 convertible, however, is outfitted with a tower-to-tower brace under the hood, a transmission support brace, front and rear-underbody braces, and structural reinforcements to help stabilize the vehicle and do away with the wheel shake, vibration and noise that often plague convertibles. All of these features are intended to give the convertible a smooth, coupe-like ride while still delivering an open-air experience.

“Some automakers chop off the roof of their existing models as an afterthought and call it a convertible, and that’s not the way to do it,” added DeLuca. “Chevy actually had a convertible model in mind from the very beginning for the ZL1, and that’s what’s going to set it apart from other drop-tops on the market. That, and the fact that it has a 580-horsepower engine, of course.”

ANDOVER, Mass., Nov. 2, 2011 – Americans have been quick to warm up to the Chevrolet Cruze since the compact car debuted last year as a 2011 model, but in a couple years Chevy will find out whether consumers will be as enthusiastic towards a diesel-powered version of the same car. General Motors recently confirmed that the new diesel Cruze will be manufactured alongside its gasoline-powered sibling at the company’s Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant before being shipped to Chevy dealerships in 2013.

While General Motors has announced where the diesel Chevy Cruze will be built, the American automaker has yet to say which diesel engine will be found under its hood. In Europe, Chevy Cruze

“A 50-mpg Cruze would be a great alternative for those who want incredible fuel economy without sacrificing much in power,” said Bill DeLuca III, president of Massachusetts Chevy dealership Bill DeLuca’s Woodworth Chevrolet Cadillac. “Americans are starting to realize that diesel-powered cars are not what they used to be. New diesel technology has allowed them to be more fuel efficient than gas-powered cars and more powerful than hybrids.”

General Motors will be investing $5.5 million into its Lordstown manufacturing plant to prepare it for production of Chevy’s first diesel car since the 1980s. The plant is already running day and night during weekdays and sometimes during weekends to keep up with demand for the gasoline-powered Chevy Cruze, which outsold the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla in the United States this summer.

Regardless of the future success of its diesel models, the Chevy Cruze has already established itself as a fuel-sipping innovator with its Cruze Eco, which offers the best highway fuel mileage of any conventional gas-powered vehicle in America. Capable of 42 mpg on the highway with its six-speed manual transmission, the 2012 Chevy Cruze Eco has a cruising range of 529 miles, enough to go from Boston to New York and back without refueling.

While the Chevy Cruze’s fuel efficiency may grab headlines, it is built to provide a comfortable and responsive ride for the lifetime of the vehicle. Chevy’s compact car is available with leather seats, a sport-tuned suspension and automatic climate control, meaning drivers of larger cars can downsize without downgrading.