I think
if it was about space, the CTS sales figures would be much higher. They are very similar cars with the CTS being larger and having more space. I leased an ATS and it was a good car but the only reason I knew anything about it was because I was driving past a
Cadillac dealer and on a whim, decided to turn in and check things out. I knew a fair bit about the 3 series, Mercedes C class, Audi, Lexus, Acura etc.. but never once heard about the ATS or CTS.
The other thing going against those cars is that
Cadillac is very well known for it's history of big boats driven by older people. *If* someone was to see a review or ended up going to see one, they just don't compare to the big 3 in terms of everything but driving dynamics. Low sales forced
Cadillac to heavily discount the cars, which just makes things worse in terms of their perceived value...
That would be w/ the assumption that all or most 2G CTS owner wanted or were able to
move up a price-segment into the 3G CTS.
Sure, some were able to (as their income and/or needs increased), but many simply wanted to purchase a replacement for their 2G (or even 1G) CTS and that meant either (1)
paying a lot more for the 3G CTS or (2) sticking to the
same price-point (w/ the ATS), but getting a sedan w/ significantly less room than they had before.
And even if they were willing to move up a price-point, that didn't necessarily mean that they stuck w/
Cadillac.
As the 3G CTS had the
same issue relative to its competition - the E Class, 5 Series, A6, Genesis/G80, etc.
The
Alpha platform had major packaging issues - issues which not only limited passenger and trunk space in sedans/cars, but also made it unsuitable for CUV-duty (which is why we haven't seen any Alpha-based crossovers).
The Alpha also negatively impacted
Camaro sales when GM's pony car switched over to that platform (the current backseats are basically unusable aside from being used to carry some stuff.
Camaro sales went from
91.3k in 2012 down to
67.9k in 2017 (the 6G Camaro went into production late 2016, so 2017 should have been a big sales year).
Meanwhile, the Challenger (despite its age) went from
46.8k in sales in 2012 up to
64.5k in 2017 (
66.4k in 2016), so it wasn't simply buyers abandoning the segment for CUVs and SUVs.
Despite the Camaro being on a sophisticated platform and the Challenger being on an ancient platform, the Dodge has increased sales by around 20k, whereas the Camaro has lost over 20k in sales.
Don't think it's a coincidence that the Challenger still has a usable rear seat.
It's the same formula which has made the Genesis/G80 the
3rd best selling vehicle within its segment (for much of its existence); same for the
Infiniti G/Q50.
Another common complaint about the ATS is that parents couldn't fit a large, rear facing child-seat at the back.
Don't think we'll see the G70 be the 3rd best seller in the segment (once the dealership issue has all been addressed) as the Genesis/G80 has been and the G70 is the all-around better vehicle within its segment when it comes to driving dynamics/handling and interior appointment.
