UPDATED with additional information supplied by General Motors Canada
Cadillac has announced it will end production of its ATS compact sedan after the 2018 model year.
The revelation is no big surprise: GM's luxury brand had already said it planned to replace the 2018 Cadillac ATS, CTS and XTS four-door sedan models with a pair of new cars in a bid to appeal to much of the same clientele while reducing overhead costs. Indeed, GM confirmed the ATS is going away so the company can "upgrade, expand and re-tool" the factory that builds it to prepare for "the next generation of Cadillac sedans."
The next generation will still include the 2018 Cadillac CT6 flagship sedan, which will be left untouched. The ATS two-door coupe will also carry on for at least one more model year, but only in the U.S.; in Canada it will disappear along with the sedan.
Among other future plans is the introduction of the three-row XT6 crossover (probably early in 2019), which would fill the gap between the XT5 and Escalade. That's a market Cadillac has not served since the first generation SRX was redesigned into a smaller shape in 2010.
Following the launch of the XT4 compact crossover this fall, Cadillac promises to launch a new model every six months until 2021, a volley that will presumably include those two new sedans.
For the ATS' part, while it is an entertaining car to drive — particularly in high-performance V trim — its interior was snug compared to the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class with which it competed.
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