Cadillac dealers have begun accepting orders for the ATS-V, which General Motors has billed as the brand's inaugural luxury compact performance car.
DETROIT, MI - Cadillac dealers have begun accepting orders for the 2016 ATS-V, which General Motors has billed as the brand's inaugural luxury compact performance car.
GM said Tuesday the ATS-V sedan will have a starting price of $61,460 in the U.S, and the ATS-V coupe will start at $63,660. Those prices are the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, and they exclude tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment.
First unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, the ATS-V will have a twin-turbo, 3.6L V-6 under its hood, producing 455 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque. The ATS-V goes 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and has a top speed of 189 mph.
It comes with either a six-speed manual transmission or a paddle-shift, eight-speed automatic.
Production of the ATS-V begins this spring, and it will arrive at dealerships later in the summer.
"The V-Series is the ultimate expression of Cadillac's re-ignited product substance and the passion at the core of our brand," Johan de Nysschen, Cadillac president, said in a release. "The ATS-V expands the V-Series lineup, bringing a new kind of performance character to Cadillac."
Meanwhile. Cadillac is expected to unveil the CT6, a new, top-of-the-lineup luxury sedan, this spring at the New York International Auto Show.
New York is where Cadillac is moving its headquarters after being based in Detroit for 112 years. GM has framed the move as one aimed at being part of a strategy to re-position the brand closer to the crest of the global luxury market and its buyers.
Cadillac's manufacturing and engineering will remain based in Southeast Michigan, and GM said in September it would begin building the rear-wheel-drive CT6 in the fourth quarter of 2015 at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant as part of a $384 million investment there.
Cadillac currently produces the ELR, the CTS sedan and the ATS sedan and coupe in Michigan. It builds the ELR at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant and the other three models at its Lansing Grand River facility. The ATS-V is also being built at the Lansing plant.
In 2014, Cadillac's sales were off by 6.5 percent to 170,750 units. Sales of the ATS fell 22.0 percent to 29,890 units, sales of the CTS declined 3.8 percent to 31,115 units and sales of the SRX fell 5.6 percent to 53,578 units. Sales of the Escalade grew 54.7 percent to 19,482 units, and sales of the Escalade ESV rose 38.2 percent to 10,987 units.
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter