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Cadillac ATS was almost front-wheel drive

"We were going to do a front-wheel drive Cadillac compact off of Delta because it was going to be less expensive," Doug Parks, General Motors' vice president of global product programs, told the Automotive News during the Detroit Auto Show in January of this year. That sentence, referring to early ATS discussions more than five years ago - a period when the automaker, and the industry, was struggling - reveals that Cadillac's highly acclaimed rear-wheel drive compact sedan almost never happened.
Parks revealed that that automaker actually built a 2.0-liter test mule, on GM's Delta platform (shared with the Chevrolet Cruze and Buick Verano) and tested it in Europe. While the prototype was "pretty darn good," according to Parks, the team realized that in order to compete against Mercedes-Benz and BMW it would have to invest in a new rear-wheel drive platform.
The resulting all-new Alpha platform would eventually underpin the Cadillac ATS, and many would argue that its balanced rear-wheel drive chassis is its single most important attribute. Thankfully, the Alpha's goodness won't stop with the ATS. The upcoming 2014 Cadillac CTS and the future Camaro will also share its architecture, meaning the Cimarron will remain a distant memory.

GM lays off 450 at Lansing Grand River Assembly

General Motors will lay off 450 employees at its Lansing Grand River factory, The Detroit News reports, which is 100 more than the company said it'd be letting go last month. Lansing Grand River Assembly currently builds the Cadillac ATS and CTS, both of which have suffered sluggish sales, with the smaller sedan down 20 percent through last month and the larger model down 2.3 percent, The Detroit News reports. "We are adjusting plant production capacity to better align with market demand. Beginning in January 2015, the plant will operate on a single shift," a GM statement read, before explaining that not all the laid off Grand River employees will be jobless. Of the employees that have been laid off to make room for the single work shift, around 200 will transfer to the Lansing Delta Township factory, home of the Lambda-platform crossovers, GM's statement confirmed. The News expects this one-shift arrangement to continue until at least late next year, when the Alpha-platform Chevy Camaro transitions from General Motors' Oshawa, Ontario factory to Lansing. Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen said at last month's LA Auto Show, "It may not necessarily be permanent, a time may come when we've gained momentum and we can reinstate it. But for now, the adjustment to production capacity is in alignment with our plans for 2015."

Cadillac Elmiraj Concept brings big coupe style to Pebble Beach [w/videos]

Two years ago, Cadillac absolutely floored us with the debut of its gorgeous Ciel concept at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. And since that droptop four-door's debut, we've seen plenty of its design language worked into the latest Cadillac products. Now, we're seriously hoping that history will repeat itself with this stunning new Elmiraj coupe concept, which makes its first public appearance in Monterey this week.
Cadillac states that the Elmiraj concept simply showcases the next step forward for the brand's Art & Science design DNA, and doesn't necessarily preview an upcoming model. But if you told us the Elmiraj was a conceptual look at the next-generation CTS Coupe, or a smaller, two-door version of a new flagship, we'd believe you. At 207 inches long, 76 inches wide and 55 inches tall, its dimensions are only slightly larger than the current two-door CTS.
Regardless of what the Elmiraj does or does not become, it's certainly a fantastic modern interpretation of the classic GT formula with its short front overhang, long hood, rakish roofline and petite rear deck. The strong character lines running along the sides and exaggerated 22-inch wheels round out the beautiful coupe, and Cadillac's signature vertical LED lighting elements are found at the front and rear. Also take note: the badge on the grille is a crest without a wreath, basically confirming our earlier report.