The powerplant rumor mill for the upcoming Cadillac ATS is now in full swing.  The original favorite was the 3L V6 for around 270hp.  This engine was mostly dropped from the Cadillac line, being supplanted by a variant of the 3.6L V6 in the SRX where it makes 304 hp.  The 3L is still the ‘standard’ engine in the CTS.

The export version of the ATS will likely have the new 2.5L Ecotec 4 cylinder for 190 hp.  The base engine for the US market Cadillac ATS may be a 2L Turbo 4-cylinder making 270-290 hp (2-T4 for twin-turbo 4 cylinder?)  An upcoming twin-turbo 3L or 3.6L V6 perhaps making around 400-425 hp may be the either the Premium ATS engine, or perhaps reserved to the ATS-V, (2T-6 for Twin Turbo 6 cylinder?)

I would still like to see an LSX V-8 variant of the ATS as the ATS-V, with 450+ hp.  So I am hoping that the twin-turbo V6 is the premium powerplant.  A lot will depend on the shipping weight for the ATS as to what engine at what power output works well for the new Sports Sedan.  The target is BMW 3-Series performance, so unless the weight comes in at the same point as the 3-Series then the engines will need to rev up to compensate.

The price point will also be interesting; the standard Cadillac ATS needs to arrive as a beautiful, athletic package at under $30K if it is going to be successful in hitting 3-Series sales levels.