How does Cadillac plan to sell the Cadillac ATS?  By emphasizing performance.

Cadillac ATS in Monaco

The Cadillac ATS was designed specifically to compete with the BMW 3-Series.  Yes, and some other similar cars.  But the 3-Series is the bulls-eye big seller.  The ATS matches very well with the 3-Series line-up, down to the Turbo 4 engine in the midline ATS vs the 328i, and the Premium 3.6L V6 321 hp engine vs the 300hp BMW 335i.

Cadillac ATS Morocco Limited Slip

Here’s what Cadillac’s Don Butler shared in the article below:

 “Completely new from the ground-up, ATS is Cadillac’s bold entry into the most significant segment of the global luxury auto industry,” says Don Butler, vice president of Cadillac Marketing. “ATS was developed to take on the world’s best sport sedans.”

To unveil the Cadillac ATS the company sent cars and a crew on a world-wide tour to capture the compelling performance of the new sports luxury model in a variety of exotic real-world locations.  This is a uniquely American sports luxury tourer, on tour across the world.

Full Press Release:

Cadillac ATS Challenges the World in New Film Series

Debuts online this week and airs during Olympic Opening Ceremony

DETROIT – Cadillac will introduce the all-new 2013 ATS via a series of dynamic films in which the new luxury sport sedan confronts some of the world’s extreme roads and treacherous driving conditions.

“Cadillac ATS vs. the World,” debuts online this week and includes 60- and 30-second television spots airing during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 27.

The cinematic adventure takes the ATS from the deserts of Morocco, to the streets of Monaco, to the Guoliang Tunnels in China and windswept Patagonia, Chile. Each challenge showcases aspects of the car’s agility, driving performance and efficient design.

“Completely new from the ground-up, ATS is Cadillac’s bold entry into the most significant segment of the global luxury auto industry,” says Don Butler, vice president of Cadillac Marketing. “ATS was developed to take on the world’s best sport sedans. So we designed a world challenge for ATS to dramatically demonstrate its all-new purpose-built chassis and advanced technology in a global, cinematic adventure.

“The films demonstrate the performance of the new ATS on a world stage, making it a natural fit for the Olympics.”

The campaign includes short films, ads and photography, directed by Academy Award-nominated documentary film maker Joe Berlinger, and Jeff Zwart, an acclaimed automotive expert and film maker. The driver in the spots is Derek Hill, a champion race driver and son of Phil Hill, the only American to win the World Driving Championship. American actor and filmmaker Ross Thomas hosts the series, which includes short films highlighting aspects of the ATS and the cultures of the locations featured in the challenges.

Coming to Cadillac showrooms later this summer, the compact ATS establishes a new entryway to the Cadillac portfolio, with a starting price of $33,990 including freight and the choice of three power-dense engines. EPA highway fuel economy is 33 mpg, while a new 2.0-liter turbo engine and the car’s lightweight construction enables peak 0-60 mpg acceleration of 5.7 seconds.

“’ATS vs. the World’ is about the compelling performance of the car,” said Butler. “ATS has been comprehensively prepared for a big and unprecedented mission. That inspired us to create this unique creative platform to present ATS to luxury consumers in a big, new and engaging way.”

In Patagonia, famed as the windiest place on earth, the ATS’s advanced aerodynamics are put to the test. In Morocco, Hill pilots the ATS through a treacherous road in the Atlas Mountains that features 100 corners. In Monaco, ATS attacks the intricate and legendary Monaco Grand Prix circuit. And in China, Magnetic Ride Control technology helps ATS confront the remote hand–carved Guoliang Tunnel Road.

“It took global scale and a directorial dream team to help us pull off a production of this magnitude,” said Pat Fallon of Fallon Minneapolis, the agency behind the ad. “Jeff Zwart is one of the best car shooters in the world and Joe Berlinger is an Oscar-nominated documentarian with a great eye for human stories. A combination of talent like that is something that we just don’t see that often.”

Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered a historic renaissance led by artful engineering and advanced technology. More information on Cadillac can be found at media.cadillac.com.

Please also see our Cadillac ATS category.