Drop Top Customs Gets to Work on 2013 Cadillac XTS Convertible Sedan

If it rolls on four wheels, has a roof and it's made by Detroit, then Drop Top Customs will gladly turn your ride into a convertible, regardless of the number of doors.

Not too long after we brought you news on the Florida-based company's open top interpretations of the redesigned Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans, Drop Top Customs released two images of a 2013 Cadillac XTS being stripped down in preparation of its transformation into a convertible.



The tuner tells us that work on the conversion is underway, but did not release any other details about the project.

However, we do know from past concepts that the company builds completely open top cars without a roll bar, fitting them with fully operational rear (sedan) or quarter (coupes) windows, which will likely be the case with the Cadillac XTS as well.

 

Photo Credits: Drop Top Customs

 

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Cadillac to Dial Back CTS Production as Brand-New ATS is Stealing Sales

If you build the right product, customers will come. The thing is, some of them may come from places you don't want them to. The Cadillac ATScompact sports saloon is still young but after its launch in September, sales of its slightly bigger sibling, the CTS, dipped a mighty 40 percent in October.According to data from Edmunds, that’s no coincidence. The ATS might be intended as a direct BMW 3-Series rival yet the CTS is also one of the most cross-shopped models amongst its potential buyers.The good news for the brand, apart of course from the recent Motor Trend comparison test outcome, is that the Munich's saloon is also on that list.

It’s not a rare phenomenon for two models of the same brand to encroach on each other's space, but it’s still one that all manufacturers do their best to avoid. That’s because they don’t want buyers choosing between two of their products; they want to win over other manufacturers’ customers.

Cadillac U.S. sales chief Chase Hawkins told Automotive News that the company won’t be stockpiling CTS inventory and then be forced to apply huge discounts, as it had done in the past to its great loss.

“We’ve planned for ATS to take some CTS customers out of the market who we otherwise would have seen”, said Hawkins. “We definitely are going to be producing fewer CTSs next year to create some of that space for ATS.”

Cutting back on the older model’s production rate is a short-term measure. Cadillac hopes that the problem will be solved when the two cars put some more distance between them. This will happen towards the end of 2013, when the next-generation CTS, which will be larger and pricier than today’s car moving up to BMW 5-Series territory, will hit the dealerships.

 

By Andrew Tsaousis

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Cadillac ATS by D3 Group

The Cadillac tuning specialist has revealed a styling package for the ATS, with performance parts in the pipeline.

This summer saw the launch of the all-new Cadillac ATS, and only now has an aftermarket package for the compact executive sedan come to the fore courtesy of Cadillac specialist, D3 Group. The Californian-based tuner developed its D3 ATS body kit, a styling package made up of a black grille, front bumper, side skirts with optional air foils, rear roof and rear deck lid spoilers. All parts can be mounted on to the OEM body points. D3 Group also fitted a new set of alloys to round off the exterior treatment.

Handling has been improved thanks to the addition of an adjustable coilover suspension with "Street" and "Competition" lowering springs, and a new air intake system. Purpose-built performance parts are currently being engineered, which will be tested under extreme track conditions before being rolled out in 2013.

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New Cadillac ATS 3.6 vs. BMW 335i and Mercedes C350 in MT's 6-Cylinder Rematch

Like the VW Golf, the BMW 3-Series has been dominant for so long, shrugging off one newcomer after another, that it practically defined the premium compact sports sedan segment.

This, of course, makes it not only harder for BMW engineers to come up with something better every time there's a replacement due, but it also makes it the car all rivaling manufacturers have set as their benchmark.

Cadillac has made quite a fuss about its new ATSbeing a bona-fide, Nürburgring-bred sports saloon that can take on the best – i.e. the brand new, F30 3-Series.

Motor Trend has already compared the two cars in their turbocharged, four-cylinder versions. It was a very close call, but in the end, the BMW won yet again.

This time, MT’s Jonny Lieberman chose to compare the six-cylinder versions of the two cars, the Cadillac ATS 3.6 and the BMW 335i, throwing in the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, in C350 Sport guise, for good measure.

All three cars are fitted with automatic transmissions and according to Lieberman, that’s going to be the most popular choice with the bigger engines. BMW has an eight-speed box while the Benz and the Caddy make do with one and two less gears respectively.

On paper, the ATS is the most powerful, packing 321hp against the Bimmer’s 300hp and the Merc’s 302hp. It’s also the most affordable, with an as-tested price tag of US$49,185, which may be almost identical to the C350’s US$49,245 but is nearly six grand cheaper than the US$55,870 BMW asks for this particular 335i.

Lieberman has set two criteria for declaring a winner. The first is the interior ambience and the usability of each car’s infotainment system and the second its driving dynamics.

You can watch the video that follows right after the jump to find out which is the best 50K sports sedan and you’re certainly welcome to voice your thoughts afterwards…

By Andrew Tsaousis

 

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2014 Chevrolet Impala Prices to Start from $27,535, Available with 4-Cylinder and V6 Engines

On the same day that American consumers are either chilling out after Thanksgiving day or…lining up outside stores for exclusive Black Friday deals, GM's Chevrolet brand released pricing for its all-new, 2014 Impala full-size sedan, several months before it goes on sale next spring.

The redesigned from the ground up 2014 Impala will be offered with two 4-cylinder units, a new 2.5-liter delivering 195hp and 187 lb-ft (253 Nm) of torque and a 182hp 2.4-liter unit with GM's eAssist “mini hybrid” system, plus a 3.6-liter V6 that generates 305hp and 264 lb-ft (358Nm) of torque.

All engines are linked to a six-speed automatic transmission as standard.

GM said that the 3.6L version will be the first to hit showrooms next spring, with a starting price of $30,760 for the LT and $36,580 for the LTZ, including destination charges.

Soon after, Chevy will launch the base 2.5-liter engine with prices set at $27,535 for the LS; $29,785 for the mid-trim LT; $34,555 for the top grade LTZ, again with all prices including a destination and delivery fee.

Pricing for the 2.4L engine with eAssist will be announced at a later date.

By comparison, the current 2013 Impala starts at $26,685 (including delivery charges) for the base LT model that's powered by a 300hp 3.6-liter V6 engine.

The tenth generation Impala rides on an enlarged version of GM’s Epsilon II platform that also underpins the new Cadillac XTS.

Among other new features, the 2014 Impala will debut Chevrolet’s MyLink in-vehicle entertainment system with an eight-inch color display screen that is customizable and also adopts a natural voice recognition, 10 air-bags, Adaptive Cruise Control and a number of crash-avoidance technologies like Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Side Blind Zone Alert.

 

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