Cadillac ATS Chassis Teased on GM Website?

One of the most important new products that Cadillac has ever worked on is the advanced Alpha platform, which will underpin a small (read smaller) RWD entry-level sedan called the ATS. Cadillac has global premium market ambitions even now, and hopes to properly introduce a dealer network across the world, but it needs truly appealing products that can compete with the European competitor.

The 2013 ATS will reportedly come in coupe, sedan and convertible versions, while a station wagon version is being considered in order to establish the brand in the European market. Until now, we’ve only been able to report on the car’s performance ambitions that will see a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged version hitting the market with around 380 hp, but thanks to GM Inside News, we might also be able to talk about the future car’s shape.

That’s because a scene in the video that auto-plays when you open the GM.com home page might actually be of the chassis of the ATS sedan. There’s a lot to indicate that this is indeed the entry-level model, as it’s more compact than current Cadillacs, judging by the comparable size of the technicians working beside it, and the shape of all the pillars is the same as ATS spyshots circulating the internet at the moment.

Both the short overhangs and the flank of the car are completely different from everything else GM makes, and it’s clearly a Cadillac, judging by the shape of the roof and the crease on the side, but it’s strange that a closely guarded secret has been leaked this way. However, this wouldn’t be the first time that an automaker previewed a car in a behind-the-scenes video.

Whatever the case, the ATS will probably be unveiled next year in sedan form first. It will be a contender to the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Klasse, offering a premium mix of four-cylinder and V6 engines.