GOOD CAR BAD CAR |
That's almost twice as many entry-level luxury cars as Mercedes-Benz sold with their C-Class. Mercedes-Benz also sold 175 CLA-Class sedans; BMW added 23 1-Series coupes and convertibles. Audi sold 606 A4s. There's no doubt that Cadillac's ATS isn't the top seller, but it's positioned as the fourth-best-selling car in its class, and it's outselling other new rivals like the Lexus IS and Infiniti Q50, both of which are produced by automakers which have established themselves in the category. Expectations for new 3-Series competitors in the small luxury sports sedan class are always high, and that's clearly been the case with the Cadillac ATS. Yet expectations should probably have been low. Cadillac is not a much-loved brand in Canada. Compare the brand's October market share in the luxury category, 7.1%, with Cadillac's market share south of the border, 9.6%. Go another step and compare Cadillac's year-to-date industry-wide market share in Canada, 0.5%, with Cadillac's market share in the United States, 1.1%. The fact that the ATS is a Cadillac may be the biggest problem it has in Canada. Does the 3-Series outsell the ATS? Er... yeah. Are you surprised? The 3-Series outsells everything. If we judge the ATS not as a 3-Series rival but as a boon to Cadillac, it's selling rather well. And if we say the ATS isn't successful, we ought to judge the Lexus IS and Infiniti Q50 and Volvo S60 with the same harsh criticism. Among premium brand passenger cars in Canada, only three sold better in October. For a car that's only been on the market for a year, that's not bad. October 2013 was the ATS's best Canadian sales month so far. Historical monthly and yearly sales figures for any of these models can always be accessed through the dropdown menu at GCBC's Sales Stats page, and for those not viewing the mobile version of this site, near the top right of this page, as well. |
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