Yeah, I don't quite understand Grandpa and Grandma buying the ATS either, just because it has a Cadillac nameplate on it. It not only has quite a stiff ride (with the flip-side, of course, being superb handling)...but is as different from the Tush-Cush DTS and DeVilles they were used to as night is from day.

 

It has the Cadillac name and the payments fit within their Social Security budget, or they can buy it outright from their savings because it is cheap.

 

What it means is that they (probably) aren't doing their homework....or talking to someone who has. For what an ATS costs (or less) there are plenty of sedans on the market that would do a far better job (or at least a significantly better job) of providing the cushy ride and seating comfort that many people in that age group want.

 

I'm sure you are right. I was behind an elderly couple in an ATS this morning and immediately got around them because they were just poking along and leaving wide gaps in traffic. Right audience, wrong car.

 

Yeah sometimes I think the older crowd just might not be very into the specifics on cars, ie a bit ignorant of what they're really getting and get a fast one pulled on them by the Cadillac salesman. They think "oh its a Cadillac, I really liked our old Seville we had back in the 90's". Yeah not even nearly the same car.

Previous job years ago I had this elderly couple who drove a 2000 BMW 530i with the sport package. Keep in mind this is before BMW went soft, the sport package had 18" wheels. I remember the week after they bought it(bought it used), I saw them again, this time the car was riding on base model 15" or 16" wheels. I asked the misses about this, she said "Oh he had no idea what in the hell he bought, that this was a sports car. It rode like an ox-cart. We took it to our mechanic who said nothing was wrong with it, he suggested the smaller wheels, and it does ride a bit better"

 

yes of course there are people that want them, but it's not a binary thing, sedans are still available in large varieties, and aren't going away. car companies are simply reacting to market demand they're not arbitrarily dumping vehicles. this quote from the article above says it all though:

actually yes you do as car companies cannot make an arbitrarily large number of different vehicles, they have budget and manufacturing constraints. just certifying different models for sale (let alone designing and building) is hugely expensive and time-consuming.

the numbers don't lie, their sedan sales volume sucks.

Cascada 623 +27.7% (month vs last year) +61.9% (YTD vs last year)
Enclave 2973 -27.9% -27.5%
Encore 6525 11.2% 9.2%
Envision 3139 (new)
LaCrosse 1348 -49.0% -60.4%
Regal 1023 -36.4% -53.7%
Verano 488 -84.1% -84.8%

the encore, envision and now aged enclave are what have brought in the volume.

agreed.

true - i've seen this a lot, they often get talked into what clearly is not the right choice.

 

love that new insignia though, in both forms...

 

When Ford and GM first started releasing these types of vehicles with a sedan option and a "hatchback but looks like a sedan option" in Europe the market was pretty split between those that wanted a hatchback and those that didn't. Pretty quickly the sedan buyers realised the hatchback offered more advantages without any disadvantages and sales fell until it no longer was economical to produce a separate sedan version.

 

They've always bought a Cadillac, and they return to get their next one--that's the extent of their "homework". And, as stated above, the ATS fits their budget. Most people don't do much "homework" before car shopping, anyway. Sheeple.

 

A steeply-raked hatchback, though, with a low, sedan roofline (somewhat like that found on the new Chevy Volt), really doesn't add much in the way of utility (and gets people in the rear seat wet if you have to open it in the rain LOL). Far more useful is the true, squared-off, wagon rear end which significantly adds to the cargo area, and usually doesn't impede visibility as much.