General Motors has only been without a small, rear-wheel-drive roadster for a few years, but the company might leverage its Cadillac division’s new compact sedan for a droptop variant.
Cadillac told Inside Line that the division is looking into producing a two-seat roadster based off of the recently-unveiled ATS’ platform. Designed to go head-to-head with cars like the BMW Z4 and Mercedes-Benz SLK, the roadster would increase Cadillac’s lineup in terms of breadth, although it would likely be a very low volume model.
We wouldn’t be surprised to see an ATS-based roadster stick with only the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine since the larger V6 would shoot for too niche a market.
Although the roadster has not been approved for production, it could be given the green light if GM can figure out a way to utilize existing parts to build the low volume model at a profit. Demand for roadsters is light, at best, but the car could serve as the kind of gateway halo car that could help open up the lucrative European market for Cadillac.
GM has not offered a sub-Corvette roadster since the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky were dropped when those two brands were phased out. And the Cadillac division has been droptop-free since the Corvette-based Cadillac XLR went away at about the same time.
