RIYADH – The Cadillac adventure – snappily entitled “Crossing Horizons” – which began last Nov. 26 at the famed Nürburgring circuit, Germany, arrived recently in the Saudi capital city, and welcomed by Al Jomaih Automotive Company (ACC) – the largest GM dealership in the Middle East, and the sole dealer of Cadillac cars in Saudi Arabia. David Matta, Premium Brands Director at AAC, welcomed the arrival of the ATS team in its showroom in Khorais with fanfare witnessed by Cadillac's customers. “There is a strong focus on sports performance - yet with a very high degree of luxury. The ATS is capable on both the street and the track, offers a well-made and attractive interior, and is replete with the latest technologies such as the CUE that features several auto industries first, including capacitive-touch control with proximity sensing, gesture recognition and natural voice recognition, which is only found in Cadillac cars,” Matta said. “The new Cadillac ATS will be launched in the Kingdom in the early 2013, but we are so proud to give our clients the chance to have a look on the new Cadillac model even before launching it in the Middle East,” he added. Earlier, a team of six took two 2013 Cadillac ATS sedans in Germany and plans to drive through 12 countries in a 10,591-kilometer journey to the to the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi – home of the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix — on Dec. 21. The European leg of the expedition stopped in Instanbul, with the ATS then set to tackle the demanding desert roads of the Gulf. The legendary launch in style by 2013 Cadillac ATS is further illustrated by winning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) award for both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants with five stars in rollover, side impact, frontal offset and overall crash testing, based on its latest (and more stringent) evaluation criteria. Its 3.6-liter V6 responds immediately to the right foot, accelerating briskly to 100 km/h in 6.3 seconds accompanied by a subdued growl. More importantly, it can decelerate from 100km/h to zero in just 38.8 meters, thanks to its performance-inspired four-wheel, power-assisted, vented disc brakes (with Brembo front calipers), ABS, Brake Assist and Dynamic Rear Brake Proportioning. The ATS is available in RWD or AWD (except the 2.5L) with a choice of three engines and three transmissions. The base engine is a 202 horsepower, 2.5-litre four-cylinder mated to a 6-speed automatic with manual mode. Second up is a very eager 2.0-liter Turbocharged four-cylinder putting out a robust 272 horsepower, while a 321 horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 tops out the line. Three trim levels, Luxury, Performance and Premium offer different packages of convenience and comfort. – SG
