If you’re an automaker and you want your newest model to get attention, paint it red. That’s exactly what Cadillac did, but it used an understated shade of the color for its ATS Crimson Sport Edition.
Inside, the baby Caddy can be dressed in one of four color combinations: Morello Red with Jet Black accents, Caramel with Jet Black touches, Jet Black with Jet Black details or Light Platinum with Jet Black trim. Microfiber suede covers the heated steering wheel and shift lever.
Outside, GM’s luxury division decorates its latest offering with “exclusive 18-inch Manoogian Dark Silver Premium Painted wheels; a ground effects package with color-matched front splitter, rocker moldings and rear diffuser; and an aero decklid spoiler.”
The Crimson Sport Edition package is available on the automatic ATS 2.0T Performance Collection and the 3.6-liter V6 Premium Collection. Options include navigation, a sunroof, a Driver Assist Package, an Advanced Security Package and – on rear-wheel-drive 6-cylinder ATSs – a Track Package.
Prices for this eye-grabbing Cadillac ensemble range from $46,010 for the 2.0T Performance Collection to $51,010 for the 3.6L Premium Collection. Dealers will have it in their showrooms at the end of March.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
