No shortage of opinion here. I'll add mine.
If ATS-V is announced with a GenV V8 and manual transmission within the next nine months, I'll buy one.
GM, are you paying attention?
V8, sale. No V8, no sale.
It's that simple.
I know what you're thinking: "he says that now, but wait until he sees the specs on this TTV6." No. Stop that.
V8, sale. No V8, no sale. The V8 is the only engine I trust you not to screw up. Performance is guaranteed. Aftermarket is guaranteed. Respect from the cognoscenti is guaranteed.
I know what you're thinking: "German sedan buyers demand high-tech powerplants and do not see the smallblock V8 as such." No. Stop that.
V8, sale. No V8, no sale. Look, the German-entranced won't like your V6 either. They have V8s and I6s; a V6 is plebeian by comparison.
I know what you're thinking: "A TTV6 can deliver better city fuel economy; it's the engine we need above the NAV6." No. Stop that.
V8, sale. No V8, no sale. TTV6 is mainstream thinking; ATS-V is the tip of the sword, not a CAFE achiever. It must be the best you can do, and if Corvette's V8 isn't the best you can do, GM is far more lost than I thought and excuse me while I dump my stock...
I know what you're thinking: "A TTV6 is where the market is headed, and where Cadillac needs to be. The V8 is nothing but a stopgap." No. Stop that.
V8, sale. No V8, no sale. The V8 is GM's heritage. The V8 is GM's identity. Quit being embarassed by the thing that not only defines you but has rescued your reputation. Not just GM's, Cadillac's. Be honest. CTS-V and its smallblock V8 was the best ink you ever had and made you legit again. Not leveraging that market strength is equal parts arrogance and insanity.
I know what you're thinking. "The ATS-V needs to differentiate itself from the next Camaro." No. Stop that.
V8, sale. No V8, no sale. You don't differentiate yourself by coming up short. The next Camaro is a two-door with no luxury trimmings; it's a different market anyway. It's not like V8 fans will just buy a Camaro if there's no V8 ATS-V.
I know what you're thinking. "Some buyers actively state a preference for a TTV6, including some rabid performance fanatics." No. Stop that.
V8, sale. No V8, no sale. Bird in the hand.
I know what you're thinking. "But the TTV6 really is going to be great. We swear." No. Stop that.
V8, sale. No V8, no sale. I've read your press releases before. Sorry, I don't trust you, not enough to buy an image-performance car with your new TTV6 from you. Not in the wake of the 2.8L TTV6 and the blown Northstar.
Build a TTV6. Make it the star of the new CTS lineup. Sell it in volume, if you can. Make it great. Drop it into the ATS-V when it's a real proven thing, and when buyers demand the engine you've built, not just what they think you could build.
Thanks for listening. I hope you take it to heart.
.Jinx