ATS inspiration

[antsy]

I think the ATS is heavily influencing the boys over at Ford. The Fusion/MKZ duo along with the flagship MKS will be moving production to Fords Flat Rock facility to be produced alongside the mustang S550 we'll be seeing in april. Rumours have been swirling lately that Lincoln is going to be using the S550 chassis for something but there has been no official position on the matter.

Now we can speculate wildly....

Assuming MKS isn't built on a Fusion platform, its possible they build MKS on the new Mustang platform, making the idea even more palatable the S550 is going to have IRS for the first time ever...

But now where it gets interesting is when we look at Fusion moving to Flat Rock, MKZ and Fusion have always been built side by side so in the big move it is also possible that instead of chopping up Fusion demand to build MKZs, they swap the MKZ to the same S550 platform and instantly Lincoln is a real competitor again...

Also worth noting is that the S550 platform is an all new development for Ford so at this point they will be looking to get that platform into as many vehicles as possible to recoup development costs as quickly as possible.

I truely believe the S550 platform is a response to Chevys Alpha platform that will underpin the new Camaro and next years CTS and already rides under the ATS...

Wouldn't it be cool to see Lincoln and Cadillac doing battle again?

[GMpwr]

Even with the S550 platform being expanded, it's still not as great as the Alpha platform which is built to dethrone top European vehicles. Lincoln and Ford are still have a long way to go. But I can be wrong, we'll just have to see how well the new mustang performs when people start testing them.

As it stands, Cadillac is still the leader when it comes to Performance cars from North America, and it will be like that for years to come.

[Cadillac Guy]

If you look at it the ATS was the savior for cadillac. It's only a matter of time till they knock apart bmw as they move on with new improvements like the ATS-V.

[antsy]

Even with the S550 platform being expanded, it's still not as great as the Alpha platform which is built to dethrone top European vehicles. Lincoln and Ford are still have a long way to go. But I can be wrong, we'll just have to see how well the new mustang performs when people start testing them.

As it stands, Cadillac is still the leader when it comes to Performance cars from North America, and it will be like that for years to come.

wellll, The S197 Mustang with 5.0 Coyote can more than hang with an M3 coupe around a track, and that was with the old live rear. Now imagine what S550 will do with the same engine and IRS? Its a ready made competitor for the 3 series and ATS it just needs an MKZ body...

Ford wouldnt have to work very hard to make MKZ a legitimate ATS competitor...

[Cadillac Guy]

Sounds like it could be a brilliant plan but does Lincoln want to step in to that segment? The tools are there, just need to pick it up and put it in to the works.

[cfrp]

If the ATS is influenced like Ford how come Ford can't come out with a car like the ATS?

[antsy]

If the ATS is influenced like Ford how come Ford can't come out with a car like the ATS?

LOL, I dont see that written... I said the ATS may be influencing Ford to come up with a legitimate 3 series/ATS contender.. I think Ford has just got its domestic and global operations unified and now is the time to focus on Lincoln...

[Cadillac Guy]

they do have the resources coming up but will they ever make a mark on that particular segment. It will be hard the ATS is already so successful they have lengths to catch up to.

[cfrp]

I would be very surprised if Ford tries to come out with a car to compete with the 3 series.

Just the thought blows my mind. Are you talking about performance only? Or other aspects like features, comfort, luxury?

[antsy]

I would be very surprised if Ford tries to come out with a car to compete with the 3 series.

Just the thought blows my mind. Are you talking about performance only? Or other aspects like features, comfort, luxury?

no im talking pure driving dynamics. As good as the ATS is I think we can all admit that it falls short of BMW in terms of comfort and luxury.

The S197 mustang already hangs with an M3 around a road course, imagine what S550 Mustang will do with IRS? Just put that under an MKZ shell and you have a ready made weapon... Plus Mustang and MKZ will be built at the same factory moving forward...

What we have to remember is that Cadillac came from nowhere just a few years ago... the ATS was nothing until last year.. I don't think this is out of the realm of possibilities