We all know the Cadillac ATS-V is coming. The rumors have been swirling for some time now, and many people have taken it upon themselves to photoshop what they hope the car will look like (see above). But the issue for me now is, wondering if, and how, GM may go about screwing up this highly anticipated car.

This is not to say that I don’t have faith in GM’s ability to make great cars, they have a number of great cars out right now. However, there are still enough instances of idiotic, old-school GM rearing its head in our post-economic-crisis world to make me worry that they may find a way to drop the ball here. And if there are any cars that the bean counters need to not screw up even one tiny bit, the ATS-V is certainly among them.

Now, looking at the recently released, and much acclaimed, Cadillac CTS Vsport, I think we can get some idea of what may be featured on the ATS-V. The CTS Vsport has the brakes from the Corvette, and will manage to stop its two ton heft from 60mph in just 98ft. It also has the Corvette’s fancy differential, helping it to put its power to the ground, as well as a Nurburgring tuned suspension. I think that all of these things will surely make it over the the ATS-V, obviously with an even bigger emphasis on sport in the suspension tuning.

As far as what lies under the hood, I’ve heard multiple rumors at this point. While a V8 was suspected earlier, now it seems a twin turbo V6 will be under the hood for sure. Fast Lane Daily reported that a 3.2L Twin Turbo V6 would be used, however I am skeptical of that because that would mean GM had developed a whole new engine for this car. While the 3.2 could be possible, I find it much more likely that the ATS-V will share the same 3.6L Twin Turbo V6 found in the CTS Vsport.

Power in the ATS-V is now rumored to be a massive 500hp, a healthy upgrade from the CTS’s 420hp. Thinking package wise, the ATS-V would be quite fast even without an upgraded engine. Keep in mind that the original CTS-V had 400hp, and weighed a few hundred pounds more than the ATS-V will weigh. Heck, while pondering this car a few weeks ago, I though they’d boost power to 450hp, maybe 470hp if they were feeling generous. 500hp just blows even my high expectations away, and I really hope that they come through with it.

So what could Cadillac do to screw this car up? Most of the features about are all but confirmed at this point, so let’s see what ways GM’s bean counters could still find to ruin the party…

-The Lack Of A Manual Transmission: I don’t care if they make it available in automatic as well, but if the ATS-V cannot have a clutch pedal, it will be ruined for me because GM does not currently have a good dual clutch, and none of its automatic gearboxes are worthy.

-Terrible Pricing: This I am not as worried about with the ATS-V. Do not expect it to be the bargain of the century, but if it really does have 500hp, then it is probably worth a solid $70 grand (with options). As long as it isn’t pushing BMW M5 territory, I’ll be happy.   Normal ATSs top out in the mid-$50K range, so I expect the ATS-V to start in the low $60K range.

-A Big V8 Under The Hood: Not that it wouldn’t make for a nice package, but in a V8 is just wrong in an ATS. The rest of the ATS lineup is cutting edge, and takes on the Germans right where they live. The ATS-V must do the same thing, and a Twin Turbo V6 is the way to do it. A V8 would just be a barbaric, “have you fools learned nothing”, American thing to do. I’m not against muscle cars, but the ATS is not one of them.

As for other issues found in the ATS, the car won’t be getting bigger, and yes, it will still have that inane touchscreen nonsense. I would like to see the touchscreen go away just as much as anyone, but I realize that is a battle that isn’t worth fighting at this point. GM has too much invested in it, so it is here to stay. So long as all of the mechanical, driving oriented stuff is as is should be, then the ATS-V should be quite a machine.

GM, please, pretty please, with ice cream and a cherry on top, do not screw this up!

-Watch what the CTS Vsport can do with 420hp, and then imagine a car 300-400lbs lighter with 500hp, that will be the ATS-V.

-Nick Walker