DETROIT – The all-new 2013 Cadillac ATS is being exhaustively developed to achieve excellent driving dynamics – and that performance focus extends to the sounds it makes.
While designers define how a car looks and engineers develop how it feels, other experts carefully craft how a luxury performance car should sound. Kyle Stanforth, noise and vibration engineer on the Cadillac performance team, said the ATS is engineered to enhance the performance-tuned sounds for each of the three available engines, while minimizing unwanted noise in and around the car.
“Cadillac customers expect a level of refinement beyond what most cars have. Yes, it’s quiet, but it’s more than that,” Stanforth said. “They also love to hear that sound of refined power when they ask for it. So when you open it up, you not only feel the power, you hear it too.”
ATS engineers carefully shaped the intake system to allow the engine to breathe-in fresh air, while minimizing unwanted engine noise. Similar designs to the exhaust system ensure maximum engine performance, while lowering the sound levels at idle and cruising speeds.
Inside, the ATS uses technology to further refine the sound. Bose Active Sound Management technology continuously monitors the sound inside the cabin and generates a cancellation signal to reduce unwanted engine noise. In addition to helping create optimal sound quality, this approach reduces the need to add acoustical materials – which supports the ATS’s estimated curb weight of less than 3,400 lbs.
“The ATS sounds distinctly like a Cadillac should. We’ve created a signature sound that expresses Cadillac power, refinement and luxury – and we make it sing,” Stanforth said.
