If aliens came down to Earth, gathered all the cars in this segment together and had to organize them from newest to oldest based design, they'd put the ATS at or near the back of the pack.
It's sad but the ancient A5 looks more elegant by far. Even Infiniti's old coupe...35...or 50...or 60...ah, you know the one.
That's not to say the ATS is ugly, it isn't.
At the end of the day I think Cadillac has to sell the ATS on features, driving dynamics and price. It can't quite compete on style, prestige and luxury.
I agree that they have gotten way better with the current models.