How the SS will become Chevy's four-door Corvette halo car

[EJD1984]

How the SS will become Chevy's four-door Corvette halo car
Autoblog
By Jonathon Ramsey RSS feed
Posted Nov 30th 2012 7:57PM

Excerpts...............

Yesterday on a stage on the Encore Theater at The Wynn Resort in Las Vegas, Chevrolet revealed its NASCAR SS, the race car that will contest next year's Sprint Cup series. A lot of people are talking about this car, and doing so well beyond the NASCAR fraternity – we were told that 30 minutes after it began the car became the number one trending topic on Twitter. The car looks great, Jeff Gordon showed up for some banter, everyone who was there applauded, the assembled drivers said the the right things.

Yet the 2013 car – no longer called the CoT – is a huge step for NASCAR, nearly two years in the works, to try to get more "stock" back into the series. Primary reasons for the seven-year development of the 2007 CoT were driver safety, lower costs and improved competition, but the formula went so far that teams were running "a template car, it was just decals," Reuss said. A press colleague added, "You couldn't tell what car was coming out of Turn 4 until you saw the number." "It became about drivers and sponsors," said Reuss, "and we said 'hey, we need to get back to the stock car roots.'"

Reuss has a particular interest in what happens with the SS because he was Managing Director at Holden while the next-generation Holden Commodore, the VE series – the car that is the SS in its original guise – was being developed. He said that from inception, it was decided that the VE series would be the car that would become Chevrolet's RWD halo sedan, rumors from three years ago even pegging it as a Chevy SS, and spearhead its NASCAR efforts.

The Australia-to-US move has been tried before with the Pontiac Monaro and G8, neither one working out as hoped. There are two vital ways in which the SS will not be The Pontiac G8 2.0, however: It's going upmarket and it's not for the masses.

In fact, Reuss said the SS is a completely different car from the G8, specifically in terms of refinement and NVH, and that's before you get to the high-power small-block V8 that, in his words, makes the SS "a four-door Corvette." The user interface, the tactile points, the perceived and real touches are a step in another direction, "quite different" is what we were told. Above that, Reuss said the entire SS package has been about making sure all aspects of the car fit together. "The integration in NVH, ride and handling has to match, and the refinement of the car will match the performance of the car." The meaning for us is, "Don't expect this to be like the G8 or the G8 GXP." We should expect it to be better. We don't have a problem with that, since the G8 GXP was one of our favorite cars.

In terms of where SS buyers might also be looking, Caldwell said, "We're in a unique spot because there isn't a lot of competition at the Chevy level."

When we succumbed to asking the boilerplate "Who is this car for?" question that always comes up when a manufacturer presents an upmarket offering, Reuss looked thoughtful and said, "Anyone who has the right amount of money and shows up in a Chevrolet dealership, we will sell them this car." Point taken. "You don't want to overthink this stuff – we haven't focus-grouped it," he added. "It's going to be a really good car. People are going to want it." Right on.

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[EJD1984]

I have always bought/driven GM vehicles (30+ years), and plan on my next car to be a rwd V8 sedan. If the SS if priced as a "halo" car (above $40,000), for the first time, I'll be jumping ship to the more reasonably price car - Dodge Charger RT AWD (usually $28-34,000).

Or if GM would get sensible, and release a civilian Caprice ($32,000 - 34,000) - I'll be in the showroom tomorrow!!!

[LetsRace]

This will be $40k+ car no doubt about it...

[PHAT-JAY]

I have always bought/driven GM vehicles (30+ years), and plan on my next car to be a rwd V8 sedan. If the SS if priced as a "halo" car (above $40,000), for the first time, I'll be jumping ship to the more reasonably price car - Dodge Charger RT AWD (usually $28-34,000).

Or if GM would get sensible, and release a civilian Caprice ($32,000 - 34,000) - I'll be in the showroom tomorrow!!!

I wonder how soon will the Caprice redesign come after the SS/VF is realeased.

[camaro_freak]

it will easily push 40 topped out... it has to be slotted higher than the Impala I would imagine.

Wasn't blown away by the NASCAR design either... hope the "real" car looks better

[F14CRAZY]

I have always bought/driven GM vehicles (30+ years), and plan on my next car to be a rwd V8 sedan. If the SS if priced as a "halo" car (above $40,000), for the first time, I'll be jumping ship to the more reasonably price car - Dodge Charger RT AWD (usually $28-34,000).

Or if GM would get sensible, and release a civilian Caprice ($32,000 - 34,000) - I'll be in the showroom tomorrow!!!

You can buy Caprice's in "detective" form "used" with like zero miles now

[oklapike]

You know, I can't help but wonder...how much are the NASCAR crowd (who will no doubt lust after this car since it's going to be the new Chevy stockcar) and the crowd they're apparently targeting (four-door Corvette halo car) actually going to overlap? I have a feeling Chevy's going to shoot themselves in the foot with this one.

It makes more sense to me to bring this over as 'the Pontiac G8 2.0', and work with HSV (or someone) to bring over a long wheelbase (WN?) HSV Grange type vehicle as the four-door Corvette.

[MonaroSS]

Hope they do a Rally Pack

[63GrandSport001]

I honestly feel that going after the nascar crowd with this car was a mistake, they should have kept the Nascar the Impala.

As far as pricing goes, I would hope that the starting price for the SS sedan to be at about $35,000. However this all comes down to how good the car is, obviously the better the car the more expensive its going to end up being (all things considered).

[silvergoat2k6]

The Pontiac G8 GXP was a $40K car...if this has a MSRP under $45K I would be very surprised...and seeing as they'll be pretty rare (at least at first), any dealer who gets one of these will treat it as if it's made of gold, and price it accordingly.

[oklapike]

I honestly feel that going after the nascar crowd with this car was a mistake, they should have kept the Nascar the Impala.

As far as pricing goes, I would hope that the starting price for the SS sedan to be at about $35,000. However this all comes down to how good the car is, obviously the better the car the more expensive its going to end up being (all things considered).

That, or made a Camaro Sprint Cup car to go along with their Nationwide series entry.

[dindak]

Not really liking the new Impala or the new Malibu.

Chevy - please don't disappoint me with the SS. I want to want this car!

[TechnoAura]

Although I do not see a Chevy SS in my driveway in the near future, I do think it is exciting that this automobile will be apart of Chevy's portfolio and believe it will serve as a product that fulfills the desires of many Corvette and Camaro aficionados who, due to life's little changes (increasing size of family), no longer find their beloved machine practical. Of course, some who simply cannot give up their love for either, and can afford it, will simply enjoy the type of performance the SS should offer in a more practical package. Any Corvette and/or Camaro owners care to chime in?

I wonder if the SS will bring in a new type of customer to Chevrolet, as well... the type of customer who might otherwise be inclined to drive a sport sedan with more of a European flavor? Of course, if GM is aiming for more of the NASCAR demographic, this may not be the case. Regardless, I look forward to the SS's arrival.

[momolos]

I know it won't happen but I'm holding out hope for AWD.

[steve333]

Dumb name.
SS, really? That's a trim level not the name of a car.
Chevelle or Nova would have been better, IMO