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

[funkypunnk]

"Said buyer could be faced with a shorter options sheet than that of the G8, though, Reuss saying "Pontiac had all kinds of options and trim levels [for the G8]. This will be different." Again, this sounds like halo-car talk.

He's an idiot, the G8 only had 4 options: Summer tires and rims, sunroof, Premium package, Sound and comfort package.
The G8 had 3 models: G8, G8 GT, G8 GXP

Show me a GM product with fewer options or trim levels! The Corvette has 4 distinct models that vary widely to include different bodies and drivetrain, and a myriad of options that take up a friggin book to list.

GM is trying so hard to differentiate this from the G8 when in fact it will be a Chevy G8 with a mild update.

[KingElvis]

Let's not kid ourselves. It's going to be a $40 to $50K car like the SRT Charger.

[gopedxr7]

This car is never going to meet the sales expectations just like the GTO.

Again I want a v6 model for myself. I know Holden has some models that get near 30mpg highway. I want one. I would pay for that

[Glass Half full]

I should probably reserve comment until the street car is unveiled. But since GM says the Nascar Cup car resembles the street the car, I wonder how Chevy can turn a sleek and masculine Holden into a blob of bland.

Car design 101: A four door halo RWD car shouldn't look like a Toyota

[Cajun G8]

Yes, REALLY (click to link to site)

I just got one at the same dealer--they're showing 5 remaining (2011 9C3 model). It had 23 miles on it when I first test-drove it.

Thanks for the link! That is very tempting, though I'm having a little value-proposition conflict at $28k. For that money (less, actually), I could get a very low mileage G8 GT and have leather, same engine, better audio system, sexier styling, etc. The Caprice is different, for sure, but the styling is so pedestrian. I don't know if I could live with the "poverty pack" Caprice at that price point.

By the way, how are you liking the Caprice and why are the interiors so filthy in the photos? Are they flood cars?

[Glass Half full]

I was hoping the new SS will look something like this...

Chevy SS.JPG

MonaroSS can photoshop the Chevy logo to the grill. Just the bowtie logo and leave the grill as is. If the Camaro and Corvette can exist without the Chevy corporate grille, so should the SS being a halo car and all. I think it will look really good and worthy of the $40K price it commands.

[V8GMT360 Guy]

A 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS cost $24,905 new.

Adjusting for inflation, it would cost a reasonable $36,717.34

If the car does cost well above $40,000 - GM is then price gouging the public.

Don't forget to take into account that the modern car will likely have equipment and options that were never even available on the '96 Impala SS. You'd have to take those things into account before declaring whether or not GM is "price gouging the public."

Also remember that by 1996 the tooling/etc. used to build Impalas had long since paid for itself -- 98% of the car was just a Caprice which were built en masse for both the fleet market and consumers. This will be a brand new model for both Holden and Chevrolet and the tooling costs have yet to be amortized. They have to build that into the cost of the vehicle or they'll never even hit a break-even point.

One problem I do think they'll run into is what to do if they wind up offering more than one trim level for this car... can't very well call it an "SS SS," though they could feasibly do "SS/RS." Past that, the well runs dry.

[PHAT-JAY]

I have talked to a local dealership actually several, and from what they said there will be a lot more produced then what people think, plus allot of the cars will be built to order, there will be no price gauging, just deal with a dealership you know and you will be fine. Also From what was said there will be tons more than 10k a year built (tons), GM is setting the number low, so just in case it does not sell well which they doubt, people won’t be like it failed like the GTO/G8 (they will sell at least 20k-30k yr and then this will probably transition into the next gen IMPALA).

***Side note the reason why the GTO/G8 both failed is because they were Pontiacs which was a dying brand no matter what people here think, and not as Chevy’s... (Chevy is real money maker for GM; 70%-80% of all GM sales are Chevy’s). If GM was smart they would have brought both cars over for both Chevy and Pontiac like the original plan called for, but the idiots at Pontiac wanted something to keep the brand relevant, too bad that move probably killed Pontiac in the end, which I actually hate, because I do like Pontiac. Truth be told if these cars were here as Chevy's as well, then I believe Pontiac sales would have been higher, and Pontiac would probably be still alive today. It’s just a fact Pontiac did have brand loyalist which is great, but the Pontiac loyalists are less than 15% of the Chevrolet loyalists.

[uvikrama]

Question is how many Halo cars Chevrolet needs ( at this moment they have 3 ? )

Corevtte
SS
Volt

I think the mgmt is forgetting the fact that Chevrolet is a mass brand ( affordable brand ). SS need to have affordable versions and even Cruze need to have Sport package. But offering an SS limited production and not offering sport packages on popular/mass cars is foolish.

A better idea would have been a WTCC Edition of Cruze and call it SS in North America. or same keep Impala in Race and put a Impala SS package for public to buy. If public can't afford to buy the halo version, it a simple failure. Even bring back the G8 as SS version for public is a good idea. Look at Toyota 86/Subraru BRZ.

[Dr. Show-Me]

Don't forget to take into account that the modern car will likely have equipment and options that were never even available on the '96 Impala SS. You'd have to take those things into account before declaring whether or not GM is "price gouging the public."
Also remember that by 1996 the tooling/etc. used to build Impalas had long since paid for itself -- 98% of the car was just a Caprice which were built en masse for both the fleet market and consumers. This will be a brand new model for both Holden and Chevrolet and the tooling costs have yet to be amortized. They have to build that into the cost of the vehicle or they'll never even hit a break-even point.
One problem I do think they'll run into is what to do if they wind up offering more than one trim level for this car... can't very well call it an "SS SS," though they could feasibly do "SS/RS." Past that, the well runs dry.

This amounts to a mce, not an all new car. If you believe the Oz guys. VE was fully paid for, so the dollars to break even are significantly less

[DirtyMoney]

A 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS cost $24,905 new.

Adjusting for inflation, it would cost a reasonable $36,717.34

If the car does cost well above $40,000 - GM is then price gouging the public.

Please produce the feature list and specs for each car. If you were being sarcastic, i fell for it.

[Lowboy]

I consider this car to be as limited as the SSR. Y'all probably don't remember that vehicle.

Sure do, I remember it best as a waste of engineering resources, capital and production floor space.

Chevy already has a vehicle in this class that's FWD. Chevy does not need a RWD car of the same/similar size in the same class.

I disagree completely as Chevrolet needs a true full sized car in its lineup again. What does Chevrolet offer with comparable interior room to the Chyrsler 300 for $30K? Current Impala is not even close and I don't think the new one will match the 300 either.

[usa1]

I think that the notion of making a halo car to restore the luster of the SS name could be a Big mistake. They should be doing extremely upgraded performance versions of all of the models that could warrant the upgrade. The Cobalt SS and HHR-SS were two Hot fwd vehicles that Did help rebuild street cred for the SS moniker. This seems to be a missed opportunity to pick up some of the slack from losing the driving excitement division. Historically, SS had a tradition of standing for performance for the "every man", not performance for the privileged few....sad really.

Well said. My thoughts exactly. I'm less and less excited by the Chevy line up as time passes. Limited performance options at the time when Buick is talking about T-types and GNX? Really? Chevrolet has a long history of offering performance cars and options that Buick does not. It's really odd to see what GM is doing with Chevrolet.

[SCCA1995]

Thanks for the link! That is very tempting, though I'm having a little value-proposition conflict at $28k. For that money (less, actually), I could get a very low mileage G8 GT and have leather, same engine, better audio system, sexier styling, etc. The Caprice is different, for sure, but the styling is so pedestrian. I don't know if I could live with the "poverty pack" Caprice at that price point.

Personally, I'm partial to cloth seating & more pedestrian styling. The styling is one reason that I liked my GTO. But, that's just me.

I was hoping the new SS will look something like this...

Attachment 11993

Boy, those magazine Photoshop artists are good. If the HSV looks like that for the VF chassis, it may become my new forbidden fruit. I'd just need one as a Maloo R8.

I have talked to a local dealership actually several, and from what they said there will be a lot more produced then what people think, plus allot of the cars will be built to order, there will be no price gauging, just deal with a dealership you know and you will be fine. Also From what was said there will be tons more than 10k a year built (tons), GM is setting the number low, so just in case it does not sell well which they doubt, people won’t be like it failed like the GTO/G8 (they will sell at least 20k-30k yr and then this will probably transition into the next gen IMPALA).

***Side note the reason why the GTO/G8 both failed is because they were Pontiacs which was a dying brand no matter what people here think, and not as Chevy’s... (Chevy is real money maker for GM; 70%-80% of all GM sales are Chevy’s). If GM was smart they would have brought both cars over for both Chevy and Pontiac like the original plan called for, but the idiots at Pontiac wanted something to keep the brand relevant, too bad that move probably killed Pontiac in the end, which I actually hate, because I do like Pontiac. Truth be told if these cars were here as Chevy's as well, then I believe Pontiac sales would have been higher, and Pontiac would probably be still alive today. It’s just a fact Pontiac did have brand loyalist which is great, but the Pontiac loyalists are less than 15% of the Chevrolet loyalists.

I have a hard time believing that Chevy will sell more SS sedans per year than they did for G8 V8 models (GT & GXP combined). As a side note, it was not the Pontiac loyalists that needed to keep Pontiac afloat, it was a lineup of good cars. The G8 wasn't a failure for Pontiac, GM (by pawning off crap cars to buyers) failed Pontiac. I'm as much a Chevy enthusiast as I am for Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, or GMC. Any vehicle I wish to buy (even if the same car/truck wears a different body & badge at another division) has to have the proper combination of appearance, performance & price. Sometimes, one of those requirements sways the decision.

[All Star]

I disagree completely as Chevrolet needs a true full sized car in its lineup again. What does Chevrolet offer with comparable interior room to the Chyrsler 300 for $30K? Current Impala is not even close and I don't think the new one will match the 300 either.

This. As much as we are all going to love the SS, it's not going to be as big as the PPV Caprice.