My Encounter with a new Chevy Zeta in the Wild

  • Thread starter Joey D
  • 62 comments
  • 3,248 views
Joey D

Joey D

Premium
47,537
United States
Lakes of the North, MI
GTP_Joey
GTP Joey
So me and the girlfriend were up at Great Lakes Crossing, a local mall not that far from my house so I could pick up a new sport coat for a party next weekend. I was cruising through the lot when I saw this which I thought looked a bit odd so I pulled over to investigate. When my headlight hit it I thought Woah! That's a new Zeta in the wild! Luckily I had my camera with me, although as you can see the darkness of night and it do not really get along, but grainy photos are better then.

I would have gotten more pictures but the mall security came and told me if I didn't leave right way and stop taking pictures I would be held on suspicion of breaking into cars. I explained to the mall security guard that I was in a public domain and therefore allowed to photograph the car. But he insisted and in order to not make the situation turn into a big mess I just let it be and left. He told me that I should delete the picture...as you can see by the following images that didn't happen.

PC080557-1.jpg


PC080558-1.jpg


PC080559.jpg


PC080560-1.jpg


PC080561-1.jpg


PC080562-1.jpg


PC080563.jpg
 
Now thats a Lumina! Great spot! Prefer this over the G8. Just noticed his front bumper looks like it's a little loose in those pictures.
 
Yay!

The first one should be showing up here in the next few weeks (that is, the Pontiac G8), and the official roll date should be in early January.

===
Side note for a moment: Great Lakes Crossing? Were we shopping at Steve and Barry's?
===

As most of you know, this is probably one of the most-anticipated product launches GM has had for me in quite some time. My guess is that the front end on that Lumina SS will find its way on quite a few Pontiac G8 STs as well...
 
Nice spot! What a great looking car. I wonder how long it will take for one to turn up in Holland.

Props for spotting it! Props to the girlfriend for putting up with it!
 
Wait, so this is a pre-production mule? (TBH, I didn’t even realize Chevy was doing a re-badge of this – I thought the only one being sold in America was going to be the Pontiac.)

Great find. 👍
 
Sage
Wait, so this is a pre-production mule? (TBH, I didn’t even realize Chevy was doing a re-badge of this – I thought the only one being sold in America was going to be the Pontiac.)
Click to expand...

It looks to be as someone said earlier, a Middle-East variant. Holden has exported to Saudi and the like for quite a number of years now, under the Lumina SS badging, also the LWB models to China under the Buick Royaldom (Or something) name. I have pictures of both somewhere.
 
This won't be Chevrolet USA's version of the Zeta sedan, but I wouldn't expect it to stray too far from that formula there. This one is the Chevrolet Lumina, directly related to the Holden Commodore for the past two generations (as I recall). This Lumina SS essentially is the same car as the Pontiac G8 GT that we'll bet getting here in the next few weeks, obvious badge differences and such.

...I believe this same Lumina SS has been seen before on GMI, or at least one similar to it. GM engineers pick up the import models quite frequently for testing and such, part of the reason why the Ute has been to our shores before as well...

The Chevrolet Impala won't be here for at least another year, but will probably debut in Detroit or Chicago soon enough. Expect our Zeta Chevrolet to look more like the Malibu than this, although, one can't rule out a distinctively retro-styled sedan.
 
Thanks for the comments guys.

I submitted this to Autoblog but they didn't take notice.

YSSMAN
Side note for a moment: Great Lakes Crossing? Were we shopping at Steve and Barry's?
Click to expand...

Steve and Barry's closed here at the beginning part of the year, it's now an Urban Behavior whatever the hell that is.

philly cheese
Props for spotting it! Props to the girlfriend for putting up with it!
Click to expand...

She's used to it, much like Doug's (ex?) girlfriend.
 
YSSMAN
This won't be Chevrolet USA's version of the Zeta sedan, but I wouldn't expect it to stray too far from that formula there. This one is the Chevrolet Lumina, directly related to the Holden Commodore for the past two generations (as I recall). This Lumina SS essentially is the same car as the Pontiac G8 GT that we'll bet getting here in the next few weeks, obvious badge differences and such.

...I believe this same Lumina SS has been seen before on GMI, or at least one similar to it. GM engineers pick up the import models quite frequently for testing and such, part of the reason why the Ute has been to our shores before as well...
Click to expand...

💡 They could just test it as a Holden in Australia. I'm not quite sold on why they are doing this....
 
philly cheese
💡 They could just test it as a Holden in Australia. I'm not quite sold on why they are doing this....
Click to expand...

They need to test the car on US roads to see how it will fair, I've never been to Australia so I have no idea how it is in comparison. Also here in Michigan the SOS looks down on RHD cars which is what GM would get if they imported one from Australia...yes it is on an M plate but still GM would be frowned upon for doing it. Also the Middle East version is closer to what the US version will be like with it's LHD.

Also by them driving it around they get people like me taking photos of it and posting it on the internet which generates interest. GM should be paying me for advertising :lol:.
 
congrats on the great find:tup:. there was an article in car and driver or motortrend on this car. it was very interesting, i will have to try and find it somewhere. oh yeah, what is up with the front right bumper? the spacing seems to be a bit off.
 
Joey D
They need to test the car on US roads to see how it will fair, I've never been to Australia so I have no idea how it is in comparison. Also here in Michigan the SOS looks down on RHD cars which is what GM would get if they imported one from Australia...yes it is on an M plate but still GM would be frowned upon for doing it. Also the Middle East version is closer to what the US version will be like with it's LHD.
Click to expand...

OK. I see where you are coming from. Maybe US roads are that different from what the car usually has to go through. Also about the RHD thing. That would look a little awkward to see a RHD car coming down the road at you. Maybe they want to run it through a Michigan winter to see how the thing will put up with elements (salt) never seen in Australia? They probably should have one running around in the Northwest to see how it works in the rain and unplowed snow too:tup:.

Also by them driving it around they get people like me taking photos of it and posting it on the internet which generates interest. GM should be paying me for advertising :lol:.
Click to expand...

I should get a job at the GM advertising branch driving around billboards like these for a living.
 
Joey D
Also by them driving it around they get people like me taking photos of it and posting it on the internet which generates interest. GM should be paying me for advertising :lol:.
Click to expand...

GMI usually blows-up with photos like this. They caught what appears to be the same car in Detroit this summer and we all nearly crapped a brick. Then there was the catch in LA as well...

We're close, getting closer. Take the interior design out of the Malibu with a hint of classic design for the outside and you can get a good idea of what the Impala will look like...
 
Looks neat, but does it come in stick? All those sporty mods just seem foolish to me otherwise. :)
 
Giacarlo
Looks neat, but does it come in stick? All those sporty mods just seem foolish to me otherwise.
Click to expand...

The Pontiac G8 will have a stick, this does as well, but no word has been made official on the Chevrolet Impala that won't likely hit the streets until 2009.

MustangSVT
So is this basically a Pontiac G8 version with the rear wing re-badged as a Chevy?
Click to expand...

The Holden Commodore SS came first, then the Chevrolet Lumina SS (in the Middle-East), then the Pontiac G8 GT. They're all the same car, with the same 362 BHP L76 V8, but there are the obvious changes made for each car.
 
Nice one, Joey! 👍

Its face looks really outdated, like by a decade or so. Having said that, it still is an very cool looking car. I like it.
 
Joey D
I would have gotten more pictures but the mall security came and told me if I didn't leave right way and stop taking pictures I would be held on suspicion of breaking into cars.
Click to expand...

Ridiculous. Only police can hold you on suspicion of committing a crime. For a private citizen (or mall security) to hold you, a crime must have already been committed and you identified as the perpetrator.

If no cars had been broken into then there can be no suspicion of it.
 
They could've still kicked him out though. Rent-A-Cops takes themselves so seriously, if they didn't carry those huge maglites, I'd laugh at them in their faces.
 
a6m5
They could've still kicked him out though. Rent-A-Cops takes themselves so seriously, if they didn't carry those huge maglites, I'd laugh at them in their faces.
Click to expand...

Yep, but that's all they're empowered to do.
 

Similar threads

B
This car is unique and deserves its own thread. Hint, its a 1953 Jaguar.
Replies
2
Views
723
Bsmooth
B
Obelisk
My encounter with a Morse.
Replies
6
Views
954
Obelisk
Obelisk
Sertsa
They totaled my car for a dented fender, hood, bumper, and broken headlight.
Replies
5
Views
3K
wfooshee
wfooshee
wlashack
Circuit experiences with new phsics question
Replies
1
Views
736
Vule
Vule
flair1111
Driving In The Rain New Physics
Replies
0
Views
457
flair1111
flair1111

Latest Posts

Back