Zeta News 2.0: New VF Commodore and Chevrolet SS

[Northstar]

If the Colorado is becoming full-size, that's pretty sad. True compact trucks don't really seem to exist anymore, especially the low-cost, zero-luxury versions that only exist to haul things for cheap. You know, the kind Comsumer Reports doesn't like becuase they're too noisy, and too stiff-riding, and they don't have enough electronics.

They don't exist anymore because they aren't much cheaper than a base full-size truck, for most companies the extra few grand is worth it for the extra hauling space.

 

[White & Nerdy]

They don't exist anymore because they aren't much cheaper than a base full-size truck, for most companies the extra few grand is worth it for the extra hauling space.

I'd like to know when that became the case then, because the Napa Auto Parts in Wasilla still uses Rangers. I wonder what they'll replace them with when the time comes...

 

[eSZee]

Every napa here still uses rangers. All other stores like AZ, advance use small hatches, mostly aveo/sonic.

 

[BKGlover]

I'd like to know when that became the case then, because the Napa Auto Parts in Wasilla still uses Rangers. I wonder what they'll replace them with when the time comes...

The Ranger is still fairly plentiful anyway, but there is a life after commercial death, and does Ford ever use it. Simply put, Fleet vehicles. Chevy kept making Express vans for fleet use and, as I said, Ford used it for the Crown Victoria (Cabs and Interceptors), the Taurus (the '03-'07 ones you see in every rental lot), and the E-series vans(I havn't seen one on a Ford lot since about 2000).

I still see Rangers, but I doubt for too much longer. When even the foreign companies either upsize or eliminate their models, you know something is up. Mazda/Isuzu ran, while Nissan and Toyota/Suzuki made thiers bigger, even if just from small to mid-size. Dodge/Mitsubishi was the first US based truck to go, and now the Colorado and presumably the GMC Canyon (Kanyon?), if kept, will be buffed up and shed the lable that it has been, and lets be honest, just a reskinned S-10/Sonoma. Just a matter of time before Ford is forced to make a move.

Here's the thing, while the segment is in the john mid-flush here in the US, the rest of the world uses ONLY these compact to mid-size trucks, the Toyota Hilux, our Tacoma in essence, leading the way.

 

[Endless-Wilso]

Well Road & Track got there hands on a Caprice PPV which is a bit of sneak peak into the SS.
some spec's on it
6.0 V8
355bhp 384lb.-ft
6spd auto and about 4160lb
18" steel wheels
Aux coolers for
engine oil,trans,& steering fluid.
Modified body/bumpers for high curb clearanse
$32,305 as tested but only available to law enforcement agency's

 

[niky]

Man, she's a porker... where's the extra weight at? Chassis reinforcement and integral ramming bar? Me likely, though.

Here's the thing, while the segment is in the john mid-flush here in the US, the rest of the world uses ONLY these compact to mid-size trucks, the Toyota Hilux, our Tacoma in essence, leading the way.

If the US were more diesel friendly, that might change. Out here you can get them in diesel trim (with small diesel motors) which nets you up to 35-40 mpg on the highway with the smaller motors.

 

[YSSMAN]

If the US were more diesel friendly, that might change. Out here you can get them in diesel trim (with small diesel motors) which nets you up to 35-40 mpg on the highway with the smaller motors.

The Cruze is getting the 2.0L CDI from the Holden Cruze late this year, or early next. My guess would be that, if the engine proves to be a popular option for GM, they'll start putting it in other vehicles not long after that.

If they ever got around to offering something like the upcoming Sonic RS with that 2.0L CDI, that'd be my next car in a heartbeat.

 

[Beeblebrox237]

I just hope the super sport is lighter and better looking than the Caprice. The Caprice is way too heavy and looks very boring.

 

[Blackbird.]

Well Road & Track got there hands on a Caprice PPV which is a bit of sneak peak into the SS.
some spec's on it
6.0 V8
355bhp 384lb.-ft
6spd auto and about 4160lb
18" steel wheels
Aux coolers for
engine oil,trans,& steering fluid.
Modified body/bumpers for high curb clearanse
$32,305 as tested but only available to law enforcement agency's

355hp out of a 6.0L V8?

 

[Blaze_409]

6.0 Litre V8 is overkill no?? For 335hp?
How about turbocharged boost packing yet fuel efficient V6?

 

[Cale]

6.0 Litre V8 is overkill no?? For 335hp?
How about turbocharged boost packing yet fuel efficient V6?

The L67 is a bullet proof engine, and gets decent mpgs. Theres no need to make a LE car more complicated than it needs to be.

 

[Endless-Wilso]

A big motor with low power is more reliable in the end .
The SS will be a whole diffrent beast for shure lighter and more powerful.

 

[hawkeye122]

Man, she's a porker... where's the extra weight at? Chassis reinforcement and integral ramming bar? Me likely, though.



If the US were more diesel friendly, that might change. Out here you can get them in diesel trim (with small diesel motors) which nets you up to 35-40 mpg on the highway with the smaller motors.

I bet its frame stiffening. The CHP(Who set the tone for many US Police agencies) requires a payload rating of 1800 lbs. Thus, they cant use the Ford Interceptor. This is probably trying to take advantage of that.

 

[YSSMAN]

I just hope the super sport is lighter and better looking than the Caprice. The Caprice is way too heavy and looks very boring.

The SS will be smaller in size, and with the updates already added with the VEII, it will be lighter than the G8 GT that preceded it. But, it will still be a large, heavy car. With a V8. And a manual transmission.

...The way it should be.

 

[TheBook]

If they ever got around to offering something like the upcoming Sonic RS with that 2.0L CDI, that'd be my next car in a heartbeat.

Personally, I'd rather have the 2.0T petrol engine in the RS trim (though SS would probably be more fitting). If GM did make the CDI available in the other trim levels though (and all the others; I wouldn't want to bump up to an LTZ to get one), they just might have a winner on their hands.

 

[RocZX]

'13 Chevrolet SS NASCAR Sprint Cup race car

which is based on the '14 Chevy SS

 

[homeforsummer]

Possibly dumb question approaching, but why are they using the tedious SS shape as the basis of the NASCAR, instead of the more interesting '13 Impala?

Or is it as simple as marketing reasons? Win on Sunday, sell on Monday?

 

[CodeRedR51]

I'd say it's a better decision since the factory car is actually V8 RWD. Other than that, marketing I suppose.

 

[David]

Well Road & Track got there hands on a Caprice PPV which is a bit of sneak peak into the SS.
some spec's on it
6.0 V8
355bhp 384lb.-ft
6spd auto and about 4160lb
18" steel wheels
Aux coolers for
engine oil,trans,& steering fluid.
Modified body/bumpers for high curb clearanse
$32,305 as tested but only available to law enforcement agency's

There was a Chevy dealer in my area that sold a bunch of brand new PPV's to the general public last summer (2011). I think they still have one listed on their website from time to time.

 

[YSSMAN]

Or is it as simple as marketing reasons? Win on Sunday, sell on Monday?

Mostly marketing. Everything I've read has lead me to believe that this car is going to be sold in very limited numbers, so the NASCAR use will likely trump up it's performance potential to a very specific sort of buyer. All of that, and spiritually, this is as close as we've gotten to a "true" stock car on the street since the late '80s.

I'm actually somewhat surprised by how bland the car looks based on the generic NASCAR shell. Granted, it isn't ugly, Chevrolet seems to strike a nice balance between "good looking" and "unremarkable" that works well for them. I'm still very interested to see what the street car looks like, what kind of pricing we're going to expect, and what GM plans to do with the car going forward. More importantly, are we ever going to get a "cheap" civilian version of the PPV?

 

[BKGlover]

Do we want to hold bets on the name, or am I the only one still thinking they'll rename it.

Also: Yes, the stock car is bland, but what chevy aside from Camaro and Corvette (and possibly the Cruze) look anything beyond that. Based on the Ford and Dodge street-to-race comparison, don't expect much more excitement visually than the Caprice pics a few post ahead.

 

[YSSMAN]

Do we want to hold bets on the name, or am I the only one still thinking they'll rename it.

They won't. This name is set in stone. They're shaping up to make it a successor to more than 50 years of SS performance. It's not going anywhere.

In other news...

How the SS Will Become Chevy's Four-Door Corvette, Halo Car

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.

Any time you mention the word Corvette, you're probably not talking about an inexpensive car. Add two more doors, three more seats, the tuning work needed to keep the word "Corvette" in the conversation and the phrase "halo car," and you're definitely not talking about an inexpensive vehicle. Therefore, Chevy is treating the SS like a halo car: Instead of making grand predictions about production volumes or churning out a performance car that sits on dealer lots, Reuss said, "We will fill the orders of the people who want them."

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.

That's the way to do it. Make it special. Make it different. Position it above many of it's competitors, and only sell them to those who want it. It's sure to stand far ahead of the Dodge Charger SRT-8, or the Ford Taurus SHO. It may very well be capable of going toe-to-toe with some of the best that Germany has to offer.

 

[Endless-Wilso]

The interesting thing I came across was that it seems this car in a similar spec was
already sold in Saudi Arabia

Yes a Saudi drift vid but a few show up but its hard to tell a few if its Chevy or Vauxhall badged
1st one at 4:20 the most convincing one at 5:27 looks like a Chevy with lsd equipped diff
Vauxhall 7:38
9:00 looks like a Vauxhall but like the beige one which it I think it looks alot like the PPV model.

 

[marluxiaXI11]

The Holden commodore and caprice have been sold in Saudi Arabia as Chevrolets for a while now.

 

[Endless-Wilso]

Well it was news to me
The Chevy atleast the Holden didn't surprise me
like a sneak preview.

 

[Jay]

The car at 4:20 and 5:27 is a rebadged Holden Statesman/Caprice (yes we use the Caprice name also). The car at 9:00 is a rebadged Holden Commodore. All these cars are/were made in the same factory in South Australia (including G8's, GTO's, basis of PPV, Chevy Caprice/SS etc).

As mentioned they have been exported to the middle east for many years now as Chevrolet.

 

[-Fred-]

How the SS Will Become Chevy's Four-Door Corvette, Halo Car

It may very well be capable of going toe-to-toe with some of the best that Germany has to offer.

But GM already has a 4 door Corvette, that goes toe-to-toe with the Germans pretty well... they even offer it as a coupe and a wagon.

Now, obviously, these two won't attract the same kind of buyers, that's a given. But give the SS an LS7 and electromagnetic suspension, and suddently the Camaro seems... pointless.

Though, honestly, I personally think they should focus on building a proper economy car (while the Cruze is better than the Cobalt and Cavalier it replaces, it's still miles behind the Focus and the Japanese offerings. But it's still better than the Dart, though the Dart is slightly better than walking.) before building an halo car that won't generate profits. But that's just my 2 cents.

 

[Endless-Wilso]

The point of the SS is to be a cheaper CTS that appeals to the market that would by a Charger or for man who would like a Camaro but needs the sedan space.

 

[YSSMAN]

Though, honestly, I personally think they should focus on building a proper economy car (while the Cruze is better than the Cobalt and Cavalier it replaces, it's still miles behind the Focus and the Japanese offerings. But it's still better than the Dart, though the Dart is slightly better than walking.) before building an halo car that won't generate profits. But that's just my 2 cents.

A reasonable request. When the new Focus showed up, the Cruze was already four years old. It's due for an update fairly soon. In all likelihood, we won't see a new C-Segment car at GM until 2015, and even then, that might be a stretch. Still, we're getting diesel power for the 2014 model, and that might go a long way with a few minor updates. Not a bad deal.

If you haven't checked out the Sonic, it is by far and away the best car in it's segment. The ride/handling balance, affordability, and aggressive looks set it apart from all of the others. I'd have it over the Focus, easily, even when it is a smaller car.

Considering how small of a run the Chevrolet SS will be, it essentially being a luxed-up HSV product imported to the US, there really aren't too many development dollars involved.

If we want to demand something special from GM right now, we need to start begging for the Code to become a reality.

 

[RocZX]

A rendering of the Chevy SS in ZL1 trim .....