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The SS badge used to make a Chevy special, exciting, and unique: besides anything else, an SS-badged Chevrolet was one thing – fast.
Today, however, the SS program (and nomenclature) seems to have lost its way. Case in point: the last-gen Malibu and current-gen Impala had/have SS versions but neither goes as far as the 1960′s and 1970′s Impala and Chevelle SS in terms of “sportifying” the car. Needless to say, the Malibu and Impala SS are not vehicles that deserve to wear the SS badge proudly. To its credit, Chevrolet did introduce the turbocharged Cobalt and HHR SS (which were considerably more “SS material” than the Malibu or Impala), but many still felt that there was room for improvement. To us, the only vehicle in production today that truly deserves to wear the SS emblem proudly is the new Camaro.
Mark Reuss, GM vice president of global engineering, recently told AutoWeek that the SS program is alive and well but going forward, GM will be more selective as to what vehicles get to wear the badge. To us this means that just because a vehicle’s engine produces more horsepower, it doesn’t get to be an “SS” automatically.
But here is where it gets really interesting: Reuss worked in Australia as chairman and managing director of Holden – the same GM division that developed the awesome RWD Zeta architecture that underpins the new Camaro as well as the Holden Commodore and Statesman vehicle lines (and their Chevy- and Buick-badged brethren in Arabia and elsewhere). We hope that Reuss will work to convince fellow GM execs to mate the Zeta platform with an SS badge. To throw more fire into the rumormill, this report comes after rumors of a Zeta-based Chevy SS model coming in 2012.
Obviously, the sooner Mr. Reuss embarks on the convincing, the better: many GM fans would love to see something along the lines of a four-door Camaro on U.S. shores (and around the world).
We’ve received some interesting feedback before publishing this post. Namely, some have let us know that while they didn’t themselves purchase a Malibu or Impala SS, those models would be the only models these readers would consider because they were top of the line of their respective models. One loyal GM Authority reader and listener even let us know that he thought the Malibu SS model was “cool,” making us wonder that the SS program shouldn’t go away entirely on lesser models.
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Last week GM announced it will expand its forthcoming electric vehicle lineup by putting the Cadillac Converj concept into production.
For those who chose the blue pill and forgot what the Converj is all about, here’s a quick summary: the Converj concept is a two-door coupe that uses the same technology as the Chevrolet Volt. It debuted at the 2009 North American International Auto Show and was very well received, winning several awards.
According to sources, the Converj was included in a production plan presented by Cadillac officials to GM’s board of directors, who green lit the vehicle’s production. This is good news to GM and Cadillac fans the world over, since earlier this year GM said there were no plans to build the Converj. Given GM’s recent financial situation, many even wondered whether it would ever be available in showrooms.
The decision to build the Converj marks the second major product reversal for GM in recent months (the first was nixing a planned Buick CUV). This should be looked at as a major change compared to the old GM, where decision making was often a long and drawn-out process.
Keep reading for a more in-depth look at the Converj and the auto industry.
GM is gearing up for a busy year ahead, having announced plans to show the U.S.-spec Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan alongside the Chevrolet Volt at next month’s LA Auto Show. Both vehicles are due to go on sale sometime during the third quarter of 2010.
Having debuted at the Paris Motor Show in October of 2008, the Cruze has been sold in Europe and across the Pacific for most of 2009 and is (finally) destined to replace the aging Cobalt compact in the ‘States. GM expects the Cruze to achieve 40 mpg on the highway, in large part due to its 1.4-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four-banger. It looks like Chevrolet doesn’t plan on offering the 1.6 or 1.8-liter gas/petrol engines (or the European 2.0-liter turbo diesel) at launch. We expect other power plants to show up later on in the production cycle.
Chevrolet claims that since the Cruze has been doing well in Europe and Asia, it has “undergone refinement for America” – an interesting position, given that none of the big 3 (GM included) has taken the compact market very seriously in the last two decades. In any event, the Cruze will offer more interior space and cargo capacity than the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla and will include “upscale infotainment amenities such as a navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity and XM Satellite Radio.”
On the safety front, the compact Chevy will be equipped with ten standard air bags that “provide a safety cocoon for occupants” as well as the critically-acclaimed OnStar technology.
Production will begin at The General’s Lordstown, Ohio plant in April – bringing back nearly 1,000 laid-off workers to meet forecast demand.
In this humble blogger’s opinion, the Cruze can’t come soon enough and is one of the most important launches for Chevrolet and GM over the next five years. That said, let’s not forget about the Volt!
Full press release after the break.
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For the week of November 2, 2009
Fritz Henderson visits Washington… and GM’s largest shareholder
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102802329.html
It may be that Fritz Henderson slammed the door on the Commodore coming stateside under a different badge, but the enthusiast community at large hasn’t given up hope just yet. And it looks like that may have been for good measure. We’re literally salivating right now, since a member of Pontiac G8 Forum wrote the following:
“My dealer had sent off pictures to GM of the cable portion of the front seats belts rubbing against the plastic on the side of the front seats. In an email sent back to the dealer, GM says that they have no plans to solve what has already been built but going forward a correction is planned. The email continues: …a fix is planned for MY11.5 Chevy Police Program and MY12 Chevy SS. The fix will involve a protective sleeve that covers the buckle and section of the buckle stem that rubs on the plastic trim.”
Would you look at that! Now that may be one-one hundredth of a rumor – but it’s very much along the lines of what we’ve been hearing from some very well-connected sources. And if you put on your common sense hat for a second, Henderson didn’t slam the door on the Zeta program, just on a G8 rebadge. We also agree with Bob Lutz in that the G8 is “Kinda too good to waste.”
It’s my personal prediction that the Holden Commodore-based Chevy SS would be its own model within the Chevrolet line-up and look different as well – just like the Camaro. It would fill the void left by the Pontiac G8 and cater to the driving enthusiast in us and come to market for the 2012 model year. Size-wise, The SS would slot between the Malibu (190 inches long) and the Impala (202 inches).
Obviously, we would love to see a six-speed manual with an LS3 under the hood of this beauty. Now let’s keep our fingers crossed and keep the comments coming so GM can feel our excitement!
As we’ve all learned by now, Maximum Bob Lutz isn’t a fan of the industry-standard phrase “we don’t comment on future products.” To tell you the truth, we’re big fans of that philosophy: Bob lets out as many hints as possible without revealing too many details. If that’s not meant to crate buzz in the enthusiast community, we don’t know what is.
Inside Line’s Ed Hellwig managed to score a few details about the Chevy product line after a meeting with Maximum Bob. Specifically, the next-generation Impala (link) will get bigger and also feature hybrid technology.
The present-day Impala is a big car that uses old technology. Specifically, it’s underpinned by the W-body platform dating back to the early 1980s. Opinion varies significantly on whether the current Impala is competitive or simply “too old” and outdated, but what’s for sure is that the front wheels will continue to drive the car. When the next-gen Impala does come, expect it to be based on a modified version of the Epsilon 2 platform (Super Epsilon), be over 200 inches in length, and pack much more technology to better compete with the recently-redesigned Ford Taurus, Nissan Maxima, and accolade-hog Hyundai Genesis.
Besides traditional combustion powerplants, Lutz also told IL that the next-gen Impala will be available with some form of battery-assisted propulsion. Whether or not this means a Voltec-style gas-electric or GM’s next-gen belt-alternator mild hybrid system isn’t yet known.
The gearhead in us, however, wishes for a sport-tuned SS variant to top off the Impala range – even perhaps with all four wheels delivering power to the ground. From what we hear, the next Impala will be shown sometime in 2010 and be available in 2011-2012.
It’s no joke: leave Maximum Bob Lutz in a room full of journalists, bloggers, and podcasters, and you’re sure in for a treat. After all but confirming the CTS-V Sport Wagon and Coupe, a hybrid Chevrolet Impala, and dropping hints about a high-performance Buick Regal GS and a Zeta-based Caprice SS, Lutz wasn’t done just yet. In fact, when InsideLine asked him about a twin-turbo version of the Camaro, his response was a dead simple “perhaps,” hinting at the possibility of a production version of the twin-boosted 425-hp 6-cylinder Camaro GM made especially for Jay Leno for SEMA
We’re trying not to get all aflutter after all the recent Camaro news thrown our way, but it’s important to note that this is far from a confirmation. It would sure be nice to see Chevy beat Ford to the punch in offering a turboed pony car, especially given the latest rumors of the Mustang getting a much-needed update to Ford’s modern 3.7 V6 – something that would bring it up to par with GM’s 3.6L LLT.
From now on, we expect Lutz to be accompanied to all media gatherings by CEO Fritz Henderson wielding a cracking whip – you know, just in case Bob has the itch to spill some more juicy info.
Being the newest addition to Chevy’s line-up of CUVs, the Equinox has recently become the focus of much critical acclaim. However, many who reviewed the Equinox incorrectly identified its main competitors as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Let me set the record straight:
The Equinox does not compete with Toyota’s RAV4 or Honda’s CR-V. It competes in a size-class above those two vehicles, with its most direct competition being the Toyota Venza, Ford Edge, and Nissan Murano. How so?
The Equinox is eight inches longer than the RAV4 and a full eleven inches longer than the CR-V (see charts below). While most car shoppers don’t make a buying decision based on inches, they do unscientifically measure the car’s dimensions based on “feel.” In that regard, a buyer cross-shopping a RAV4, a CR-V, and an Equinox would feel that the Equinox is much bigger compared to the other two. (more…)
General Motors announced Wednesday it will not be selling its European subsidiary Opel (and its British counterpart Vauxhall) to Canadian parts supplier Magna (and its financial partner Sberbank). The General cited several reasons for the decision, including its own improved financial position as well as an improved business environment in Europe. And let’s not forget the fact that this comes just one week after the EU’s Directorate-General for Competition began an investigation into the Magna deal. But all those don’t get down to the real reason as to why GM decided to keep Opel:
Opel is a very popular mainstream marque in Europe, competing with the likes of Volkswagen and Ford. In fact, it’s the region’s third most popular brand (after those two, respectively) and holds a roughly eight percent market share in Western Europe. By selling Opel, The General would essentially be taking itself out of the European car market.
For an organization the size of GM, that’s not good news: huge car makers, especially those that compete globally, depend on economies of scale – the ability to reuse resources such as engineering, purchasing, and manufacturing to bring (and keep) costs down. By not competing in the European market, GM would be putting itself in a disadvantaged position where it would be less capable of taking advantage of that scale. (more…)
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