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  • William Maley
    William Maley

    By William Maley •

    Rumorpile: End of the Line For Chevrolet SS, RHD Camaro

      Next-Generation Chevrolet SS? A Unnamed GM Exec Says Don't Plan On It

    Since Holden announced that it would end Australian production in 2017 and that the Commodore would go to a front-wheel drive platform (rumored to be the next-generation Opel Insignia), questions have been raised as to what would happen to the Chevrolet SS. The SS is American-ized version of the Holden Commodore with a 6.2L V8 engine and the choice of either a six-speed manual or automatic. For a time, it was rumored that the SS would live on. But a new report says the SS is a dead car walking.

    Motoring.com.au spoke with a unnamed GM executive at the SEMA Show who said that a replacement for the Chevrolet SS will not happen when the current Commodore ends production in 2017. Early reports had the Chevrolet SS living on after 2017 and that the new model would be imported to Australia.

    That's not all of the bad news though. The unnamed executive also said plans for a right-hand drive next-generation Camaro are 'highly unlikely'. This puts GM in a bad spot in certain markets as Ford will be selling the Mustang in right-hand drive.

    Source: Motoring.com.au

    William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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    regfootball

    i actually went to a chevy dealer today to look at a used vehicle, and on the showroom floor they had a used SS with 2,000 miles on it.  You know, the interior really is sweet on the car, surprising considering how bleh the interior was on the G8.  The SS interior really truly is close to lux car quality and to be honest I think you could really make a case to buy an SS instead of a CTS, and think you got more for your money and have just as nice a car.

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    ehaase

    Outside of Camaro and Corvette, anyone wanting a RWD GM car must buy Cadillac. I never thought GM would build an Alpha platform replacement for the SS. I do think that Holden badged Opels for Australia will flop.

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    Cmicasa the Great

    Outside of Camaro and Corvette, anyone wanting a RWD GM car must buy Cadillac. I never thought GM would build an Alpha platform replacement for the SS. I do think that Holden badged Opels for Australia will flop.

     

    Only if Australians openly protest due to the Home Name importing vehicles on their home turf. Ironically Toyota does it and is currently the #1 auto in the land of OZ. Meaning if the people of OZ do protest by not buying they will have effectively not only killed their own manufacturing by buying foreign (sound like anyone) but then killed their only homegrown brand by being hypocrites.

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    Cmicasa the Great

    all that being said... its an awesome car. Its death was inevitable once the Zeta Platform was canceled. The mainstream simply doesn't buy RWD vehicles in droves. They must either be added to Fleet purchases and done cheaply or they will cease. Once Australian new Govt decided to allow foreign companies to take their fleet duties away from Holden and Ford's RWD cars, they killed its necessity. 

     
    GM could ultimately bring the SS over to Alpha (as the CTS is almost the same size) and make it the next Impala/Caprice. I said Caprice because the formula from back in the 90s should be revisited with the Caprice being the "LS to LTZ" and the Impala being the "SS" performance model. No real difference in the car outside of the performance additions inside and out. Essentially what I'm seeing is that the FULL-SIZE vehicle is a niche product all around versus the Mid-Sizers and the CUVS. Look at the numbers. Combine the Impala, Charger, 300, Avalon, Azera, and Taurus together and then put that number side by side with an Explorer
     
    "The SS may share some Camaro and Corvette DNA, but it doesn't drive like either late-model sports coupe. Instead, the five-passenger sedan seems to mimic the driving dynamics of a BMW M5. But not the current F10 chassis – the long-since-discontinued, V8-powered E39 model. That statement is both good and bad. As a compliment, the third-generation M5 was a wonderful sport sedan that was highly regarded as the best in its class during its heyday (1997-2003). It was powerful and tremendously fun to drive. On the negative side, the SS feels a bit traditional and heavy with its driving dynamics when compared to today's light-in-their feet and very agile sport sedans."     http://www.autoblog.com/2014/04/03/2014-chevrolet-ss/

     

     
     
    Some would see the reference to the old M5 a negatice, but only an enthusiastic driver would understand that the E39 M5 was the epitome of what earned the marque its reputation. The balance was unmatched at the time. BMWs were the best handling bar none.  Cadillac now has that title with the ATS and CTS..  The SS is larger and manages to retain that feeling.  Nonetheless it's dead after 16. Again hopefully,  for the enthusiastic crowd Chevy makes an Alpha based successor. 
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    Robert Hall

    Sales of the SS have been nonexistent...something like 2500 year to date I read?   They can't justify a model with such low volume.   The styling is ok, except for the ugly front fascia...it would look much better IMO if the front end looked more like the Impala..

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    ehaase

    The main purpose of selling the SS was to help out Holden.  I really don't see the need for an Alpha platform replacement for the SS. I don't think there's much demand for mainstream RWD sedans beyond the Dodge Charger.

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