Get Ready for the Four-Door Corvette

GM is staying true to its word by not only relaunching the Holden Commodore as the Chevy SS in the US, but that will also be a true high-performance sedan.

Many customers looking for a rear-drive performance sedan found what they were looking for in the Pontiac G8, but when GM shut down the brand, the sedan went with it. That left American buyers flocking to the Dodge Charger, but GM is getting back in the action with the upcoming new Chevrolet SS. Like the G8, the SS borrows its underpinnings from the Holden Commodore, a vehicle which GM continues to offer in Australia - and which also lent its platform to the Chevrolet Camaro.

The SS will serve as something of a halo car for Chevy, demonstrating its performance capabilities. But if you thought that role belonged to the Corvette, you're right. According to GM's North American president Mark Reuss, the SS will be positioned as something of a "four-door Corvette". Power will come from the new LT1 V8 which the SS will share with the upcoming Corvette C7, mated to a manual transmission. Despite its standing as a halo model, GM won't limited production of the Chevy SS, building and selling as many as customers demand. The General figures that will amount to about 10,000 to 15,000 units each year.

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Chevrolet's 2014 SS in a ZL1 Costume

As many of our readers are probably already aware, Chevrolet is entering next year's NASCAR championship with an entirely new model aptly called the SS, which was previewed in Las Vegas just last month.

The Super Sport racer will be unique to the championship as the production-going road car has yet to be revealed and won't even built in the United States; to find it's country of origin you'll have to get an atlas and turn it upside down; yes that's right, it will be built in the backyard that Crocodile Dundee calls home - Australia.



Based on the Zeta architecture, the new SSwon't be entirely new to the market when it goes on sale next year as a 2014 model. In fact, it's GM's second attempt to get the Holden-based Commodore on US shores - with the last try drying up after the Pontiac division was dissolved.

GM realizes that they still have a good product with the Commodore down under, so coinciding with the upcoming Aussie redesign they have given it another chance. This update is expected to bring substantial technological and interior quality advances over the previous G8 / current Commodore.

Under the bonnet, a V8 affair is all but sure, though, GM is being coy about the details. If all this sounds tasty then I'll stir another ingredient into the pot; the Corvette and Camaro have their top tier ZR1 and ZL1 versions, so tweaking the thermostat to extreme on the SS wouldn't appear to be far-fetched - or would it?

To illustrate this concept, I've visualized what a potential SS ZL1-ZR1-call it whatever you want, may look like by taking the basic shape of the SS and giving it some visual hot chili. While the roofline and hard-points remind us of the G8, most of the sheet metal is new.

The aluminum hood and front guards are not only lighter but also more sculptured than the G8 ever was. To help heat escape from the more potent engine, which we assume would be GM's 6.2-liter supercharged LSA V8 rated at around 580hp (or perhaps even more), ZL1-like hood vents have been employed, sitting flush on a more prominent power bulge.

Judging from the new SS NASCAR, the front end initially appears to have a strong Chevrolet Malibu influence. To move away from this and distinguish itself as a top tier sports sedan, the bumper is more aggressively styled, with a larger honeycomb lower grille that extends to the sides of the prominent round fog lights.

Further down and in keeping with the Corvette ZR1 styling, a lip spoiler is employed to help the car at higher speeds and to improve its visual stance by giving it a more 'planted' look. The lines of this spoiler also continue into the side moldings, and down the sides of the car all the way back to the rear diffuser.

Under the bodywork, one would expect further chassis refinements like adaptive damping and beefier Brembo brakes. On the technology front, radar cruise control and active city stop automated braking systems should be expected.

Transmission-wise, one would hope a slick shifting 6-speed manual would be mandatory, with a decent auto with a manual override function (cue: the flappy paddles) offered as an option.

I'm sure there will be a huge hands up for a special performance variant like this, however, do the visuals stack up with the extra mumbo or does the design need to become even more radical? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

 

 

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New Silverado and Sierra Pickups’ Success May Help the Government Offload GM Stake

President Barack Obama has always stood behind the 2009 bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler and he was vindicated as both companies made a surprising recovery in a very short time period.

While Chrysler is out of the picture, the U.S. government still holds a 32 percent stake in GM and is searching on how to implement an exit strategy without losing a large portion of the S$51 million it poured in the automaker during the bailout.



Analysts believe that the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups that were unveiled this week may provide the administration with the way out that it needs.

The reason is that combined sales of those two trucks accounted for 23 percent of GM’s total 2011 sales and generated 16 percent of its global earnings before interest and taxes this year.

These were the old versions that dated back to 2006. It’s reasonable to expect that the revamped Silverado and Sierra, which have retained their rugged looks but are significantly improved under the skin, can do even better.

Citigroup analyst Itay Michaeli told Bloomberg News that the launch of a new pickup “tends to correlate very well with positive stock returns for GM”.

“It’s really hard to find a product for GM that’s more important”, IHS industry analyst Rebecca Lindland told the news agency. “From a volume and financial standpoint, this is GM’s Super Bowl.”

GM shares have increased 24 percent so far this year. In order to reach the US$33 IPO price that the U.S. Treasury Department wants in order to sell its stake, it must gain 31 percent.

If the administration wanted to fully recuperate its initial investment, the share price should reach US$50. Of course, under the current climate that’s nigh impossible so the main target is to offload the shares by minimizing losses.

Thus, increasing sales of the revamped Silverado/Sierra duo will provide both parties with a win-win scenario: not only will GM’s profits rise but will (baring any unexpected event) also help increase its stock price, helping the government offload its shares.

Company executives are buoyant about their new product(s): Jeff Luke, executive chief engineer for full- size and midsize trucks said that the new pickups “will once again raise the bar in the full-sized truck segment” as they will feature improved fuel efficiency, horsepower and torque along with better comfort and functionality.

 

By Andrew Tsaousis

 

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Final 2012 COPO Camaro Up for Auction

The final 2012 COPO Camaro is making its way to the auction block this January. But don't worry, another 69 units are planned for 2013.



Drag racers looking for some serious Bowtie action had to act fast after GM announced a limited 69-car run of the Chevrolet COPO Camaro. Responding to demand that quickly outstripped supply, the American automaker has since announced a second run of 69 examples. But before those leave the factory, Chevrolet is auctioning off the last example of that first run this January at the hands of Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona.

With the first 67 examples already sold and the 68th staying in GM's private collection, buyers keen on getting their hands on the drag monster who can't wait for the next batch to begin production will have to bid for ownership. If this example's standing as the last of the original 69 built isn't enough, it steps into even rarer company as one of just two convertible versions made. It's also one of only 20 that packed the 4.0-liter supercharger, the rest having been built in naturally-aspirated form or with a smaller 2.9-liter supercharger. It's also the only one that was made with a three-speed automatic, and one of only 12 painted in Inferno Orange Metallic.

This 550 horsepower hand-built tarmac hellraiser also comes fitted with a roll cage, racing chassis and a solid rear axle, the latter taking the place of the regular-production car's independent rear suspension.

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Chevy Corvette GT2 on ADV.1 Wheels

Track-spec GT2 edition Vette showcases the Californian wheel specialist’s latest rims.

ADV.1 may be a relative newcomer to the alloy wheel business, but its dedicated design engineer has over ten years of experience creating some of the best looking wheels on the market. Its latest design, dubbed the ADV5 Track Function, has been masterfully showcased on a Chevy Corvette. Measuring in at 21 inches, the new wheels have been attached to a worthy host in the form of a track spec GT2 edition Vette.

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The Power of Sounds: Audio-Camaro Project by Magnat

While not as near as popular as in North America, the Chevrolet Camaro has its fan base on the other side of the Atlantic where it is available exclusively in V8 trim.

On the tuning front, it's mainly the Germans that provide upgrades for the fifth-gen Camaro with the latest offering coming from Audiovox and its Magnat brand that has prepared a new project car dubbed the "Audio-Camaro".

The car was created to showcase the audio brand's systems but the Germans didn't stop there making improvements under the hood as well as to the exterior and interior of the Camaro.

When you open the doors, you're greeted by custom seats dressed in high quality leather and Alcantara with a diamond pattern.

A new Audiovox VME 9520NAV infotainment system with navigation, Bluetooth hands-free system, iPod / iPhone control, DVD and linkage to the steering wheel remote control adorns the center console. It handles a powerful Magnat 4400Watt system with an array of speakers and huge subwoofers positioned in the specially illuminated trunk.

On the other end of the car, Magnat turned to Wimmer Racing, which upgraded the V8's ECU and installed a new air induction system and a stainless steel exhaust to lift output to 445hp (451PS) and peak torque to 596Nm (440 lb-ft) allowing the Camaro SS to reach a top speed of 274km/h (170mph).

A height adjustable KW coilover suspension and a new set of 22-inch wheels from Oxigin wrapped in Yokohama Advan Sport tires size 265/30ZR22 at the front and 295/25ZR22 at the rear axle complete the performance improvements.

As for the exterior, the Audio-Camaro gets a two-tone, matte-black and silver paint job with blue pin stripes and a subtle ground-effects aero kit.

 

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