The 2014 Chevrolet SS is more important for what it represents than its performance and sales, according to some industry experts.
With the proven 6.2-liter V8 engine of the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette
that delivers 415-horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque, analysts expect
the five-passenger vehicle to help fill a niche market.
“It’s certainly a car that shows off the ability of GM to combine a
mass production car with a muscle car,” said Jesse Toprak, TrueCar.com senior analyst.
Toprak
said the SS’ niche market will most likely be males in their 30s or 40s
that have the need for speed, but also want the practicality of hauling
around a family when needed.
Simply put, “It’s a car for a guy who can’t convince his wife to get a Corvette,” he said.
The SS -- the first V8, rear-wheel-drive performance sedan for the brand since 1996 --strongly resembles the discontinued Pontiac G8, which GM sold about 38,000 of during its two-year stint in 2008 and 2009.
When available in the fourth quarter of 2013, the SS' Chevy
LS3
engine is teamed to a six-speed automatic transmission, which can be
shifted manually using TAPshift paddles mounted on the steering wheel.
Karl Brauer, editor in chief and CEO of TotalCarScore.com
,
said the vehicle shows that the Detroit-based automaker is back to
having a little fun and optimistic about the future of the industry in
the U.S., which is expected to grow by about 1 million units to 15.5 million in 2013.
“It’s
great to see GM having fun by bringing out a car that you would never
see them bring out if they were really feeling insecure or worried about
things,” he said. “To me, that’s much more exciting than the car
itself.”
The vehicle, according to GM, accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in about five seconds.
John
Cafaro, design director Chevrolet passenger cars and small crossovers,
said the SS ws specifically designed for power and performance, from the
engine to exterior design.
“The combination of an
aggressive rear-wheel drive stance and body-side attitude with the right
balance of detail and refinement inside and out are the perfect home
for Chevrolet’s V8 performance package,” he said in a statement.
The SS is built on GM's global rear-wheel-drive platform that also is used for the Chevy Camaro, Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle and the Holden brand's VF Commodore. It will be built at a Holden plant in Elizabeth, Australia. Holden is a subsidiary of GM.
Toprak
said the forged aluminum staggered wheels, aluminum hood and grille of
the vehicle have features of a traditional American muscle car, but the
overall design of the vehicle “is not very aggressive” and “quite safe.”
“It’s pretty impressive specs for the size of the vehicle,” he said. “I was not overwhelmed by the look of the vehicle”
Other
premium cues, according to GM, include jewel-like chrome accents,
standard high-intensity discharge headlamps and light-emitting diode
daytime running lights.
Inside the vehicle, leather seating
surfaces are standard, as are eight-way power adjustable front bucket
seats with additional side bolstering that hug the driver and front
passenger in tight-handling situations.
The vehicle will also
come standard with a nine-speaker Bose premium sound system; safety
features, such as forward collision alert, lane departure warning, rear
camera and side blind zone alerts; push-button start; and Color,
in-dashboard touch screen that supports Chevrolet MyLink and the next-generation navigation system.
It
is the first Chevrolet to offer Automatic Parking Assist, which
provides hands-free parking help. This efficient ‘hands-free’ parking
assistant uses the ultrasonic sensing system to detect the width and
depth of either parallel or reverse right-angle parking spaces.
The
SS emblem is also prominently stitched onto the soft-touch instrument
panel which features two types of chrome finishes – a satin gloss and a
bright chrome.
The SS made its debut alongside the SS race car over the weekend, which entered its first NASCAR race during the Daytona 500.
