Photo: Chevrolet
SS means many things to many people. For Chevrolet, these letters became a thing in the early 1960s. The golden bowtie’s first SS was a performance pack for the 1961 Impala. More recently, however, SS is how Chevy markets its LT1 V8-engined Camaro.
Another hero bearing the said letters is the Chevrolet SS, a four-door sedan with the underpinnings of an Aussie car and the LS3 6.2-liter pushrod V8 from the sixth generation of the Corvette. Introduced in late 2013 for the 2014 model year as the successor to the Pontiac G8, the Chevy SS will soon die.
Speaking to GM North America President Alan Batey at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, The Detroit News found out that the Chevrolet SS sports sedan won’t survive beyond the 2017 model year. A shame, but the SS had it coming.
Ever since the higher-ups and beancounters gave the green light for production, General Motors knew that the SS would not sell well. As a low-production model imported into the U.S., there is not much of a business case from the General's part to keep the SS alive and kicking. In 2016, for example, the golden bowtie sold 3,013 units. Its best sales year it may be, but how’s this for a comparison: 29,995 ‘Vettes were sold in the same timeframe.
Another reason why the Chevrolet SS has to go, despite the fact I and many other gearheads love it to bits, is the not-so-complex automotive industry of Australia. After FoMoCo pulled the plug on Australian production in 2016, Holden will stop making automobiles in The Oz in the 4th quarter of 2017. And without the Holden VF Series II Commodore, there’s no Chevrolet SS.
On the upside, the 2018 Kia Stinger is a great alternative to our need for a rear-wheel-drive sedan of appropriate dimensions and with sufficient get-up-and-go under the hood. Slated to roll into American and Australian dealerships late in 2017, the South Korean model in GT guise packs the looks to kill, a 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 punch, as well as a premium-feeling cabin.
Speaking to GM North America President Alan Batey at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, The Detroit News found out that the Chevrolet SS sports sedan won’t survive beyond the 2017 model year. A shame, but the SS had it coming.
Ever since the higher-ups and beancounters gave the green light for production, General Motors knew that the SS would not sell well. As a low-production model imported into the U.S., there is not much of a business case from the General's part to keep the SS alive and kicking. In 2016, for example, the golden bowtie sold 3,013 units. Its best sales year it may be, but how’s this for a comparison: 29,995 ‘Vettes were sold in the same timeframe.
Another reason why the Chevrolet SS has to go, despite the fact I and many other gearheads love it to bits, is the not-so-complex automotive industry of Australia. After FoMoCo pulled the plug on Australian production in 2016, Holden will stop making automobiles in The Oz in the 4th quarter of 2017. And without the Holden VF Series II Commodore, there’s no Chevrolet SS.
On the upside, the 2018 Kia Stinger is a great alternative to our need for a rear-wheel-drive sedan of appropriate dimensions and with sufficient get-up-and-go under the hood. Slated to roll into American and Australian dealerships late in 2017, the South Korean model in GT guise packs the looks to kill, a 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 punch, as well as a premium-feeling cabin.
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