Chevrolet SS 2014

[Troutman]

The 2014 Chevrolet SS - Chevrolet's first V-8, rear-wheel-drive performance sedan in 18 years - debuts at the Daytona International Speedway Friday, February 15, 2013 in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Chevrolet SS is powered by the LS3 Chevrolet V-8, expected to deliver 415 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque. It will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about five seconds. The 2014 Chevrolet SS will be available in the fourth quarter of 2013. (Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/02/chevroletsshere.jpg

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/16/this-is-your-2014-chevrolet-ss/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Fautoblog+%28Auto blog%29

The Chevrolet Pace Vehicle lineup includes (clockwise from front): Chevrolet SS, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at the Daytona International Speedway. (Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)
http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2013/02/16/1226579/404933-chevrolet_daytona_pace_vehiclesz_03-jpg.jpg

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/commodore-makes-american-nascar-debut-at-daytona/story-fn3dxity-1226579406174

[Pickles]

Looks good to me....we should have this as an SSV spec in Aus.
Cheers, Pickles.

[SV300]

Ok....

So all the noise about Holden having LS3 was the export version only... SS

The SSV shall retain the LXX and this gap I believe should remain.

If it were to have the LS3 this would trump HSV and goes back to Graeme's comments a while back along with some others quoting that engine fitment.

J

[C4B]

I reckon eBay Australia is going to sell out of Chev badges.......

[Jag530G]

I reckon eBay Australia is going to sell out of Chev badges.......

And they're gold too... :cool:

You should set up a trading post here for Americans wanted Holden badges swapping with Australians wanting Chev badges.

Cheers, Matthew

[jboy21]

apparently no manual for Chev SS?

[Jag530G]

apparently no manual for Chev SS?

That's right, they didn't think they'd sell enough to justify the effort see below link, might change if the SS is popular.

Have a look at the interior photo in the below story, it seems the Chev has a different seat heater buttons compared with our Calais V. On ours there was 1 button under each centre vent, the Chev has 2.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/02/2014-chevrolet-ss-suck-on-this-cafe/#more-477767

Cheers, Matthew

[Plenty]

That's right, they didn't think they'd sell enough to justify the effort see below link, might change if the SS is popular.

Have a look at the interior photo in the below story, it seems the Chev has a different seat heater buttons compared with our Calais V. On ours there was 1 button under each centre vent, the Chev has 2.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/02/2014-chevrolet-ss-suck-on-this-cafe/#more-477767

Cheers, Matthew

Yep it appears to be a separate button for chilled and heated seats.

[Plenty]

Here are all the press kit photos.

http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS_Daytona-017_zpsd30da69c.jpg
http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS_Daytona-018_zps8ff4384b.jpg
http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS-014_zps7f2caf5b.jpg
http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS-015_zpscef91ea1.jpg
http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS-016_zps9df6cdf9.jpg
http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS-012_zps828776db.jpg
http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS-010_zps42949c37.jpg
http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS-013_zps27100029.jpg
http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS-011_zpsd33e545b.jpg
http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014-Chevrolet-SS-003_zps0126b4c9.jpg

[Plenty]

It also appears that the Chev SS gets better seats, more HSV like IMO

[axemurderer101]

http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS-016_zps9df6cdf9.jpg

are those some kind of heater vents in the top of the seats?
seeing as they have an extra switch next to the heated seats switch on the dash

[Plenty]

http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS-016_zps9df6cdf9.jpg

are those some kind of heater vents in the top of the seats?
seeing as they have an extra switch next to the heated seats switch on the dash

I think they are more like the Recaro race seats with the race harness holes, although most likely cosmetic.

[dgp]

So the Americans will get a cheap as chips Chev SS with all the fruit that our HSV gets, and they are importing it from us.
Holden, you suck!

[zorro]

So the Americans will get a cheap as chips Chev SS with all the fruit that our HSV gets, and they are importing it from us.
Holden, you suck!

Yet some still sound surprised....

[Plenty]

Some nice Aluminium shifters would have finished it off a little nicer!

http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/c4d7c23f-5129-4baa-ad36-02c599ac2fa7_zpsf13b7c38.jpg

[zacaxel1975]

Yep it appears to be a separate button for chilled and heated seats.

Yep ventilated and heated seats for the chev

Might be just the pics but the steering wheel looks smaller and chunkier too

[Goggles]

spec for Chev SS here http://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/Chevrolet/northamerica/usa/nscwebsite/en/Home/Chevy%20Culture/News/PreReaveal%20SS/02-PDF/SS_HeroCard.pdf

[Troutman]

It also appears that the Chev SS gets better seats, more HSV like IMO

A quick history lesson. It's hard not to conclude that the SS has what are basically HSV seats.

Pontiac G8 GXP
http://0.tqn.com/d/cars/1/0/6/I/1/09g8gxp_int.jpg

2006 HSV GTS
http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/200608/2006-hsv-e-series-gts-8_600x0w.jpg

2006 Holden Commodore SS-V
http://performancedrive.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2012-Holden-Commodore-SS-V-Redline-VE-Series-II-front-seats.jpg

[steve_t]

The Chevrolet Pace Vehicle lineup includes (clockwise from front): Chevrolet SS, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at the Daytona International Speedway. (Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)
http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2013/02/16/1226579/404933-chevrolet_daytona_pace_vehiclesz_03-jpg.jpg

[QUOTE=Plenty;2064864]Here are all the press kit photos.

http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS_Daytona-017_zpsd30da69c.jpg


I hate how CGI's always look so much better than the actual cars :(
Meanwhile, the Camaro still looks the business

[HOLDAN]

I need a new gear shifter - one of those would be perfect. Any ideas where I could get one?

[W427GOT1]

its said it will be cheaper to buy a VF in the USA..

So would it be possible to contact a car dealer in the US
Purchase it and get it delivered to your house with out it being exported?..

be like online shopping....seems to be cheaper way of doing it..

or go to you local dealer pay for a VF in us dollars to get it cheaper??

i know wishful thinking

Can any 1 explain why its cheaper???

[Jag530G]

its said it will be cheaper to buy a VF in the USA..

So would it be possible to contact a car dealer in the US
Purchase it and get it delivered to your house with out it being exported?..

be like online shopping....seems to be cheaper way of doing it..

or go to you local dealer pay for a VF in us dollars to get it cheaper??

i know wishful thinking

Can any 1 explain why its cheaper???

It would be left hand drive and you will pay import tariffs to Australia, and GST I believe.

[PMD GTO]

I think they are more like the Recaro race seats with the race harness holes, although most likely cosmetic.

GM did this before with the G8 GXP. The show car had fancier, more heavily bolstered seats like that of the HSV models. When it arrived on our shores it had the basic SS seats. There is no telling with GM and they could very well do that again with this car.

[PMD GTO]

Again, the photo below shows the seats from the GXP "Show Car"

http://0.tqn.com/d/cars/1/0/6/I/1/09g8gxp_int.jpg

What we actually got in the production models....

http://images.gtcarlot.com/pictures/63120322.jpg

http://images.gtcarlot.com/pictures/36021232.jpg

[Troutman]

In that case I stand corrected. :O

[Toddler78]

nothing new there te monaro was 21000us$ while over here it was closr to 60k go figure abnd no you cant buy it ovrer there and have it left here besides thefact that it would be left han drive i woul alo assume the vin and engine numbers wouldnt be in any aus gaovernments system

[PMD GTO]

Not that this has anything to do with the SS but another thing the G8 GXP didn't get that the show car had were the red digital gauges(us yanks call them "triple Atari gauges") on the top of the center console. However aftermarket suppliers offered them and I have them installed on my GXP.

[C4B]

apparently no manual for Chev SS?

Does it come with a DVD instead? Or can you download it from the Internet? ;)

[Wonky]

http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS_Daytona-017_zpsd30da69c.jpg

Jeez!! Some halfwit has put a Chev badge on a Camry!! :doh:

[C4B]

I find the SS quite a strange mix. From the inside shots you'd swear it was a corvette or something super sporty. But the outside shots look like (as Wonky has said) a Toyota. It just doesn't look sporty at all. Even the wheels don't seem to match the car....

[lmoengnr]

Jeez!! Some halfwit has put a Chev badge on a Camry!! :doh:


220 killawasps?

[Plenty]

Jeez!! Some halfwit has put a Chev badge on a Camry!! :doh:

Yeah agreed i really don't think the photos do it any justice, i reckon in person all the extra little angles and creases will look really good, especially the subtle XF Jaguar style bonnet bulge.

I'll reserve final judgement till i see it in the flesh (our SS-V that is).

[CLUBRED]

Whats the general consensus thus far from our friends on the other side of the world?

[Troutman]

Whats the general consensus thus far from our friends on the other side of the world?

The most important question by far.

I posted on a Ford Crown Victoria enthusiast website. There's far less brand loyalty stateside, plus a general air of dissatisfaction with the lack of RWD sedans, not to mention envy over the Australia-only Falcon.

http://www.crownvic.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2669958#Post2669958


The Pontiac G8 guys are understandably a little underwhelmed as there have been months of hype, yet the SS resembles a rehashed G8 GXP. Rumours had even included LSA or at least LT1 power. Let's not forget that FPV gave us the very latest American V8 plus added its own supercharger as standard.

http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67629

[Ausmartin1]

nothing new there te monaro was 21000us$ while over here it was closr to 60k go figure abnd no you cant buy it ovrer there and have it left here besides thefact that it would be left han drive i woul alo assume the vin and engine numbers wouldnt be in any aus gaovernments system

Correct, it's not e-bay with cars - plus you would be swapping out a lot of items to make it comply - besides LH back to RH conversion - new firewall - so forget it....

But that brings us to an interesting financial argument.
As the SS will be a low volume import - how come they get the price break?
It's the BS argument they use on us when all car companies say has to be more expensive thanks to our small population & market.

Take that logic an reverse it as with our SS and we should have cut price Camaros and Volts flooding our market.

Looks like it's all rigged against us !

[Jag530G]

I find the SS quite a strange mix. From the inside shots you'd swear it was a corvette or something super sporty. But the outside shots look like (as Wonky has said) a Toyota. It just doesn't look sporty at all. Even the wheels don't seem to match the car....

Agreed, I think the Calais looks fantastic with the different front and extra chrome, but the SS grille is too bland.

[SCiFiRE]

In regards to the cost difference, Of course nobody is really surprised but often disappointed... A friend of mine once explained the reasoning behind the price difference in a way that made me feel a bit better about it so i thought I'd post it here. Love it or loath it, it made me feel less angry about it.

In a hypothetical... If you spend $500,000,000 designing and engineering a product for your local market. The product costs $2500 to manufacture and you estimate that you'll sell 100,000 of this product locally over the next 5 years. So, to break even over the 5 year time period, if you sales are what you estimate, you need to sell for at least $7500. ( $500,000,000 / 100,000 = $5000 each, plus $2500 each manufacturing costs)
Now you do all this, spend the millions and start selling the product for $8,000. Expecting a nice profit on your investment, about $500 each

Then an opportunity appears... Another country also has a market for this same product, however exporting is risky and could fall through at any time, and there is a lot more competition for it there. There are similar or better products around for $4000/$5000...
You can't lower your local prices to that level because the export numbers wouldn't add enough volume to pay off your initial Design/Engineering investment, not to mention the exports could be canned at any moment and then you'll never be able to raise the price of your product locally to make up for the loss... BUT if you continue selling locally at the current price, just as planned, and pay off your original investments... and you could export some product overseas and sell at a smaller price point (say, $4000), you could potentially make a bit more $$$ without putting your original plan at risk. It's icing on the cake.

Holden can't rely on exports. Look at the G8, it was canned out of nowhere. It wants to be profitable on local sales alone, and needs to pay off the original $billion-dollar-baby investment, as well as the extra investments in keeping VE relevant over the last 7 years. If they modified their prices to rely on exports to pay of all their development costs, the pontiac incident could happen again and all of a sudden they'll be in deep shit - at the very least it could take years longer to break even. They would be risking everything to lower their prices all around. They could choose not to sell in the US at all... but it seems a waste of an opportunity.

So that's how it was explained to me, That basically they're relying on selling locally to pay off all the design and engineering, and the exports are just some icing on the cake that could fall through any minute. It's a simplistic view of things, but honestly, I can understand it that way and it makes sense to me.

[Troutman]

The SS is premium priced compared to the G8, where an Commodore SS equivalent cost little over $30k. We actually have less to complain about on this one.

As for the topic in general, I think its far more complex than people think. There's different tax systems to factor in, costs of dealership infrastructure, regulations compliance (ADR etc), sales volume, average wages, and probably a lot more.

Look at it the other way: 20 years ago when wages were far lower, similar money bought a car with wind-up windows, optional air con and a whopping 165 kW.

[Roger]

Jeez!! Some halfwit has put a Chev badge on a Camry!! :doh:

Yes, I had that thought. And it looks very unreal due to the lighting used, almost like it was done in a studio & the background was CG'd....

But what looks like a 4WD stance (and a Aurion), hooked with an LS3 seems ridiculous !

An you can get gnarly about the price differential all day long - that's life. They simply pay less for their cars than we do for a myriad of reasons. Just remember how much profit is on a Holden sold in Australia and they are selling them over there at a profit, still taking into account freight - at a much reduced cost to us. Which looked fine at AUD0.73 to 1USD.....

[redvxr8clubby]

Here are all the press kit photos.

http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac263/plentyssv/2014_Chevrolet_SS_Daytona-017_zpsd30da69c.jpg


Off topic, what the plane.....F16?

[Drizt]

Yes. F16 Falcon.

[macca_779]

Off topic, what the plane.....F16?

Yep one of the thunderbirds the USAF uses as a display aircraft. There a cool jet but a bitch to work on I assure you.

[Brett240]

yep F16.

The American auto market for decades was dictated by 'the big 3'. Americans were used to paying chump change for large American barges. companies coming in from the outside needed to price their product accordingly. over many decades the American market formed accordingly. You can only sell a product for what the market will pay.

Our tiny market developed with a cost per car that was higher because of our isolation and small numbers. cars have always been more expensive here than the USA because of it. So we are used to paying higher, the americans are used to paying lower. its just the way it is.

If holden tried to sell the SS for 50K plus there would be nearly zero buyers.

[VHSLE]

yep F16.

The American auto market for decades was dictated by 'the big 3'. Americans were used to paying chump change for large American barges. companies coming in from the outside needed to price their product accordingly. over many decades the American market formed accordingly. You can only sell a product for what the market will pay.

Our tiny market developed with a cost per car that was higher because of our isolation and small numbers. cars have always been more expensive here than the USA because of it. So we are used to paying higher, the americans are used to paying lower. its just the way it is.

If holden tried to sell the SS for 50K plus there would be nearly zero buyers.

I understand the principle of what markets will pay, but there still must be a viable business model for them to bother making them and still be sold for this price in the US, its a shame the Australian market can't manage to get the same spec car at the inflated price.

The r&d suggestion a few posts back is the only explanation that makes any sense to me.

[Red Beard]

I imagine they would have done their homework, focus groups and the like. In order to sell volume, they have to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible. While it may appear underwhelming to enthusiasts, the general market will hopefully lap it up. Not too outrageous looks, with RWD and a V8, what's not to like. The enthusiast market generally enhances their rides anyway, wheels, custom body kits and wings, and different badge or two. From my first Commodore, a VB, I've always enhanced them.

[bozodos]

most of the moaning i've read on the US forums is about lack of bonnet vents and 'bland' styling.

Given that they all seem to revere the god ugly late model Trans Ams and Camaros (4th gen etc), I'm not all that surprised.

[WKGrange]

We do get ripped off in a major way and everyone can see that but you still go out and spend the money to buy one. Thats what they count on. Don't buy the product if you think you are getting ripped off.

[Troutman]

In other news, win on Sunday...

Holden has had a dream debut with its VF Commodore-based Chevrolet SS in American NASCAR racing with a win in the season-opening race.

Kevin Harvick won the Sprint Unlimited all-star race at Daytona International Speedway this weekend.

Chevrolet dominated the race, despite losing two of its biggest stars Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon in the race's only crash, with Harvick leading 40 of the 75 laps and fellow Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart running strong all night.

"Winning the race out of the gate was really good for us," said Harvick's team owner Richard Childress. "To win the first race with the Chevy SS is a big deal for us and to win the Unlimited with the fans involved, I thought that was really great."

The win capped a big day for Chevrolet having earlier publicly unveiled the Chevrolet SS road car at the track in front of fans.


http://brisbanetimes.drive.com.au/motor-news/holden-wins-in-nascar-debut-20130217-2el00.html

[PMD GTO]

I imagine they would have done their homework, focus groups and the like. In order to sell volume, they have to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible. While it may appear underwhelming to enthusiasts, the general market will hopefully lap it up. Not too outrageous looks, with RWD and a V8, what's not to like. The enthusiast market generally enhances their rides anyway, wheels, custom body kits and wings, and different badge or two. From my first Commodore, a VB, I've always enhanced them.


You would think, but apparently Mark Reuss was quoted as saying that the SS was not focused grouped......

"Anyone who has the right amount of money and shows up in a Chevrolet dealership, we will sell them this car. You don't want to overthink this stuff – we haven't focus-grouped it," he added. "It's going to be a really good car. People are going to want it."

Also, here is the car that I will not be trading for an SS...that is unless they put in a larger engine and a manual transmission. The lack of a manual Transmission is now the biggest disappointment with the SS.

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii154/PMDG8/2966.jpg

[Red Beard]

You would think, but apparently Mark Reuss was quoted as saying that the SS was not focused grouped......

"Anyone who has the right amount of money and shows up in a Chevrolet dealership, we will sell them this car. You don't want to overthink this stuff – we haven't focus-grouped it," he added. "It's going to be a really good car. People are going to want it."

Also, here is the car that I will not be trading for an SS...that is unless they put in a larger engine and a manual transmission. The lack of a manual Transmission is now the biggest disappointment with the SS.

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii154/PMDG8/2966.jpg

Great photo, the angle of the light makes it look more "edgy", if you know what I mean. Wait till the aftermarket guys get to work on the SS, I can't wait to see what comes out of the SEMA show.