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.
DETROIT- General Motors Co. caused waves in the automotive and racing industries with the debut of the Chevrolet SS.
The 2014 performance sedan debuted over the weekend alongside the SS racecar, which entered its first NASCAR race during the Daytona 500.
Analysts told MLive.com that the vehicle fits a certain niche performance group for the Detroit-based automaker, but they could have done more with its design.
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.
But it also resembles the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, according to analysts and MLive commenters.
“This looks like a slightly meatier Malibu, but I’d like it to be a much meatier Malibu if it’s going to have an SS, a V8 and a rear-wheel-drive-platform,” said Karl Brauer, editor in chief and CEO of TotalCarScore.com.
The five-passenger vehicle is the first V8, rear-wheel-drive performance sedan for the brand since 1996. It features a 6.2-liter Chevrolet LS3 V8 engine, which is the same engine used in the 2013 Chevy Corvette, which delivers 415-horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque.
The vehicle, according to GM, accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in about five second. 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.
What do you think about the vehicle? Should GM have done more with its design?