This is what Chevy needs to do with the SS

"WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe" (wesbarton89)
03/25/2015 at 12:04 • Filed to: None

So, they have a four-door car on a RWD platform, available with a stick and a V8, and they're not marketing it well. They need to make these changes to it.

DROP THE NAME SS! SS is a trim level, not a model. Modify the platform so it can be a two-door, and I'm quite sure it's possible. I'm not up on Holden Australia, but I'm reasonably sure they have two-door cars on the same platform. If they don't, then they should still be able to come up with something.

Then, finally, change the name to Monte Carlo. It would be perfect. A storied nameplate, not used in years now, comes with a V8, a stick, and RWD. And you can make a Monte Carlo SS. Then, market the freakin' thing!

I mean, seriously GM/Chevrolet, can you imagine how much more popular it would be as a coupe with the Monte Carlo name? I don't mean that junk from the 2000s, this would be a real Monte Carlo with all the necessary components to make it what it used to be. That would be the best.

DISCUSSION (21)

William Byrd > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/25/2015 at 12:08

Agreed. I'm a fan, but 1) it's a little pricey and 2) GM doesn't seem to want to actually sell them. So why would I buy one?

citizennick > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/25/2015 at 12:11

Agree on the name change. They should also offer at least 3 trim levels. There needs to be a cheaper option. I'm one of few that think the car as-is is worth the 45k price new, but a cheaper option would be nice, not everyone needs or wants the toys.

Snooder87 > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/25/2015 at 12:11

Nobody wants a Monte Carlo. It's not a storied name. That name was killed by shit ugly cars that people remember with disgust and derision.

I agree that SS is a trim, but they need a new name not tied to a crap legacy. They should just call it the Chevy Australia. Or Chevy Commodore.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > William Byrd
03/25/2015 at 12:15

Yes, it is pricey, which is a shame, and they really don't seem too invested in the car. If people actually knew the SS existed, they'd probably buy it. But for now, it's just not out there. And a better deal can be had with the Charger anyways, minus the lack of a manual.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/25/2015 at 12:17

It's just a stopgap until production moves to Canada

spanfucker retire bitch > William Byrd
03/25/2015 at 12:20

It's really not all that pricey given just what you get. In what other vehicle can you get an N/A, RWD, V8 with Magnetorheological Dampers for under 50K MSRP?

DoYouEvenShift > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/25/2015 at 12:23

Kinja'd!!!

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Snooder87
03/25/2015 at 12:24

Back in the day, it was a big thing. But yes, in the 90s and 2000s, they were pretty crappy. GM could do this to try to at least restore some dignity to the name. It would be more fitting than the W-bodied version.

I do like the name Chevy Australia though!

472CID > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/25/2015 at 12:29

Monte Carlo? seriously? For one Monte Carlos have only been 2 doors, second Monte Carlos have been lame cars for 80% of their model years, third Chevy's already got a 2 door rwd 2+2 coupe. Even if they did make a 2 door Commodore with the Monte Carlo name it'd probably sell about as well as the GTO.

alwaysmiata > Snooder87
03/25/2015 at 12:29

Unfortunately you are right I want to think of the cool monte carlos when I hear the name but all I can see is mullet mobile early 00's model

Kinja'd!!!

It would be cool to see a two door version of the SS but I think chevy doesn't want to take sales from the camaro

William Byrd > spanfucker retire bitch
03/25/2015 at 12:31

2015 Charger SRT 392. Ok, it doesn't have the fancy dampers but really, it's a full size 4000lb sedan, are buyers going to be tracking them? I'm sure the normal suspension does the job on an SRT Charger, which has more power than the SS (yes it's heavier too).

Regardless, Magnetorheological Dampers only matter if buyers know what they are and why they are awesome. Which they don't, because GM isn't telling anyone. Otherwise they are more marketing gimmick.

spanfucker retire bitch > William Byrd
03/25/2015 at 12:33

are buyers going to be tracking them?

Would you not? There's a reason that MRS is used in everything from Ferraris to Camaros these days. It's just that fucking good. And to get it in a V8 RWD sedan for under 50K is a huge deal. The closest other vehicle in price is the Audi S3, but we all know that is neither a V8 or RWD.

William Byrd > spanfucker retire bitch
03/25/2015 at 12:37

No, most certainly not. I'm a track rat and would not risk stuff my $50K (likely daily driver) sedan into a tire wall.

I'm not debating whether or not MRS is a good thing, I think it is. I'm just saying it's not really likely to be a huge selling point for the average buyer looking for a muscle car'ish sedan. Is it to car guys like us? Yeah, but to the average middle-aged dude looking for something like the SS, I'm not sure.I hope that's wrong, but I'm not sure it is.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/25/2015 at 12:43

They should have called it the Chevelle.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > 472CID
03/25/2015 at 12:46

Well, that's why I said to make it a two-door. Chevy has made the Monte Carlo and the Camaro at the same time in the past. Plus, this would be bigger, with more rear seatroom and better visibility. It wouldn't carry all the sporting pretensions that the Camaro would. The Camaro is a muscle car. This Monte Carlo would be more of a personal luxury coupe with just a little bit of sportiness thrown in. Two different niches. While the cars may seem similar on the surface, they'd be intended to slot into two different segments.

As I said, just an idea.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
03/25/2015 at 12:47

That's a good idea as well.

472CID > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/25/2015 at 12:58

I don't mean to sound harsh, but the personal luxury coupe has been dead for quite some time, and seems extremely unlikely to come back.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > 472CID
03/25/2015 at 13:02

Nah, you're good.

And yeah, it's been dead for a long time, and a resurgence would be unlikely, but I'd welcome it. But yes, absolutely unlikely regardless.

Shift24 > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/25/2015 at 13:16

As some one already said i would have called it Chevelle but that was always tied in with the Malibu. Nova would have been a good name too but i see why they didnt. It would have been cool to revive an old name but they could have just as well given it a new name. The other possibility i would have liked to see is them just continue the Commodore name. I mean we did get the Cruze

Snooder87 > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/25/2015 at 14:53

GM needs to sell cars more than it needs to revitalize a broken legacy. What would happen is that people would be pleasantly shocked for about a decade that the "new" Monte Carlo isn't actually terrible. They wouldn't buy it, ever, but they'd say things like "wow, Chevy has really stepped up their game" Then auto journos would write articles about how the Monte Carlo is losing sales while being an underrated gem.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Snooder87
03/25/2015 at 15:20

That is a phenomenon that is far too real. I mean, there are crazier ideas. Look at the Dodge twins. They went completely overboard in those cars, and demand is far exceeding supply on those. I mean, that proves that you can bring an absolutely crazy idea to reality, and people will bite.

GM is improving. Their offerings now are better, but you're right, they do need to sell more. But there has been progress. I owned a Cavalier, and spent a lot of time in my best friend's Cobalt, before he went off to the military. Both of those cars were pretty awful, and suffered from terrible build quality. The replacement, the Cruze, from what I understand, though I've never been in one, is far better. The C7 Stingray and ZO6 are insane, and beautiful cars. The Sonic RS is a right cool little car. The new Colorado, though I'm not crazy about how it looks, is apparently a solid truck offering, as is the new Silverado. I'm hoping the 2016 Camaro turns out to be good. I like that the Z28 is a proper track car, but at $75,000, it's priced too high in my opinion.

So yes, they are making better vehicles now, but they do need to actually sell them. You can have the best brand portfolio in the world, but if you can't move your product, it means absolutely nothing. And they do have a pretty good lineup. I mean, Chevy has:

A near supercar level sports car priced under $100k (Corvette)

A formidable sports/muscle/pony car (Camaro)

A V8, RWD sedan that can be had with a manual (SS)

Two trucks (Silverado, Colorado)

Solid SUV offerings (Tahoe, Suburban)

Crossovers (Equinox, Traverse I suppose as well)

A very stylish fullsize sedan (Impala)

A decent midsize (Malibu)

An econobox (Cruze)

An electric car (Volt)

A compact car with a sporty trim level (Sonic/Sonic RS)

Whatever you want to call the Spark

So, that's fifteen vehicles across Chevy's lineup. They have something for essentially every niche. Obviously, some of these are selling quite well (Silverado, Cruze, Malibu, Sonic), but some just aren't making waves beyond the enthusiast circle. If they can just improve their marketing, and shake off their damaged reputation from the recall, they can really do a lot of damage in the automotive world. I'd have to say though, "new GM/Chevrolet" is far improved from the old. But they still have a ways to go.