The GM subsidiary Holden, and their Australian-based car models have captured the attention of car enthusiasts here in the States for years. While the US got a Holden-like vehicle with the introduction of the modern GTO (actually a rebadged Holden Monaro) back in 2004 and the G8 (a rebadged Commodore) in 2008, we haven’t seen any other models from the Australian source aside from the Police Caprice since Pontiac went under. But, according to News.com Australia, that will be changing very soon with a Commodore model expected to make the jump across the pond for regular public use next year.
For more than a month now we’ve been talking about Chevrolet introducing their next rear-wheel-drive model believed to be a civilian version of the Caprice PPV with the iconic SS nameplate. In a recent release from GM, we have in fact been able to confirm the introduction of that car for the 2014 model year. While rumors have been flying about this announcement since April, and we were able to nearly confirm the model from several sources along the way, we’re glad that the car has found an official place in Chevy’s future lineup as of today.
According to the Australia’s News.com, Holden has been testing left-hand drive VF Commodores for the past few weeks on the streets of Victoria and running head-to-head tests with the Dodge Charger in preparation for the official model announcement. This announcement comes as the first revival of the major Holden export deal since Pontiac took its last breath in 2010.
Although the number of Chevy SS models set to be offered is believed to be much less than that of the G8, the new model will have a much bigger profile thanks to Chevrolet’s use of the model in the 2013 NASCAR season. The introduction of the Chevy SS marks the first time Chevy has offered a rear-wheel-drive sedan in 17 years.
We expect that the official Chevy SS announcement today came as little surprise to many enthusiasts, but it’s nice to see that Chevy has officially introduced another platform to their lineup that will tug at the heart strings of muscle car fans. A large body, V8 engine and rear-wheel-drive platform has been the heart of American muscle since the 60s and if we have anything to say about it, it will continue in that direction for many years to come. And who knows, we may even get a Holden Ute-based El Camino out of the deal in the future.