Chevrolet SS previewed by Holden VF Commodore SS V show car
Thu, 14 Feb 2013
What we really want to know about the SS V is what lies underhood, but General Motors' Australian arm is keeping that under wraps until the Chevy model breaks cover this weekend. Nevertheless, it's obvious that the SS V will be a serious performer, with all sorts of aggressive cues driving that home on the car's exterior. Take a look at those 20-inch billet aluminum wheels that hide big Brembo brake calipers up front, the sculpted hood and front fascia, the wide air intakes with LED running lights and the quad exhaust pipes out back. It's like the Pontiac G8 GXP never even left us.
Inside, there's a sporty-looking interior with aluminum accents that mix in with black leather and suede surfaces, all tied together in the middle with an eight-inch MyLink touchscreen infotainment system. It looks great, and again, while we don't know anything regarding powertrain details, it makes us oh-so happy to see a manual shifter smack dab in the middle of the center console.
Stay tuned for the whole kit and caboodle when the SS sedan is revealed this weekend. For now, scroll down to read Holden's press release and click through the attached gallery to see the shape of Chevy things to come.
Holden Signals VF Commodore Performance Intent with Striking New Sport Luxury Show Car
Holden has taken the wraps off its stunning new performance sedan show car ahead of the VF Commodore's international debut as the Chevrolet SS Sports Sedan in the USA this weekend.
Unveiled as a precursor to the new VF Commodore sport luxury range, the new VF SS V show car applies a serious performance edge to the luxury hero concept Holden previewed in the VF Calais V earlier this week.
The new VF Commodore will introduce a range of technology firsts for an Australian car, including Reverse Traffic Alert, Head-up Display, Blind Spot Alert, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning and Auto Park Assist when it arrives in Australian showrooms mid-year.
The VF Commodore sport luxury range is more refined than any car previously produced by Holden, embodying the same design sophistication, premium appointments and attention to detail as the Calais V luxury sport concept.
The SS V has a mature, new aerodynamic exterior design, which has been finished in eye-catching custom Fantale orange metallic paint specially created by Holden for the show car.
Inside, the SS V benefits from a sleek, new interior design layered with up-scale finishes of suede, galvano chrome, gloss black and perforated leather with accent stitching. The result is a premium-grade cabin detailed with motorsport-inspired touches including carbon fibre look cross-car applique, stitched leather instrument binnacle and sports profile leather steering wheel.
Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mike Devereux said the new VF SS V show car is a class above any performance vehicle ever created by Holden.
"When it came to our sport luxury range, we wanted to create an Australian performance car that would be at home just about anywhere in the world," he said.
"VF Commodore's pure driving enjoyment and advanced technology are good enough to seriously challenge any large performance sedan on the planet.
"We've also packaged VF's performance and technology in a stylish and sophisticated design that will be right at home on any street from George Street, Sydney to 5th Avenue, New York City.
"And this will become reality when Mark Reuss President of General Motors North America, unveils the VF Commodore as their top-of-the-range Chevrolet sports sedan at the world-famous Daytona International Speedway in Florida tomorrow."
VF SS V Show Car Exterior
True to tradition, the SS V-Series show car is designed for maximum look-at-me impact.
The performance show car is a custom-finished, 'amped up' pointer to the VF sports range, to be launched mid-2013. It's muscular design is enhanced with a bespoke paint job in brilliant metallic orange, contrasted against glossy black multi-spoke wheels.
Striking exterior treatment aside, the preview gives prospective buyers an idea of what to expect when Holden's VF sport luxury range makes its showroom debut.
Under spotlights, the show car's glowing finish emphasises the more sculpted, layered surfacing and bolder graphics that give the VF SS V-Series Commodore a powerfully different sports design character and complement its classic rear drive performance car proportion.
Peter Hughes, Holden's Design Manager, Exteriors, said the creative team relished the task of preparing a hero show car version of the upcoming VF SS V-Series Commodore sedan.
"We wanted to put something out there that made a bit of an impact," he said.
"The design was an exercise in exploring future options and gauging buyer reactions. We may get some polarised opinions, but that's all part of the process of experimenting with different ideas and anticipating market trends.
"The surfacing of the new VF is inherently more flamboyant and contemporary. And the fresh front and rear end sports graphics on the SS V in particular are really vibrant and distinctive.
"Factor in all the things we know and love about the Commodore – its great stance, silhouette and proportion – and we had a great canvas to work with.
"The SS V show car isn't too far removed from the final design intent – we've just amped it up a little.
Holden Designer Manager, Colour and Trim, Kirsty Lindsay, said the team developed a unique paint colour and finishes to complement the SS V's sleek exterior design and set it apart from the luxury sport-themed Calais V.
"The gloss black paint on the hand-machined double five-spoke wheels is a custom finish, while the cool gunmetal chrome detailing on the front fascia and the vertical fender vents is less overt, more in tune with this car's luxury persona," she said.
"With the fusion of gloss black elements, the gunmetal chrome and that sensational orange metallic finish, we wanted to blur the boundary between luxury sports tourer and dramatic sports machine".
VF SS V Show Car Interior
The show car's impressive cabin layout is the real deal – entirely new and close to mainstream VF SS V production design intent.
The theme is well-appointed sport luxury: dark-toned, subtle and sophisticated. The feel is first class. This is a carefully considered ergonomic design, defined by the use of high-quality materials, careful tailoring, craftsmanship and comfort.
Nothing has escaped attention – from the instrument panel and centre console with its advanced infotainment graphic interface to the motorsport-inspired steering wheel, the switches, the shifter and the new electric park brake.
Bolstered sports-profile seats are tailored in soft, jet-black leather and suede with perforated leather inserts and contrast stitching. There are reflective accents in galvano chrome and gloss black; new instrument graphics gleam in deep-cowled cluster housings beneath a stitched leather binnacle.
Sharon Gauci, Holden's Chief Designer, Colour and Trim, says the design philosophy behind the VF SS V-Series sport luxury interior represents a departure from previous models.
"It's evolved from a bold approach into something more in tune with the sophisticated technological nature of this car," she said.
"The sport interior retains all the classic sports cues but pays tribute to Holden's performance heritage in a more understated way.
"We took a jet black background palette and enlivened it with silky chrome highlights and tactile, soft-textured materials.
"There's real cohesion between decorative elements such as the deck and twin needle accent stitching that's repeated on the seats, the doors and the instrument panel.
"The sports DNA may be more subtle, but it's apparent everywhere around you – from the central accent stripe on the seats to the perforated leather inserts, the carbon fibre look cross-car applique, the SS-V Series embroidered ID on the instrument panel, alloy-faced pedals and the traditional red-lit graphic displays".
SS V-Series show car exterior feature highlights:
- Custom Kandy 'Fantale' metallic paint finish
- Twin five-spoke 20-inch wheels, hand-machined in billet aluminium, custom finished in gloss black
- Front Brembo brake calipers finished in gloss silver
- Wide, dominant front fascia features traditional sports grille and a prominent lower air intake, both laced in custom gunmetal chrome
Sculpted, jewelled halogen projector headlamps with black bezels curve into prominent front fenders, flared, aero-modified wheel arches
- Muscular lower fascia incorporates LED daylight running lamps and black bezel fog lamps, custom gunmetal chrome accents, outboard extensions integrated into sharp sports rockers
- Prominent VF aluminium hood with centre crease emphasises performance potential; two raking spears sweep from the A-pillars
- Low, wide VF rear sports fascia – streamlined graphics with integrated tail lamps, aluminium decklid, body-colour bib spoiler, custom gloss black finish sports valance incorporating licence plate and quad V8 exhausts
- In profile, vertical fender vents and window surrounds are finished in custom gunmetal chrome
SS V-Series show car interior feature highlights:
- All-new instrument panel with integrated centre stack combines high-resolution Holden MyLink infotainment system with 8-inch touch screen, climate and other controls
- Ergonomically advanced design relocates controls to more convenient positions, introduces console-mounted electric park brake control
- Cowled, angled instrument dials flank a LCD Driver Information Display screen with colour graphics
- All-new seat structures combine sports back and high-bolstered side support
- High-quality, layered finishes in smooth soft-feel leather and suede with perforated leather inserts are accented by contrast twin-needle and deck stitching
- Sports profile leather wrap steering wheel design is motorsport-inspired
- Ice blue ambient lighting illuminates lower centre console and door pull recesses
- Extra large dual cupholders can accommodate a wide range of container sizes
By Steven J. Ewing
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