Holden V8 sedan could live on!

Holden fans will still have the chance to drive a rear-wheel drive V8 sedan with the Lion badge on the nose after the death of the VF Commodore in 2017 if a General Motors plan to build a second generation Chevrolet SS gets the green light.

GM is currently studying the feasibility of developing and building the next SS in the USA, taking over from the current Commodore VF-based version that is built in the doomed Elizabeth plant.

If the business case does stack up it will definitely be exported to Australia and sold as Holden.

Keeping the SS alive would also provide a lifeline for Holden Special Vehicles (HSV), which is facing an uncertain future without a rear-wheel drive Commodore to hot up into Clubsport, GTS and the like post-2017.

Holden’s mainstream Commodore large sedan will become an imported front-wheel drive model from 2018, most likely based on the Chevrolet Impala or a Buick Lacrosse.

The performance V8 rear-wheel drive model, if the plan comes together, would most likely be sold simply as the Holden SS in Australia.

According to motoring.com.au sources familiar with the plan, a second generation SS would be based on GM’s new Alpha rear-wheel drive architecture, a move that ensures the Australian-developed Zeta platform underpinning the VF dies with that car.

Alpha is classified as a ‘premium’ architecture because it was initially developed for use with Cadillac models such as the mid-sized CTS and smaller ATS sedan and coupe – the latter launched overnight at the Detroit show.

But a cheaper version is being utilised by the second generation Chevrolet Camaro sports coupe which is due to go on sale in 2015.

It is understood more cost would have to be stripped out of the architecture for the SS plan to make business sense.

On the plus side Alpha is very flexible, able to be scaled up and down to fit various wheelbases, tracks and engine configurations. Crucially, it is also package-protected for right-hand drive.

While the plan isn’t signed off, it will have to be soon because of multi-year development timelines. A second SS has strong support on both sides of the Pacific at the highest levels of GM and Holden.

A key figure in making an ‘Alpha’ SS feasible is senior GM engineer David Leone, who oversaw the development of the Alpha architecture and also has Zeta within his jurisdiction.

“If you wanted to do that [build a second generation SS] then this architecture [Alpha] could do that,” Leone told motoring.com.au at the Detroit auto show overnight.

“If you are a performance enthusiast then rear-wheel drive is the way to go and that’s the place Alpha will play. So you guys connect the dots about where else we might use it,” Leone said.

He also said there would be a place in GM’s “performance halo models” for V8 engines going forward, although he admitted fuel consumption pressures might force them to be scaled down in size. The SS runs a 6.2-litre V8.

Based on the Holden Commodore SS Redline, the Chevrolet SS has only just launched in the USA, to much hype and a strong reception from media and fans.

However, it is not seen by Chevy as a big seller because its high fuel consumption runs foul of the stringent US CAFÉ (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) averages.

GM’s North American boss Alan Batey estimates 3000 will be sold in a 12 month period.

However, Batey and his fellow executives recognise the importance of the SS to Chevy as a halo model and it is also the basis of its NASCAR racer.

Importantly, they do not want SS to fall out of the range after just three years. But with Elizabeth closing that would be the scenario if this plan doesn’t get up.

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