It’s no secret that Commodore was on borrowed time for the last few years, with General Motors making an announcement that the brand would/could be discontinued after the 2017 model year. Sold in the US as the Chevrolet SS and only with the 426 hp LS3, it was essentially a descendant of the bygone G8 GXP.
Launched in 2014 as an automatic-only sport sedan, the SS was a direct competitor to the Taurus SHO and Charger R/T. Additional color options and an available 6-speed manual would come later, but mechanically, it would remain largely unchanged throughout its run — which probably didn’t help sales. A lack of marketing and advertising on Chevrolet’s end would end up keeping the car the best-kept secret in the performance market as well.
Despite adding plenty of updates and technological advancements to keep it current, it had finally surpassed its expiration date. Both the Zeta platform and the LS3 engine that sits within it, are also now outdated — with the Alpha platform filling in for the Camaro and other performance models, and the LT1 directly replacing the LS3, it doesn’t make much sense to keep the car around for 2018.
Weirdly, it was also one of the only cars that your author has yet to drive from the current fleet of Chevrolet vehicles. However, I did have a go in a number of Caprice PPVs a few years back and it too, has been discounted this week.
Just hours ago, the final Chevy SS sedan had rolled off of the line in Australia, a black manually-shifted example, and is currently in route to the States to its new owner. While it’s uncertain if and when Chevrolet will replace the RWD Caprice, or the SS, it does remain clear that Chevrolet should offer a suitable replacement in the not-too distant future.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
