When Chevy rolled out its new SS-sedan-based NASCAR Sprint Cup car last October, it also announced a tentative launch plan for the SS and it’s foreign cousin, the Holden VF Commodore. Looking for a tie-in to the start of the 2013 NASCAR season, General Motors would introduce both cars during Speedweeks in Daytona, Florida, which precede the running of the Daytona 500 Sprint Cup race.
While that made perfect sense for the launch of the new Chevy SS in the United States, we were puzzled why Holden would introduce a new sedan half a world away from its domestic market. NASCAR doesn’t visit Australia (though we will see the Australian V8 Supercar series at Circuit of the Americas in May), so there’s no potential link there, either.
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It turns out that Holden was thinking along the same lines, so it introduced the VF Commodore on February 10. The “virtual drive” video below shows the Holden VF Commodore SS V-Series and Calais V-Series, though to be honest we’re only guessing at the differences between the pair. Presumably, the Calais is more luxurious, while the SS is aimed more at the blue collar crowd.
Expect the SS to wear styling very similar to the red car in the video below. Call us crazy, but we see quite a bit of the Chrysler 200 in the VF Commodore’s design, especially in the front end. The headlights are similar in shape, and character lines in the hood are vaguely familiar, too.
Chevy is set to introduce the SS this weekend, so we’ll have complete details (and more accurate images) next week. Until then, here’s a rough idea of what to expect from Chevrolet’s latest muscle sedan.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
