Say Goodbye to Rear-drive Chevrolet Sedans - Again! - in 2017

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Unless your local police force harbors a crop of non-conformists, it’s easy to believe rear-drive Chevrolet sedans bowed out in the 1990s.

Of course, that’s not true. General Motor’s Australian Holden division saw fit to continue sending a limited number of rebadged Commodore sedans our way, long after the Impala and Caprice faded into the history books. Gussied up with a few tell-tale styling cues, the Commodore easily morphed into the performance-oriented Chevrolet SS and fleet-only Caprice PPV. Both models sell in limited numbers on this side of the Pacific, but not for long.

With Holden poised to pull the plug on Australian manufacturing later this year, the old-school Commodore has only months left to live. That means the exotic, badge-engineered American brothers will cease to exist after the 2017 model year.

Confirming a widely known reality, Alan Batey, head of GM North America, announced the end of the SS and Caprice PPV at the North American International Auto Show this week. His words held little hope for rear-drive sports sedan fans.

“Using the old adage, ‘win on Sunday, buy on Monday,’ we decided that in small numbers we’d introduce it the U.S. because we could, frankly, at a pretty low cost,” Batey said, according to The Detroit News. “I would say the vehicle has been really well-received. It’s small volumes, but it’s been really well-received.”

Small volume, yes, but the models saw continued support from a small but loyal following. As the spiritual and mechanical successor to defunct Pontiac G8, sales of the SS grew each year following its 2013 introduction, topping 3,000 units in 2016. It’s easy to see why. Just look around for another rear-drive, V8-powered American four-door with an available manual transmission.

Offered in police guise since 2011, the Commodore Caprice PPV offers the highest top speed (155 mph) of any traditional law enforcement vehicle. Still, it’s a rarity — just over a thousand units trickled into U.S. fleets last year.

With Holden rumored to turn out the lights on local production on November 3rd, 2017, a replacement seems very unlikely for Caprice, Batey said. The Commodore, however, will live on Down Under. For 2018, the model adopts the architecture of the Opel Insignia, which shares its bones with the next-generation Buick Regal.

[Image: General Motors]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

More by Steph Willems

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 57 comments
  • JTiberius1701 Middle of April here in NE Ohio. And that can still be shaky. Also on my Fiesta ST, I use Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires for the winter and Bridgestone Potenza for my summer tires. No issues at all.
  • TCowner We've had a 64.5 Mustang in the family for the past 40 years. It is all original, Rangoon Red coupe with 289 (one of the first instead of the 260), Rally Pac, 4-speed, factory air, every option. Always gets smiles and thumbs ups.
  • ToolGuy This might be a good option for my spouse when it becomes available -- thought about reserving one but the $500 deposit is a little too serious. Oh sorry, that was the Volvo EX30, not the Mustang. Is Volvo part of Ford? Is the Mustang an EV? I'm so confused.
  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
Next