GM Confirms Holden Commodore-Based Chevrolet SS for 2013

Vehicle to Feature RWD and a V8 Engine

The rumors have been flying for some time that General Motors had plans to bring the next Holden Commodore sedan to the U.S as a Chevrolet, and now it’s official.

GM has confirmed that the next Commodore will make its return to North America in late 2013 as the new Chevrolet SS rear-wheel drive performance sedan. The vehicle is currently being tested to be GM’s next NASCAR Sprint Cup racecar beginning in 2013 with the Daytona 500.

The production Chevrolet SS will be a based on the yet to be released VF Commodore, and will come equipped with a V8 engine and sold as a limited production 2014 model.

Greg Tyus, GM Holden’s Executive Director of Engineering, said Chevrolet and its customers will benefit from the brand's expertise in rear-wheel drive vehicles.

“Holden has a great track record of producing performance cars for GM and the world,” said Tyus. "We were responsible for the design and engineering of the Chevrolet Camaro, VE Commodore was sold as the Pontiac G8 and we are currently exporting the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle - so we understand the needs of the North American market."

Chevrolet has a long history of using the SS (Short for Super Sport) designation on high-performance models of some of their most well known vehicles. The SS designation was first used in 1957 on a Corvette prototype race car built to enter in the Le Mans 24-hour race.

Fast forward to the 60’s and you will find the first production vehicle offered with an SS option, the 1961 Impala. Of the 61 Impala only 453 were built with the performance upgrades which included power brakes, a modified chassis and suspension, unique wheels and tires, and a steering column mounted tachometer. The latest SS model to be included in the Chevy lineup came in 2012 and is the fifth-generation Camaro.

The 2014 Chevrolet SS will be built alongside the VF Commodore at GM Holden's plant in Adelaide, Australia.

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JERRY’S AUTO GROUP ANNOUNCES CAR GIVE AWAY

Teams with Make-A-Wish Foundation to Make a Marylander’s Dream Come True

Baltimore, MD- May 30, 2012- On Monday May 28^th, 2012 Jerry’s Auto Group announced plans to hold a contest where the winner will win a brand new vehicle. The beneficiary of this promotion is the Make-A-Wish foundation in Maryland. 

When reached for comment, Dave Warder, General Manager of Jerry’s Auto Group stated: “This is a unique opportunity for us at Jerry’s Auto Group to give back to the Maryland community. Our motto at Jerry’s is ‘It’s About You’ and this contest is just about that, our faithful customer base.”

Every day this summer, from June 1st through Labor Day (September 3^rd), Jerry’s Auto Group will hide a key in their Primary Market Area.  Once hidden, Jerry’s Auto Group will release clues to win that day’s key every hour, from 8am to 1pm, on their group website, JerrysItsAboutYou.com. The clues will also be given to each store’s Facebook Fans, Twitter Followers, and Google+ Circles.

In order to claim that day’ key, be the first to contact Jerry’s with the location of the Key found and the serial number.  Those who successfully claim that day’s key will be eligible to win a new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic or a new 2012 Scion iQ. (Valued at $17,500 MSRP).

2012 Scion iQ



2012 Chevrolet Sonic



Instructions on how to claim a Key, that day’s clues, etc. will be found at JerrysItsAboutYou.com prior to June 1, 2012.

“We look forward to wrapping up the contest with a grand finale for our key winners”, said Warder.

Every Key winner will receive an invitation to Jerry’s Auto Group’s Annual Fall Car Show and Festival, which will be located at Jerry’s Chevrolet, on Sunday September 16^th. There, key winners will trade their Jerry’s key for real ones. The key that successfully starts a vehicle will be the winner.

Dave Warder has been employed by Jerry’s Auto Group for over 33 years.

Jerry’s Auto Group operates Jerry’s Toyota, Mitsubishi, Scion and Chevrolet, all located in the Towson/Baltimore area. 

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Camaro ZL1 Joins the 11-second Club

DETROIT – A few days ago the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was officially named a member of the exclusive “11-second” club. To conquer this feat Chevrolet engineers turned an 11.93-second/116-mph quarter-mile elapsed run time in a showroom-stock automatic Camaro ZL1 and an 11.96-second ET at 117 mph in a manual ZL1.

By joining the 11 second club the Camaro ZL1 distanced itself even further from competitors. Very few other production vehicles can run the quarter-mile as quickly as the ZL1 or reach 0-60 in 4 seconds, however the Camaro ZL1 can accomplish this and more with street-legal, factory-issued components.

For perspective on the amazing power of the Camaro ZL1, most NHRA-sanctioned racetracks require a five point roll bar for vehicles that run 11.49 or quicker. The 11.93-second ET in a stock ZL1 tested by the engineers was equipped with factory-issued Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G:2  tires developed specifically for it, putting the car only 0.44-seconds away from that additional racing safety requirement. This means that drivers using special tires on their ZL1 for racing purposes should make sure they are ready to handle the monster that is the Camaro ZL1.

Ready for the Drag Strip

The original 1969 Camaro ZL1 is still renowned on the drag strip. For this reason, Chevrolet expected its fans to test the 21st century edition on the strip.

To make the ZL1 the Camaro team re-engineered 30 percent of a Camaro 2SS, adding special modifications just for the drag strip.

For example, the ZL1 features a 9.9-inch rear differential mounted in a cast iron center section to withstand the heavy loads of repeated hard launches. It also features a standard differential cooler that lowers the vehicles temperature up to 100 degrees F for improved performance and longevity.

Manual transmission ZL1’s are equipped with launch control, which automatically modulates engine torque for the best-possible acceleration without excessive wheel spin. Every time the driver pushes the throttle to the floor, the system holds a predetermined engine speed until the driver releases the clutch. Then, the system modulates engine torque 1,000 times per second to maximize the available traction. To top it off, mode 5 of launch control is uniquely calibrated for drag strips that use VHT or similar traction-enhancing compounds on the starting line.

The Camaro ZL1 is on sale now with a suggested retail price of $54,995 – which also includes a $900 destination charge. It offers an optional 6L90 six-speed automatic transmission that includes TapShift control for $1,185. The Camaro ZL1 convertible goes on sale this summer.

For more information on the ZL1’s entrance into the 11 second club go to: http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/May/0504_camaro_zl1

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