2014 Chevrolet SS Will Not Be Sold In Canada
Just as Canadian performance sedan fans were basking in the announcement of the 2014 Chevrolet SS, which coincided with the hullabaloo surrounding the 2013 running of NASCAR's Daytona 500, came the crushing announcement from General Motors that the eight-cylinder automobile will not be available north of the U.S. border. Less of an announcement and more an admission, the news of the SS' absence from the Canadian market slowly leaked out across various outlets roughly one week after the vehicle was unveiled.
GM's decision to deprive Canadians of high performance, low-volume vehicles has a precedent, as the short-lived Pontiac GTO that was offered in the 2000's was also denied an entry visa into our country. The Pontiac GTO and the Chevrolet SS share a common lineage, as they are each re-badged Holden efforts imported from GM's Australian subsidiary.
It is this Australian origin that is most responsible for striking the Chevrolet SS out of the Canadian lineup. The cost of importing a vehicle from such a distant market - all SS sedans will be assembled in Australia - is prohibitive considering the small number that would eventually be sold in Canada. Still, the success of the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Charger prove that Canadian drivers do hunger for rear-wheel drive, V8-powered sedans. Until a business case can be made for a Canuck-friendly Chevrolet SS marketing plan, the only recourse available to Bowtie fiends is to import the automobile from the United States and brave the warranty hassles that will inevitably accompany such an effort.
