It might be this one. I've seen them popping up here and there in my area. It's the new 4-dr RWD sedan that is only available to police fleets for the time being:



This one was at a radio communication place getting fitted with sirens and lights to be used as an undercover car. I took a peek at the sticker. $32k, 6.0 liter V-8 355hp/384 ft/lbs.

Don't be surprised if it becomes available to the general public next year. They'd be stupid not to market it to everyone. It is one hell of a car. I didn't get a pic of the front end but it looks similar to a G8 GT, just not as aggressive.

 

Beretta has been making firearms for about 400years longer than Chevrolet has been making cars....

I'm hoping for Chevelle. Sedans, coupes, convertibles & wagons please!

And am I the only one who thinks it is funny to use a car that is only sold to law enforcement as an undercover car?

 

Agreed. And Beretta sued GM back in the 1980s for using the Beretta name, which was settled out of court. Since GM dropped the Beretta almost 20 years ago, I doubt they'll resurrect the name.

 

 

The Spark

 

Better yet... a stretched Camaro-based sedan called... wait for it... Camargro.

 

"Hearing" about possible Commodore based products?

"Vaporware"???!

Ever hear of the G8 and the Caprice PPV???

That makes both the Commodore and Statesman quite a bit more than ready to be sold in the US. It's simply a matter of coordinating it with everything else that's in the pipeline, as well as Holden's updates and redesigns.

Keep in mind that all companies have to allocate limited cash and manpower resources and prioritize. Bringing over a Commodore simply isn't as important as getting the Cruze set up (high volume means lots of flexibility for CAFE), doing a new Malibu (which is in the most competitive car segment), and the new Impala (which is the oldest nonredesigned car sold in the US). Camaro and Corvette are arguably more important as a halo car (Corvette) and a top seller (Camaro now holds 42% of the sporty coupe market).

While a Holden based sedan may need no engineering dollars, it will most certainly need training dollars for dealers and sales people as well as marketing dollars to introduce it to the public. Now that Impala's about to come out, that opens the path to a retail Holden to be sold in Chevrolet showrooms.

Worth noting:

* GM no longer sells Chevrolet Luminas in the Middle East (it sells 2 versions of Caprice).

* Caprice PPV gets a updated front end this coming year. Something that is easily drafted to the front of a Commodore/G8.

* The Commodore itself gets an update later this year.

* GM is moving to intergrate Holden and Chevrolet into a single vehicle line.

* Finally, after Impala, there is no immdiate Chevrolet sedan on the horizon outside of the facelifted Cruze.

Going back to NASCAR, if Impala is being dropped, and Malibu isn't it, and they are using a new nameplate and car, there's only one vehicle left that will be available to run in NASCAR in 2013 under the Chevy bow tie.... and it's made by Holden.

 

Let's just say it and move on... CAPRICE... (unless GM follows the crap spewed on another "auto" website that suggests calling it SuperSport).

I think its pretty obvious that GM will give the Caprice a slight tweak on the front fascia to fit more in-line with the rest of the Global Chevrolet look. (Thank God Corvette and Camaro are excluded from this... although I do like the look on the rest of the line.)

 

Will names like Caprice really appeal to todays market though? I know it has a lot of history but it just doesn't seem generate any excitement, at least for me.

Ford: "We're bringing back the Taurus!"
Customers: "Sweet!"

Dodge: "We're bringing back the Charger."
Customers: "Wow! Really? That is awesome!"

Chevy: "We're bringing back the Caprice."
Customers: "Ummm...ok."


Maybe its just me, but I associate the Caprice with cop cars and modifying them to look like the Caprice based Impalas. I'd personally rather it just be named something non-historic if that is the case.

 

I predict the car will come with huge wheel wells, and the aftermarket will sell a lot of wheels.

 

I have to agree, the name has some familiarity but I don't think it brings anything to the table with the only exception being with police.
Just as if Ford announced they were bringing back the Crown Victoria, I don't imagine there would be much public excitement about that.

Chevelle would be a more intersting name but then there would be certain expectations I would think (ie GTO). So they either need to bite the bullet and name it something like Chevelle and expect some backlash from purists or name it something entirely new, or just call it the Commodore.

 

I disagree.

Put any name you want on a car worth having and you will soon get used to the name.

 

Even Lumina?

 

Lumina is a good example.

Chevette is a better example! At the time I bet someone thought they had knocked it out of the park. It was a beautiful play on Chevy and Corvette! Now it's a laughable name. Literally. But why? Did something in our language change over the last 3 decades? Nope... it was all in the product.

Aztec was a cool sounding name too...

 

When I think of "Caprice" I think of cop cars and big old honking Chevy land yachts from the mid 1970s.

But then, Caprice started as a nameplate way back in 1966, as a top of the line trim package for the Impala. (fyi Malibu started as a trim package for the Chevelle, so ...) They did a role reversal in the early 1970's and Impala became the top of the line big sedan, while Caprice became the bread-and-butter everyman's big Chevy. Over the years they've been 2-doors, 4-doors, wagons, and even convertibles.

When I was a kid, my mom drove a 1970 Chevy Kingswood Estate Station wagon, which was essentially a Caprice wagon, with a trim package added on. That car had a 350 V8 and was the ultimate cruiser. My folks sold it for a couple hundred bucks when gas prices went out of site. Back then you had several options for V8s, both small blocks and big blocks. It wasn't until the late 1970's (1977) when they offered a six-banger in a Caprice. Ironically the later 4th gens (1991-96) only came with V8s.

Depending on how old you are, you may have a different impression, or idea of what a "Caprice" is. For me they'll always be big RWD Chevys with a big engine. Currently, the 5th gen Caprice comes with either the LFX 3.6L-DI V6 or the L77 6.0L V8. Personally, I'd like to see the L99 offered, but I suspect that could only happen if production was moved to North America for the consumer version. If it does come here, I hope its not as only one model, but with LS, LT and even SS trim lines. I'm going to be in the market for a 4-door sedan soon and up to now thought I'd need to choose between the FWD 2013 Malibu and FWD 2014 Impala. A new "Caprice" would give me a third option, right in my wheelhouse. (I'd probably lean toward a base LS with the LFX V6.)

But let's face it. I'm in my mid 40's with grown kids and someday soon grand-kids on the way. I love my Camaros, but they aren't practical for a daily cruiser, and let's face it... I'm not a small-car kind of guy. Caprice is right in my wheelhouse. Quite frankly. I love the name. It breathes nostalgia for me. And since I am its target demographic, my opinion is the only one that actually matters.