At SEMA, Chevy revealed Colorado, Equinox, Malibu,and Aveo Xtreme. Will Xtreme displace some SS models?

 

I think Chevy will end up taking a multi-tiered approach for it's future performance models.

Xtreme

Aimed at the "tuner" and "youth" crowd. Expect to see body kits, wheels, and electronic toys.

SS

General performance models or high content/luxury performance.

Zxx

Narrowly focused, specialized performance models.

 

if this isn't what GM is thinking, I think they should market it that way. from what i've seem lately coming out of GM performace they definately are heading in the right direction.

 

Lets hope so.

 

I think the Xtreme badging will fade out after a few years. Seems to be getting a little over used.

 

Thats what some people say with the SS, but i don't see that going away anytime soon

 

I think that the Xtreme name can be a useful tool to create an image appealing to the tuner crowd. But I wonder how many people will think that these SEMA Xtremes are very appealing.
The interiors are pretty nice, and the wheels aren't bad....but those body kits are disgusting.......ON ALL OF THEM.

 

but that's what the "tuner" crowd likes.

(and from when the hell did adding body kit, lowering and wheels makes someone a tuner? lol )

anyway, thats the image the teenagers like... so if that's what sells give it to them.

And if SS is the general performance and the Zxx is all out performance (like in the vette) that means the the Z28 would be the top dog.

Think about it... it makes sense... if you have your baddest car (vette) with the Zxx as the baddest model... shouldn't the rest of the cars follow this trend?

Corvette Z06
Camaro Z28
Silverado Zxx
Avalanche Zxx
Impala Zxx
Astro Van Zxx? LOL

 

Silverado Z71
Avalanche Z71 & Z66

 

They also have gone away from the Zxx thing too...

Dead Z's:

Z24
Z26
Z28 (for now, anyway)
Z34


I really feel a 'flood' of Zxx names hurts the value of the name.... leave it original, and it means more.

 

You know, I don't even know what the tuner crowd even is anymore. Under the "tuner" category... I sometimes see some very tasteful, very nicely modified cars. I also see some cars that just make me wince though.....far worse than the SEMA cars. But the cars that make me wince are owned by the same kind of people that (as jg95z28 once saw), put Trans Am decals on their LTD.

I was hoping that Chevy could raise itself above that mediocrity.....Pontiac's "Autocross" is just right for me.

 

I don't think that you need to slap a "Z" emblem on everything. By having various performance families...you can more easily pick and choose which is most appropriate.

For example. I'm not completey sure about how I feel about the Aveo SS name we spoke of recently. Maybe an Aveo Xtreme may be more appropriate (if it looked better than the SEMA concept, that is).

Also, what about the Cobalt SS? Maybe the top performance Cobalt could more appropriately be called Z24 or GTZ.

As far as cars like Impala, Monte Carlo, etc., I couldn't imagine their top performers being called anything but SS.

I think, if developed correctly, a multi-tiered performance family approach, could give Chevy product planners lots of valuable flexibility. As long as there weren't pressure to create an Xtreme, SS and Zxx for every model.

Incidentily, Z24, Z26, GTZ.....offered class leading performance when they came out.....they were nothing to be ashamed of.

 

IMO only the real performance cars should have Z designations. Camaro and Corvette.

 

I'd be ok with that...but I could also see a high performance Cobalt having a "Z" designation too.

 

What about trucks? Z71 is pretty popular. There is also Z66, ZR5, and ZR2 for trucks.