With the ghosts and goblins and candy displays going up at Costco that obviously means one thing: the annual SEMA Show is just around the corner. And another clear indication is the flood of previews landing in our e-mailboxes in recent days.
One of the lengthiest missives comes from Chevrolet – along with a passel of pics revealing some of the performance-oriented concepts the bowtie brand will squeeze onto its stand at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“These concepts suggest possibilities of how to amplify Chevrolet’s heritage of performance and fun-to-drive spirit to make them even more personal,” Paul Edwards, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing.
As with most of the other makers coming to SEMA this year, Chevy starts out with various stock models – everything from the little Sonic to the sporty SS – before making a variety of tweaks and enhancements. Some of the upgrades focus on performance, others on appearance. Notably, the maker says fans can order many of the accessories through its own catalogue.
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“The available accessories are designed, engineered, tested and backed by Chevrolet to be installed by a Chevrolet dealer, which maintains the vehicle warranty – a claim aftermarket manufacturers cannot make,” a Chevy release emphasizes.
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Here’s a look at list of the Chevy SEMA Show cars:
- Considering the SS Sport Concept is, at heart, an Australian import, it should be no surprise Chevy is picking up on its Down Under performance heritage with features like the Some Like it Red Hot door handles and mirrors; striped hood and deck lit, performance fender vents and rear spoiler, and 20-inch high-gloss black wheels. The 415-horsepower SS Sport Concept also gets the advanced Magnetic Ride Control system.
- The Sonic Performance Concept suggests that Chevy is serious about taking on some of the stalwarts of the hot hatch segment. This SEMA concept gets a colid-air induction and high-flow exhaust system to punch more power out of its 1.4-liter turbo I-4, along with a track-tuned suspension intended to help it put all that power to the pavement. The sporty Sonic show car also gets some enticing visual upgrades, such as white headlight and taillight rings.
The Impala Blackout uses blacked-out cues, including black grille surround, rear spoiler, painted mirror caps and 19-inch aluminum wheels. - A second subcompact show car, the Sonic Accessories Concept, is Chevrolet’s effort to ride on the customization wave, both to boost power and enhance the little car’s appearance. There’s a performance suspension kit, 17-inch black aluminum wheels, and such visual tweaks as white head and taillight rings, a Summit White paint job with offset matte black stripes, black grille surround and mirror covers, a rear spoiler, and interior touches like sport pedals and door sills.
- The Cruze RS Plus Concept makes a number of tweaks to what Chevy bills as the world’s best-selling car. Those include everything from revised exterior and interior details to a variety of enhancement infotainment features, including Text Message Alerts, Apple Siri intervration, and a built-in WiFi hotspot using 4G LTE. It’s not all show, however, the Cruze gets a bit more go thanks to a new fresh-air intake system for its 1.4-liter turbo I-4.
- The recently designed Chevrolet Impala rounds out the concept quintet with the Impala Blackout Concept. As the name suggests, it gets some sinister-looking updates like a black grille surround, rear spoiler, painted mirror caps and 19-inch aluminum wheels. The interior is all-black and leather-trimmed, as well, with custom trim plates and stainless steel sills. The package is rocked by an 11-speak Bose audio system.
