LSA for Commodore?

[Sioso]

http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/h...11-gq2xai.html

Holden's swansong SS Commodore could go out with HSV GTS-styled bang, according to fresh reports.

Two American publications claim the final Chevrolet SS – the Holden Commodore twin that is re-badged and exported to the US – will soon receive the same 6.2-litre supercharged LSA V8 currently reserved for HSV's highest powered variants in Australia, including the GTS, Clubsport R8 LSA and Maloo R8 LSA derivatives.

GM Authority says the developments will reach the US production car as part of 2018 updates, the final tweaks before the Australian-built Commodore and Chevrolet SS are laid to rest at the end of 2017. Given the Chevy SS is produced on the same Adelaide production line as the Commodore, the upgrades stand a chance of extending to models Down Under.

Holden Special Vehicles, Holden's official tuning arm, first introduced the LSA to its range in 2013, unleashing the 6.2-litre bent-eight in the 430kW GTS. Developments soon followed on models lower in the food chain, with HSV expanding its range of LSA-equipped models in 2015.

The changes in turn allowed Holden to uprate the regular SS Commodore from a 6.0-litre naturally-aspirated V8 to 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 as part of VFII upgrades in 2015, while still allowing a degree of separation from HSV's portfolio.

Holden declined to comment on the matter. At the launch of VFII, the car maker hinted its current 6.2-litre V8 would be the final major change to the car.

As revealed by Drive last year, HSV is set to leverage the GTS further away from the garden-variety Commodore in the coming months, introducing a higher-powered derivative that is likely to be called the GTS-R and limited to less than 150 vehicles.

The changes mean that Holden could successfully introduce a limited run of LSA-powered Commodores without cannibalising HSV sales.
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Chevrolet in the US told Autoblog: "There are no engineering/performance changes to the SS for 2017." But when pressed on the 2018 model or beyond, a spokeswoman declined to comment.

There are plenty of questions surrounding the LSA Commodore upgrade, namely its price and mechanicals. The LSA engines fitted to HSV models at present require stronger gearboxes – the manual takes a twin-plate clutch unit while the automatic is a larger truck-like transmission borrowed from the CTS Cadillac – along with additional cooling for their engine, gearbox and differential. This was at the strict request of General Motors when HSV decided to introduce the LSA in 2013.

The extensive mechanical upgrades mean a potential supercharged Commodore may be limited to the flagship SS-V Redline, while other derivatives would persist with the latest 6.2-litre V8. Given the current base model Clubsport LSA is priced from $80,990 plus on-road costs, the Commodore would likely be priced from $70,000 and limited to a strict run of production in order to be competitive.