Chevy cooks up a hot HHR

MIAMI -- BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Corvette prototypes are common sights on Germany's famous Nuerburgring racetrack. But the recent sight of a mildly camouflaged, yet-to-be-announced 2008 HHR SS doing laps raised eyebrows. "We are looking for a minimum level of performance when we badge these future SS vehicles," said Cheryl Catton, director, car marketing and retail integration, for Chevrolet.Some SS models have not lived up to that level, she said: "The best ones we have are Cobalt and Impala." Catton said several issues must be addressed now when future SS models are developed: "How does it look? How does it ride? How does it handle? How does it perform?"It has to be a credible vehicle, said Catton, interviewed here this month at the South Florida International Auto Show.Catton points to the success of the 2006 Impala SS, which accounted for 18 percent of the model's production, up from the automaker's projected 10 percent. A percentage comparable to the Impala is unlikely because of the "different offerings you have with the HHR," she said. But the HHR SS gives buyers "one more option to think about when they walk in."The HHR shares a platform with the Cobalt. The Cobalt SS is equipped with a 173-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 163 pounds-feet of torque. Catton did not reveal the engine planned for the HHR SS.You may e-mail Rick Kranz at rkranz@crain.com

Chevy cooks up a hot HHR

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