I feel like this has been done before. I feel like, sometime in the recent past, GM imported a large Australian car with a V8 under the hood, gave it a new name, and it failed miserably.

In fact, I feel like this happened twice. First with the GTO, and then with the G8. Both fine cars in their own right (the G8 more than the GTO, but still) – but neither found many buyers. The incredibly poorly named SS ¹ is just more of the same. Except, it’s more of the same with a worse design. Remember, this is a Corvette-powered monster, and the face looks like it would be more at home on an Impala.

You know what… I don’t even care enough about this car to write about how great the engine is, or how solid the performance will be. The fact is? It doesn’t matter. People who are buying $40,000 400+ horsepower sport sedans want them to look good. The SS doesn’t. Game over, before it even started.

Yes, the Stingray is back. And the 2014 Corvette is definitely worth of that name. Before I start drooling, here are some quick specs:

• 450 horsepower / 450 lb-ft of torque
• 6.2 liter LT1 V8
• 7 speed manual transmission (6 speed auto available)
• Lightweight aluminum frame
• An actually really nice interior

Chevy also says that, despite the power increase, the Stingray will get better than the 26 MPG that the C6 manages. That’s impressive.

Plus, it’s just plain gorgeous. The rear end looks too much like a Camaro, but that’s about the only fault I can find. It looks like a futuristic Corvette without looking cheesy. It’s easily the most exotic looking ‘Vette to date.

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According to Reuters, GM is losing up to $49,000 for every Volt they sell:

Nearly two years after the introduction of the path-breaking plug-in hybrid, GM is still losing as much as $49,000 on each Volt it builds, according to estimates provided to Reuters by industry analysts and manufacturing experts. GM on Monday issued a statement disputing the estimates.

That’s a pretty loud statement, right? The problem is, it’s not accurate. Let’s hear Jalopnik’s take:

The problem is, all this assumes that 21,500 is all the Volts that will ever sell, and, think whatever you want about the car, that’s not the case. The Volt R&D isn’t just for one solitary model— it’s for several generations of cars that will share and develop the basic Volt underpinnings.

Developing a car like the Volt costs a small fortune. And the folks at Jalopnik are astute enough to note that this technology will power many different models, and several generations of those models. No one expected GM to make money on the first generation of Volt.

Toyota lost money for years on the Prius before turning a profit. When you’re making a bold push forward, like GM is, you have to take it in the shorts for awhile.

Entry price for the upcoming 2013 Chevy Malibu will be a cool $23,150. That, of course, includes the destination fee. While not obscene, that’s certainly higher than the also upcoming 2013 Altima. Sure, Chevy has come a long way… but can they really command a price premium vs the imports?

I guess sales will tell over the next several months.

There’s still no official word on fuel economy, which is disappointing. Oustanding MPG numbers would make the price premium a non-issue.

What.

No, seriously. What.

I cannot even begin to tell you what a horrible name that is. Maybe by 2020 we’ll have a Chevy LS, Chevy RS, and Chevy LTZ.

So it’s just a view of the quarter panel. Chevy continues the new tradition of automakers unveiling their latest creations in a painfully sow striptease.

Will it be great? Terrible? I have no idea. Maybe the next teaser will give mea better idea.

I’m not sure I have a whole lot to add to this. Fifty five thousand American dollars for a Corvette? Sure. But a Camaro? That’s a tough pill to swallow. Sure, the fact that we’re talking about a 580 horsepower, supercharged 6.2 liter engine under the hood helps. But still…

I’m not sure there’s much sense in a $55k Camaro. Sure, it’ll destroy a quarter mile in 12 seconds. Sure, you can hit sixty from a stop in 3.9. And yes, if you’re crazy enough, you can top out at 184 MPH.

Screw it. This car is really, really badass.