Chevrolet SS

There has always been a mystique surrounding Chevy's 'SS' (Super Sport) heritage. The SS emblem on the side of a Chevy gave notice to the world that the vehicle had the right stuff.

General Motors may have overused its SS moniker in recent years, company executives admitted in a recent talk with the Detroit News. "Not every car that has some extra features and fancy racing stripes can be an SS," said Ed Welburn, GM Design global vice president.

Starting with the 2007 model year, General Motors will be more careful with what vehicles it badges "SS." For example, the recently-unveiled Chevrolet Equinox Sport didn't get an SS badge, despite having 42 percent more horsepower.

Going forward, vehicles like the Malibu SS won't be worthy of the emblem. "That's one that probably shouldn't have gotten the SS label," Chevrolet Marketing Director Cheryl Catton said of the Malibu."Now, from the beginning, we build a car to match the characteristics of the brand," said GM sales chief Mark LaNeve.