Supposedly there are enough Americans who want a rear wheel drive sedan that can run with the BMW 5 series, but don't want to pay more than $50K like a 5 series. But does this country really want a rear wheel drive GM sedan? Haven't we been here before?

GM tried this in 2008 with the Pontiac G8. It was a Holden Commodore in disguise - and a fine one at that.

Well, here comes the Holden Commodore again, as the Chevy SS (they should never have introduced that name in the 60s).

It will be a sales dud.

When GM gives us what we "want," we get all excited for the car at the auto show, NASCAR event, or dealership. But then we buy a Malibu, Impala, or a Honda or Toyota. It's part common sense. It's also the hard fact that most American car buyers, male or female, are looking for the most practical sedan that gets them where they need to go. Those who want rear wheel drive, American vehicles, buy a Jeep, Dodge, or Chrysler, and those who want a BMW or Mercedes simply look to those dealerships.

There's a difference between what excites car people, and what the market clearly shows us: that buyers want luxury and technology features, and are willing to stretch auto loans to 7 or even 8 years to get those leather seats, big rims, panoramc moonroofs, and touchscreen infotainment systems. Explaining to a buyer why they would have a much more fun driving experience with the rear wheel drive SS over the front wheel drive Impala could be fruitless. But GM will give it one more try.

I'm calling it now. It's going to FAIL. It doesn't deserve to fail, mind you. But like sport wagons and practical crossovers, we Americans can't have all the nice things. We have more car choices than ever before, and that might be the problem. Even the largest car market in the world can't support every niche. Only Japan can.