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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Supercars , GM , Holden , Australia , HSV Click above for a hi-res gallery of the HSV W427 "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts." That's what Han Solo says about the Millenium Falcon. You could apply the same saying to the HSV W427 super-duper sedan just launched by Holden's in-house performance division. I mean, that front end has some serious issues, but the Corvette Z06's LS7 V8 lurks behind it, and it's no joke, giving the four-door 500 horses and 471 lb-ft of torque. Production is limited to 427 units total, 90 of which will be produced this year. All of those have already been spoken for at a heady $154,500 Australian dollars , including luxury tax. Buyers also get the opportunity to tour the cars' production facility, and get a letter from Tom Walkinshaw, who started HSV some 20 years ago. The "W" in the car's name is also a tribute to him. HSV says that the W427's angry fascia...
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Filed under: Coupes , Sports/GTs , Chevrolet , GM , Australia Click above for high-res gallery of the Camaro's Melbourne reveal While General Motors debuted the 2010 Chevy Camaro in Detroit and L.A. on Monday, they also gave it a proper debut in Australia where much of the car's development work was performed. The General just published some new pictures from the car's Melbourne debut in which the new Camaro poses for the camera with a second generation model, two third generation models, a fourth gen and a very cherry 1969 Camaro SS owned by reigning V8 Supercar champion Garth Tander. Those pics plus GM's own shots that were taken at the live reveal in Detroit have been added to the first gallery below, beneath which we've included our own updated gallery of live shots from the Detroit reveal that includes images of the car after it was driven outside. Gallery: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Gallery: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro: Live Reveal Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Green , GM , Holden , Australia Two separate reports out of Australia say that Holden is looking to maximize the Commodore's fuel efficiency in an effort to stoke sales. Both stories quote General Motor's Asia-Pacific vice president, Nick Reilly, but the separate reports, while sharing a common theme, come to decidedly different conclusions about how the General plans to proceed. The first story from the Sydney Morning Herald (thanks Patrick!) cites Reilly as saying that Holden is looking into hybrid technology to power the Commodore. "[It] could be one of the first hybrids that you will see," but Reilly insists that a gasoline-electric Commodore is still a few years out. The second report comes courtesy of Drive.com.au, who also spoke with Reilly and asked if a four-cylinder version of the Commodore was in the cards. "It makes a lot of sense," Reilly said, "and therefore we're probably looking at it...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Wagons/Estates , GM , Holden , Australia , HSV Click image to enlarge Like the sedan and ute before it, the Holden Commodore Sportwagon will also soon have a corresponding HSV performance variant. The HSV Tourer is essentially an HSV Clubsport R8 Wagon, as it features the muscle sedan's front clip and 425-horsepower (317kW) LS3 V8 powertrain. Look for it to arrive arrive in Australia this October and in the U.S. as a Pontiac, well, never. (Pontiac has no plans to bring over the Commodore Sportwagon, remember.) HSV admits that the Tourer could take some sales away from the Clubsport R8 upon which it's based, but that the presence of the wagon in the now-complete HSV lineup should still help HSV's sales numbers overall. Drive.com.au notes that the Commodore Sportwagon was supposed to launch back in March, but has been delayed while Holden continues to work out kinks with the wagon bodystyle. We expect to get plenty more info on the HSV Tourer closer to...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Coupes , Etc. , GM , Pontiac , Holden , Australia Coupes seem to be somewhat resurgent lately, and the stupendously awesome Pontiac G8 GXP might be set to lose a pair of doors. While that would make it essentially a repeat of what came here as a revived GTO not too long ago, the name is not likely to return. The basic idea has been outlined in the Holden Coupe 60 , itself starting out as an updated GTO, but turning out much cooler. The neo-ponycar wars will require the fitment of the 400 horsepower LS3 to run with the Shelby GT500KR , Challenger , and cousin Camaro . The newly unveiled G8 GXP serves as the benchmark for what this coupe will likely come equipped with. That means big 19-inch wheels, uprated suspension, a meaner fascia and, most importantly, an available Tremec six-speed manual transmission. There should be a GT version, too, with "only" 361 horsepower, which should still offer a significant kick in the pants for less cash. The biggest...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Wagons/Estates , GM , Misc. Auto Shows , Holden , Australia Click image for a high-res gallery of the VE Sportwagon SS-V Wagons are cool. They're practical, too -- a fact most of the world outside North America seems to fully understand. Alas, we're here in the land of the crossover. Sure, there are some nice ones, but they aren't nearly as fun as what Holden has brewing. Following up the "concept" that made its debut in Sydney last October, Holden has formally unveiled the VE Sportwagon, which comes in the same range of trim levels as the VE Commodore sedan, up to and including the musclebound, tire-immolating SS-V, which is shown above. Depending on trim level, non-SS models generally come with one of two 3.6L Alloytec V6 engines (this is the same 3.6 you'll find in any number of US GM vehicles -- the Alloytec-branded motors are manufactured in Australia, however). The standard one is good for 241 hp / 243 lb-ft via a 4-speed automatic...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Supercars , GM , Misc. Auto Shows , Holden , Australia , HSV Click image for a hi-res gallery of the HSV W427 The modern American auto show circuit has turned into a series of venues at which automakers try to out-green or out-crossover each other, with the occasional fire-breather thrown in. Down in Australia, it's like the late 60s or early 70s, with a power-mad pissing contest between GM and Ford going full-tilt. We already saw Holden's killer flex-fuel muscle concept, the Coupe 60 . Now it's time for the skunkworks to unveil its newest street missile. We previewed it this morning, but here it is in all its glory: the HSV W427. The "W" is a nod to Tom Walkinshaw, whose TWR crew joined up with Holden in 1988 to create the Group A VL SS Commodore , a homologation special that marked the birth of GM's Australian factory performance division, HSV. The 427 represents the engine's size in cubic inches, as in GM LS7 V8...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Wagons/Estates , GM , Pontiac , Holden , Australia click above for more high-res images of the Holden VE Sportwagon Holden wasn't sure if it was going to build a new VE Commodore Wagon when developing its new line of rear-wheel-drive Zeta-based sedans. Wagons are fleet darlings in Australia, and the new one from Holden was for some reason switched from the long-wheelbase Caprice and Statesman platform to the shorter Commodore platform. That reduced the wagon's cargo capacity, which in turn threatened its very existence. But after hearing that its parent company, General Motors, was interested in importing the VE Sportwagon as a Pontiac G8 wagon, Holden gave the wagon a green light in good faith that there would be additional sales from exports to offset the loss of fleet sales. Well, Holden just lost the U.S. market, as Bob Lutz told Australian journalists at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show that the VE Sportwagon, a higher-octane version of the VE Commodore...
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Filed under: Recalls/TSBs , Safety , GM , Holden GM's Australian subsidiary Holden has recalled 86,000 rear-wheel-drive Zeta cars with the V6 engine to correct a potential fuel leak that could lead to fires. The CNN Money article says that the recall doesn't impact the Pontiac G8, GM's North American Zeta variant, because that car's underhood layout is different. We should also mention that the G8 is not even on sale yet, so there are none in customer hands to recall. VE and WM Commodores in Australia and New Zealand, Chevrolet Lumina and Caprice models in the Middle East, as well as the Chevrolet Omega in Brazil are all affected. When a clip chafes on the fuel line, it can apparently cause a leak with nasty results if the gasoline ignites. The risk is low, says GM's John Lindsay, but they're calling the cars back, nearly all of the Zetas with V6 engines sold since the car's redesign, and fixing them free of charge just to be on the safe side. [Source: CNN] Read...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Wagons/Estates , Plants/Manufacturing , Cadillac , GM , Australia GM believes it has a world-class luxury vehicle in the all-new Cadillac CTS , and the General is shipping the RWD clear across the globe to prove its point. Since 1969, Cadillac has been on the outside of OZ looking in, but an emerging luxury market coupled with part-sharing with Holden makes the CTS a great vehicle to end the 40-year hiatus. The CTS will hit Aussie shores by the end of 2008, with the addition of a 2.9-liter turbo-diesel entering the lineup in 2009. With Australian's love for great-handling RWD sports sedans, the CTS is a no-brainer as the vehicle to bring Cadillac back to OZ. The CTS wagon would likely be a hit down under as well. And if you're reading this GM, we'll take that 2.9L diesel option here in the States, too. [Source: Drive.com.au] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Trucks/Pickups , Wagons/Estates , GM , Pontiac , Holden , Australia Automotive News is reporting what's been suspected all along: GM will bring a both a wagon and a Ute to the U.S. after the launch of the G8 next year. Citing three sources intimate with the project, the report goes on to say that the two models will be built in Australia and will be similar to the Commodore wagon, on which the Pontiac G8 is based, and the Holden VE Ute. The move comes in an attempt to bring back the sporting credentials sorely lacking in GM's excitement division, so there are no plans to offer the Ute in GMC-guise. The sports truck will use the same platform as its G8 sibling and will be powered by the drivetrain from the Camaro. The only issue that could affect the importation of both models is the weakening dollar. If it continues to slide, pricing will either be increased or both models won't make the trek across the Pacific. [Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.] Read | Permalink...
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Filed under: Trucks/Pickups , GM , GMC , Pontiac , Australia click above image to view more pics of the Holden VE Ute A few weeks ago we wrote about an email exchange between "Maximum" Bob Lutz and a GM Inside News forum member by the name of MonaroSS...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Coupes , GM , Holden , Australia click above image for more high-res pics of the Holden Efijy Concept It's not uncommon for over enthusiastic gear heads to make offers or even send in checks to buy a concept car with the hope...
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Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing , GM , Pontiac , Australia Holden is planning on turning out the full capacity of 147,000 Zeta-based vehicles at its Elizabeth plant in South Australia. Part of the production increase can be attributed to the Pontiac...
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Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Spy Photos , Sedans/Saloons , GM , Pontiac With RWD, crisp, modern looks, and a prodigious V8, the G8 has to be the most highly anticipated Pontiac in a generation. We're beginning to see test models in southeast Michigan...
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