Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Pontiac
Holden gearing up for increased global exports
In the latest hint that the Holden Commodore SS-V is headed to the US to be the new Pontiac Grand Prix, the Australian website GoAuto reports that GM Holden is preparing for a possible future in which it sells more vehicles overseas than it does in Australia. In an interview with the website, Holden chairman and managing director Denny Mooney said of the heavily-rumored Pontiac deal, "You will see an announcement in the next three to four months. Assuming it happens, (shipments) would start a little beyond that. I am not making an official announcement (in this discussion)."
That sure sounds like a "yes" (with a little CYA thrown in at the end), which jibes perfectly with earlier reports that the Holden-sourced GP will be unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show in February. Mooney expects the Grand Prix to be more successful than the previous Holden import, the GTO because the US has a much greater demand for sedans than it does for coupes. We agree there, but also feel that the next GTO, which will borrow more from Pontiac's heritage than the rebadged Holden Monaro that previously bore the name, should connect better with consumers.
There's more. read the rest after the jump.
[Source: John Mellor/GoAuto.com]
Of course, Mooney's also rooting very hard for the Grand Prix to happen because Australian demand for large sedans is declining. The US export plan, combined with existing exports to the Middle East (around 30,000/yr), would help alleviate the effects Holden would otherwise feel from the downward turn in its home market.
There's a lot to look forward to in the coming months, as it appears more and more like our wishes for a Holden Commodore of our own will be coming true. Of course, nothing's official until it comes across on GM letterhead, but there's more than enough "wink-wink, nudge-nudge" behavior going on to convince us that the Chicago show will be very big for the General, indeed.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
lee 9:11PM (11/24/2006)
As a current Grand Prix owner, this news is stopping me from shopping around until I know what the General has planned.
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Jim 9:30PM (11/24/2006)
As a current GTO owner with a second child on the way, it will keep me from looking beyond the general. I was considering a 300c or Charger because I thought it would be considerably longer. So according to this, we could have cars here by late summer? Sign me up!
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Grant 1:09AM (11/25/2006)
If the Grand Prix looks exactly like the Commodore, then I will sell my truck and buy a car for the first time in my life!
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robert 2:35AM (11/25/2006)
I wish Holden would be released in the US as Holden and not a crappy GM product. Pontiac does a good job of diminishing Holden's name with junk stateside.
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Christian J Patterson 3:56AM (11/25/2006)
hey guys, reckon its good so far? I see these cars on the streets of OZ there the Kings here, check it out www.holden.com.au or wanna see a better VE Commodore try this www.hsv.com.au these cars are GOLD MATE!!!
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BOB 4:10AM (11/25/2006)
Will take a lot of styling improvement, good car or not, to make a design so generic, last generation Japanese, look like a Pontiac needs to look.
Somehow, it makes no sense to bring over the platform to make the Camaro and Impala in Ontario, but then to import some from Australia, too. It ought to be cheaper to make a variation on the North American Impala, counting costs to federalize, make LHD version, etc. Anybody have this figured out??
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Stoneman 11:17AM (11/25/2006)
This reminds me of a Mazda 6.... but obviously is not. I'll never go back to GM for a vehicle... even the Cadillac CTS-V disappointed me. (Read my review of it). Sigh.
Stoneman
http://www.stonemanautoreview.com
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Evan Brom 12:46PM (11/25/2006)
This is great I spent time in AU and was quite impresed with their cars. Now we just need some Ford Falcons.
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Andy 4:35PM (11/25/2006)
I want to like Holdens, but they all look like plain, chubby sedans. A Holden badge over a Pontiac one doesn't change boring.
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Joelypolly 4:40PM (11/25/2006)
I have seen them testing the US version of the car in AUS. So I am guessing there is a high chance it will be available in the States. It was under the Chevrolet brand though.
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Chris 6:08PM (11/25/2006)
The ones you saw testing were probably destined for the Middle East. Commodores are sold as Chevs in the Middle East and maybe a couple of other places.
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Alex Nunez 7:09PM (11/25/2006)
Joelypolly,
That's not the US version (though it is LHD). The Chevy is the Middle East's car. It's sold there as the Lumina.
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Mike 8:44PM (11/25/2006)
Everything I've read on what would be a US version would be sold as a Pontiac. There is another version of it that Holden was allegedly trying to pitch as a possible Buick addition. To me its got Pontiac written all over it. The interior looks too sophisticated for Chevy.
I say, make the forward end more aggressively styled, and refine it to perfection and GM will have something other than a Cadillac to send a Beamer running with its tail between its legs.
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chris 10:47PM (11/25/2006)
i agree that it looks to bland for the american market. what it needs is an oversized spoiler, bonnet scoops, ugly body kit and it will be a success.
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Bill Maher is an Idiot 11:52PM (11/25/2006)
Exactly.
From boring to ugly. It's NO WIN with a HOLDEN!!
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Jase 7:28AM (11/26/2006)
I saw a Grand Prix here in Melbourne on the Eastern freeway acouple of weeks ago being tested - complete with full badging and an 'Engineering Evaluation Vehicle' sticker. It's coming!
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Robert Hammen 12:24PM (11/26/2006)
Why not just build 'em here? Well, it's going to take until fall of 2008 for GM to get a factory ready to build a new RWD chassis. Meanwhile, Holden has 20-30k per year of plant capacity just waiting. Ergo, you import the car in fall 2007 as a 2008 model and get it out there 2 years sooner (and spending a lot less $$$) than you would otherwise.
Also, I don't think this is going to be a "Grand Prix" unless the Canadian Auto Workers union gives up the name exclusivity that the Oshawa plant has on the "Grand Prix" name (much how the St. Therese, Quebec plant had name exclusivity on the Camaro, and why GM wasted little time in nuking the plant after it was shut down)...
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Andy 3:58PM (11/26/2006)
The contract agreements with Canadian labor had GM building all vehicles under with those names (such as Camaro) at the agreed facilities. If the facilities were destroyed, General Motors would no longer be bound by the previous labor agreement. It would be free to draft a new contract for development of a succeeding vehicle using the same name.
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Justin 9:09AM (11/27/2006)
I think this is perfect for America. Don't add all that crap to it (leave that to the aftermarket ricers). Just sell it as a Pontiac, don't change a thing. AND NO PONTIAC GRILL!
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Gerald Cherwonick 10:15PM (12/30/2006)
I like the whole car except for the floating spoiler at the back end. Too much like something from the orient. I am owner of a 95 Grand Prix, and will patiently await the arrival of this car.
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