Melbourne '08 Preview: Holden may upstage Ford Falcon with knockout concept
click above for a high-res gallery of the Holden Efijy concept
Despite several automakers opting out of this year's Melbourne Auto Show, there's going to be a brawl on the floor for the hearts and minds of the masses. Ford is planning to unveil its full portfolio of new Falcons, something that's been almost ten years in the making. But Holden will attempt to eclipse the Falcon's reveal with a concept that might up the ante over the Efijy concept that debuted back in 2005. According to Bob Lutz, who spoke with Drive.com.au at the NAIAS, the Holden concept will "knock everybody's socks off."
Along with the concept, Holden's in-house tuner HSV may show off an amped up version of the SportWagon and a 7.0-liter V8-powered flagship sedan. None of this is good news for Ford, which has seen market share drop in Australia over the last few years as the top-selling Falcon has rotted on the vine.
[Source: Drive.com.au]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike 2:34PM (1/22/2008)
1) when is the show?
2) any spy pics of the upcoming falcons?
3) any relation between the new falcons and the new Taurus?
4) what happened to the rumors of a limited production run of the Effigy?
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Skybreak 4:29PM (1/22/2008)
Hi Mike,
1, Melbourne Motor Show: www.motorshow.com.au/
2, 2008 Falcon details: www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=46273&vf=12
3, No there's really nothing in common with the Taurus, but the new Falcon platform is designed to work as either LHD or RHD so there's a chance you'll get a Falcon (or a derivative of) it sometime.
4, There's no chance of them selling an Effigy I think, but we can always wish.
J. D. Billiford 2:40PM (1/22/2008)
>>> A nice blast from the past! I like this!
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MemphisNET 2:41PM (1/22/2008)
I love Austrailia. They still appreciate a big V8 and RWD like us North American's.
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cowboy bob 3:01PM (1/22/2008)
No, they still appreciate big v-8s and RWD period. We, on the other hand, seem to want piggish compact FWD, unimpressive cars or behemoth SUV's that get negative 4 fuel economy. Oh, don't forget the thousands of dollars worth of gadgets and "driver helpers" like bells that tell you your key in still in the hole, or you havn't checked your tire pressure since Christ was a boy. This concept is beautiful, but, like the Ford '49er or lots of other beautiful stuff, it'll never see the light of day. Except maybe at Boyd Coddingtons or Chip Foose for a quarter million.
Dan 5:21PM (1/22/2008)
We don't want that stuff, the government shoves it down our throat.
The behemoth -4 MPG SUV didn't kill the large car, CAFE did.
Back on topic, that car is effing sweeeet.
Colin Smith 2:50PM (1/22/2008)
I loved the rather fishy looking Effigy last time you showed it. I adore grand 30s beauties you see!
However, 7.0 litre engines in contempory cars seem like an obscenity in this age of critical oil supplies. And then I remember that "On the Beach" was set in Australia. Beautifully ironic, and somehow warming...in a global way.
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cowboy bob 3:03PM (1/22/2008)
Huh? Oh, never mind. I used to be like that too sometime back in the early '60's. It's all kind of blurry.
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TriShield 3:03PM (1/22/2008)
Australia loves American style cars more than we do, that's sad.
I'm sure Holden's concepts will be great. It'd be even better if we had a chance of seeing any of them sold in the US.
With Maximum Bob poopooing the Sportwagon for Pontiac, saying no to a new GTO, and declaring the RWD Impala (that they've been working on for years and tooling for) dead don't count on it.
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caddy dave 3:58PM (1/22/2008)
This is where we can disagree. Though I like the Holdens, GTO was NOT a GTO. Good car! But the name just did'nt fit. Just because you put a great name on a medeocre car does not make it a true American muscle car icon. I have a real GTO in the pole barn and everytime someone mentions the Holden GTO, I can see the tears welling up in my GTO's headlights. Not that the Holden GTO was bad, it's actually a damned nice car.
Close your eyes and daydream with me for a second.
It's the year 2020 and after five years of the demise of the Corvette due to the shear stupidity of Cafe (thank you King George and the demorats) GM brings back the Vette name to replace the Cobolt. Cardiac wards throughout the world would be overwelmed.
Sorry about the sportwagon, but that market is not big enouph to justify the cost involved. Bring back the drive-in movie theaters and then maybe.
As for the Impala, my work car is an 07 LTZ and love it, keep the LS, LT, and LTZ fwd but make a SS edition off the G8 platform with the 6.0 rwd 6 gear manual only and get in line.
And please put the gas filler on the left side for Cowboy Bob.
cowboy bob 7:05AM (1/23/2008)
CaddyDave- I love you.
Jake 3:17PM (1/22/2008)
My God, that thing is absolutely beautiful. If they run that as a Cadillac, maybe a radically-different next-gen XLR...
Shoot. I need a new pair of pants.
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BLS 3:27PM (1/22/2008)
Should be a limited edition Holden or Buick!!!
Jake 3:35PM (1/22/2008)
Of course, it's about as likely to happen as me getting the NA S2000 track car I want before I graduate college. As great as it may be, reality sometimes intercedes.
psarhjinian 3:33PM (1/22/2008)
The Efigy's been on the concept circuit for a while now. Whatever Holden has in it's bag, this isn't it.
Now, this could be just GM's usual "bluster backed by no actual saleable product" just to take the wind out of Ford's sales. They pull this shell game often (**cough**Volt**cough**) when they've got nothing right now.
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Franz 5:38PM (1/22/2008)
Sir Mix-a-Lot would love this car......
I agree with Dan: it's effing sweeeet!
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Rick 6:53PM (1/22/2008)
It's official. The best American car designers live abroad.
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Torrent 7:07PM (1/22/2008)
now thats nice
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Miranda 8:10PM (1/22/2008)
I would love to have that Holden car... one of the nicest concepts ive seen in a long time.. I am tired of the futuristic "things" that are out there now.
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James Dehnert Sr 1:48AM (1/23/2008)
Very, very cool. Kudos to Holden. Too bad it's GM. There already back pedaling on the Camaro convertable.
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