Next Chevy SS to be built in America, exported to Australia as Holden Commodore?
Thu, 19 Dec 2013
In response to a news report that the Holden brand itself could disappear and have its products and dealerships rebranded as Chevrolet in Australia, Holden CEO Mike Devereaux has said, "Holden is here to stay. It has been an integral part of Australia's history and will be part of its future." Australia's News Ltd ran a piece saying that Holden had to fight General Motors in the past to retain its name, and that when the Aussie brand ceases local operations in 2017, GM might use that as an opportune time to make the switch. That led to one "Holden insider" telling News Ltd that "There will now be the biggest fight ever to save the Holden brand from being shelved."
Deveraux also said, "We will import vehicles from all over the GM world using the scale, expertise and power of our global product development team." If the nameplate issue is actually settled, the remaining question is what products the Holden lion will be attached to. Speculation is that there's a chance the current Commodore would make a full-hemispheric-circle and, after being developed in Oz, built there and exported here as the Chevrolet SS, be built here and exported to Australia as a Commodore.
It will be a few years before we find out the specifics of Holden's long-term future, which also means we'll have a few years of rumors to sift through until then - such as the article in another Aussie paper suggesting Holden manufacturing might be shut down earlier than planned.
By Jonathon Ramsey