MIMS: Holden Celebrates 60th In Style At Melbourne International Motor Show

[JoeT]

Holden Celebrates 60th In Style At Melbourne International Motor Show

GM Holden
29 February 2008
www.holden.com.au

GM Holden celebrated the 60th anniversary of Australia’s own car today by unveiling a stunning coupe concept, pricing and features for the new VE Sportwagon and announcing six airbags as standard across the entire VE Commodore sedan and Sportwagon range.

With 24 vehicles on the GM Holden stand covering a range of popular segments, the display at the Melbourne International Motor Show gives the public a taste of one of the most comprehensive model lineups currently available in Australia.

Making their motor show debuts were the first production models of VE Sportwagon, and the VE Omega sedan upgrade which now includes alloy wheels and additional safety features as standard.

Also debuting on the GM Holden stand was GM Holden’s new Chairman and Managing Director, Mark Reuss who unveiled the Coupe 60 concept.

“Australians are known for their love of cars and Holden is renowned for coming up with vehicles to match those high expectations,” said Reuss.

“With the introduction of the new VE Sportwagon and further improvements to the top selling VE sedan range, we continue to improve the choice and value for money that customers can expect from 60 years of building cars for Australia.”

Coupe 60 Concept

Dubbed Coupe 60, the stunning two-door pillarless coupe boasts sophisticated technology and sports performance, honouring 60 years of innovative design and engineering at GM Holden.

Powered by a 6.0 litre V8 engine incorporating the latest technologies including active fuel management and calibrated for E85 ethanol fuel, Coupe 60 explores the limits of Holden’s current rear-wheel drive capabilities, combining racing looks and technology in a road going sportscar experience.

VE Sportwagon

The first production versions of Holden’s all new VE Sportwagon unveiled today feature two new colours in the Commodore range. On display at the show is a Sportwagon SS V in Voodoo (aqua blue metallic) and Calais V in Karma (dark jade green metallic).

At only $1,000 more than its sedan equivalents, the VE Sportwagon line-up offers a new level of comfort, safety and styling in a Holden wagon, combined with sedan-like ride and handling characteristics.

VE Sportwagon will be available in the full range of VE Commodore variants including Omega, Berlina and Calais, plus the sporty SV6, SS and the range topping SS V and Calais V models.
Specifications will be in-line with VE sedan variants with the addition of rear park assist and six airbags as standard.

VE Commodore Omega Upgrade

Holden has reinforced its commitment to safety and value by introducing an upgraded VE Commodore Omega sedan, offering customers Side Impact Airbags and Curtain Airbags alongside ESP® as standard.

Available in a four-speed automatic and powered by a 180kW* 3.6-litre Alloytec V6 engine, the upgraded VE Omega sedan also features four 16-inch alloy wheels, body colour exterior door handles and mirror covers and an all new grille treatment.

On sale 15 March and starting at RRP $36,790 (excludes dealer delivery and Government charges), the enhanced VE Omega sedan is also available in the new exterior colour of Karma.

Alongside other models from the award-winning VE sedan range, the GM Holden stand also features the special edition VE Commodore Lumina which offers an impressive level of standard features and outstanding value for money. Extra features include four 18-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors and a distinctive front grille.

VE Ute

Launched late 2007, VE Ute is Holden's first completely new ute design since the VU series in 2000. It offers more features, more useable interior space, greater storage flexibility and more performance than any of its predecessors.

The new VE Ute has been strengthening Holden’s position at the premium sports end of the ute market and offers enthusiasts of this Australian icon new levels of comfort, performance and safety with ESP® as standard.

The VE Ute continues to gather admirers and awards since going on sale in October 2007 and strong early sales of the top end SS and SS V models has contributed to GM Holden setting an all-time record for V8 sales last year.

WM Caprice

Holden’s top-of-the-range V8 flagship, the WM Caprice, is also on show combining space and luxury with performance and handling.

Standard features include a Bose premium audio system, remote control three-screen DVD with roof console, and a tri-zone electronic climate control system with foot level ducting to the rear compartment.

Deep bolstered front sports seats with ten-way electric adjustment and extra priority flip key memory preferences - such as seating positions for three drivers and exterior mirror placement - just add to the feeling that this is a car equipped for driver convenience and comfort.

Caprice experienced a record breaking year of sales in 2007 and, when combined with the Holden Statesman, accounted for an impressive 58% of the upper large < $100K market.

Captiva

Holden’s popular mid-size Captiva SUV range on display includes the seven-seater LX and the sporty five-seater MaXX.

In its first full year of sales last year, Captiva was the third best selling model in the highly competitive medium SUV segment.
The choice of five and seven seats delivers a flexible and highly specified range that is proving an appealing choice in the medium and compact-sized SUV market with the added attraction of ESP® as standard.

Captiva MaXX is powered by the high-performance Australian-built Alloytec 3.2-litre V6 engine, producing 167kW of peak power and 297Nm* of peak torque.

Accounting for more than half of Captiva sales in the last three months of 2007, Holden’s new responsive and economical turbo-powered Captiva variant will also be on display, powered by a 2.0-litre common rail turbo diesel engine, compliant with Euro IV emission standards.

Available with a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission with Active Select, depending on model, Captiva Diesel really scores on fuel efficiency, with the manual variant returning 7.6 litres per 100km and the automatic 8.6 litres per 100km (ADR81/01).

Captiva Diesel retains the intelligent active all-wheel drive system found on the petrol variants and contributes to Captiva’s versatile appeal. It is fully integrated into the ESP® and ABS systems, improving vehicle control and active safety.

Rodeo

Launched last year, the powerful turbo diesel Rodeo on show features several recent design enhancements, increased braked towing capability and a new five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission to manage the increased torque and retain a light shift feel.

The latest Rodeo also boasts redesigned front and rear fascias, including front and rear lamps, updated over-fender flares and a bold bonnet air-induction scoop as part of the new turbo diesel’s exterior changes.

Improved driver and passenger seating, new steering wheel, HVAC controls and interior trims, updated instrument clusters and interior side vents, plus redesigned transmission levers, makes Rodeo an outstanding range representing great value for money.

Epica

GM Holden’s new mid-size sedan, Epica, will be on display with its generous interior space, excellent standard specifications and stylish fit and finish.

Epica is available in two variants (CDX and CDXi) with a choice of either a 2.0 or 2.5-litre in-line six cylinder engine, depending on model. Each delivers a refined and smooth ride and, when compared with equivalent transmissions, returns better fuel economy than some of the four-cylinder rivals in the mid-size sedan segment.

Epica’s impressive fuel economy (ADR081/01) is 8.2 litres/100km for the 2.0-litre manual variant and 9.3 litres/100km for the 2.5-litre automatic.

Small car range

The versatile flexible AH Astra CDX wagon, is alongside the Astra turbo diesel five-door hatch which delivers outstanding performance and improved fuel economy.

These cars will be joined by the Astra CD Five-Door Equipe and the Astra TwinTop which brings retractable hard top technology to the small convertible market at an accessible price.

The popular TwinTop has a three-piece retractable hard top allowing the roof to fold tightly, ensuring the rear of the car remains space efficient and in perfect proportion.

A functional and stylish vehicle, it seats up to four people and boasts 205 litres of storage space when the roof is open and 440 litres when the roof is closed.

Complimenting the small car range, the Viva hatch and Barina three-door and sedan models will be on display, with levels of standard equipment that represent outstanding value for money.

Holden Vehicle Display – Melbourne International Motor Show 2008:

Coupe 60
VE SS V Sportwagon
VE Calais V Sportwagon
VE Ute SS V
VE Ute SV6
VE Commodore SV6
VE Commodore Calais V
VE Commodore SS V
VE Commodore Lumina
WM Caprice
CG Captiva LX Diesel
CG Captiva CX
CG Captiva MaXX
RA Rodeo LT 4x4 Diesel Crewcab Pickup
EP Epica CDXi
EP Epica CDX
AH Astra CDX Wagon
AH Astra TwinTop
AH Astra Sri Turbo
AH Astra 5 Door CDX Diesel
AH Astra CD 5 Door Equipe
JF Viva 5 Door Hatch
TK Barina 5 Door Hatch
TK Barina 3 Door

ESP® is a registered trademark of Daimler Chrysler AG
*Power and torque figures as per ECE regulations

[Kamshaaft]

This is so cool, go Holden.

[monza164]

Nuts to the CTS-V, the Coupe 60 is the new car of my dreams.

[Koasterking]

Good way to show some heritage and to promote the brand. Let's see what GM does for its 100th anniversary.

[Aerodynamix]

Did anyone else notice that in the interior pic of the Coupe 60 on the mini-site's Feature tab, the LCD cluster has a boost gauge?

I'm generally not a fan of large coupes, but this is one hell of car!!! This better come to NA as a G8 Coupe.

[Hoboken Tim]

This would sure make a great GTO

[Gm786]

Originally Posted by Kamshaaft

This is so cool, go Holden.

More than cool. I wish I could be there! Awesome cars for sure. GM is on a roll overseas. Hopefully GM will pick up momentum here in North America like they have been and continue to do overseas.

[ericmvest]

Holden is developing many desirable cars.

General Motors empowers its foreign subsidiaries like Holden, Opel, DAT, and Buick in China to develop cars to a much greater extent than Toyota or Honda does. The Japanese embed Japanese co-managers in their foreign operations down to the sub-department level. General Motors may have Americans in a few executive posts of their foreign subsidiaries, but delegate much more authority to the foreign nationals. This probably allows General Motors to recruit the best and the brightest in these foreign countries and develop their foreign nationals to be self reliant. General Motors more effective utilization of foreign intellectual capital is a competitive advantage that may pay big dividends over its Japanese competition.

[jzEllis]

Originally Posted by Koasterking

Good way to show some heritage and to promote the brand. Let's see what GM does for its 100th anniversary.

glue some badges on a blah mobile and call it quits, naw maybe another stripe package for the corvette!