OK 24 NEW models
1 - spark
2 - adam
3 - karl/spark EV
4 - VOLT
5 - astra
6 - cruze
7 - Varano
8 - malibu
9 - insignia - regal
10- impala
11- Commodore
12- caprice
13- trax
14- mokka
15- equinox
16- equinox 7
17- enclave
18- colorado 7 suv
19- colorado
20- sierra
21- Tahoe
22- Camaro
23- corvette
24- GMC "JEEP"
24 car lines makes for one VERY saturated market !!!!!!!
I assume astra 3DR and 5 DR will be counted as separate models
I want some of what you are on.
These will not be 'new' as in novel models. Many will be updates of existing vehicles - we know already we are getting in the next few years a new Barina, Cruze, Captiva (probably again both 5 and 7) plus Malibu, Astra 3 door, 5 door and OPC coupe, plus OPC/VXR Insignia. So a lot of these are doublings-up of the same vehicle line. Not like 24 cars, each of which may have different variants like sedan, wagon, crew, tray, whatever.
We will get 'Chevrolet' trim models like Trax as we do now - Holden isn't Buick and can't sell at the level of say Audi (not even VW) in this country. So forget things like Verano, Mokka and Adam - that already had a red line put through it. GM can't afford to market Holden properly - right now they are offering 0% deposit and no payments until 2016! They must be burning cashflow.
We will not get models like Tahoe, Sierra, a large 'Jeep' like GMC because GM US will never build these in RHD. Holden's SUV range will be as it is now: Trax, Captiva 5, Captiva 7, Colorado 7 (although they might nix one of those).
Even if they did make RHD BOF US trucks, there is no demand for enormous US petrol-engined trucks. No diesel, no dice. Even Dodge isn't bringing the Ram here, and it's got diesel. People will never buy these for private transport, that's what light duty half-tons are made for. Here, Hilux is big enough and thirsty enough for anyone and people struggle to park them. It's the last petrol-engined holdout. All the other one-tonne type Thai-made vehicles have gone diesel-only.
The only V8 we are likely to get and it's in my mind pie-in-the-sky is Camaro Gen VI. And I doubt that, because they didn't bring Gen V here, for which they needed a dash moulding to complete. We will never see Corvette here. GM will never make a RHD version. We won't see a US implala.
The 'sports car' is likely to be the Insignia coupe. Not RWD, not V8. Previously as a Holden Calibra they sold OK and established a sort of niche, cult car because the turbo AWD version was decent if unreliable and a bit of a resale orphan.
Holden is going to be Opel Australia, plus whatever else GM thinks they can push - we will get Korean GM cars like Cruze, Barina, Captiva because they have a presence of sorts. They are going to throw sh1t at the wall and see what sticks. Hence, they are still intending based on last reports to sell Cruze and Astra, Malibu and Insignia, Barina and Corsa in the same showrooms. They will try to run a Korean 'bargain basement' line and upmarket Euro line - even though it's failed miserably in the past.
24 models sounds like a lot - but Holden regard things like the sedan and wagon Insignia, coupe, hatch, 3 and 5 door Astras as separate cars. So take those numbers out......
GM do not have a lot of money to spend here: they haven't finished exiting the workforce, and then there's an enormous 300 acres industrial site in SA and another here in Vic (engine plant they've started dismantling) that has to be dismantled, cleaned up, environmentally-cleansed. There's no buyers, not for the whole operation - the SA government is trying to broker a deal for a military vehicle/mining service hub in the plant, but not willing to pay GM for it. Then there's all the local suppliers, another row of redundant factories across the bridge in what will shortly resemble a demilitarized zone. It's estimated shutdown cost is $2Bill.
There's nothing 'special' coming for Holden that isn't already in the works for somewhere else - if England doesn't get a RHD Camaro, neither will we.
All this has been canned, profitable operations, vehicle line with export potential, in favour of GM's Euro subsidiary that increased it's losses by 20% to nearly $US400Million last quarter....... At the rate they're going, GM might be closing Opel (and they're idling factories in Eastern Europe for months) before Holden!
Someone should be writing Havard courses on how GM can turn a successful company from No.1 to nothing in ten short years.
Note: here Motorreport is regarded about as accurate as Jalopnik - it's known the next Insignia is the next Commodore, in probably a dumbed-down, punked-out version. There is no known vehicle above that size coming.
