Photo: General Motors
General Motors works in mysterious ways. Not only did the biggest of the Big Three fail in Europe with the Opel and Vauxhall brands, but Holden has gone under (pun intended) in the Land Down Under. To make matters worse, the C8 Corvette won’t be called Chevrolet in Australia. Ladies and gents, how does GMSV sound?
We’ve initially reported on this change in February 2020 when General Motors confirmed that Holden is on the chopping block. “This decision is based on global priorities and does not reflect the hard work, talent and professionalism of the Holden team,” said vice president of international operations Julian Blissett. He is right, you know. General Motors takes all the blame for watering down the Aussie brand with imported cars and SUVs that make little sense in this part of the world.
General Motors Special Vehicles “will commence operations in Australia and New Zealand in the fourth quarter of this year,” but the Corvette will be a slow burn. It may arrive with right-hand drive and more standard features than the U.S. specification, but C8 customers will have to wait until the earliest part of 2022.
“Orders for the vehicle to commence towards the end of 2021” is all that GMSV can tell us for the time being, which is another affront to the market that General Motors has failed time and again. The United Kingdom, by comparison, is getting the RHD sports car from Kentucky early next year in 2LT and 3LT flavors.
GMSV-branded dealerships won’t sell only the mid-engine ‘Vette, though. The Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup truck, for example, is currently sold by Holden Special Vehicles and converted to RHD locally by Walkinshaw Automotive.
The Camaro, unfortunately, is no longer converted to right-hand drive. HSV confirmed the saddening news in April, and although no reason was given for this decision, it’s easy to understand why. Put bluntly, a 2SS kicks off at 86,990 dollars or $63,245 at current exchange rates. Don’t even ask about the supercharged ZL1 because that bad boy costs two arms and two legs.
General Motors Special Vehicles “will commence operations in Australia and New Zealand in the fourth quarter of this year,” but the Corvette will be a slow burn. It may arrive with right-hand drive and more standard features than the U.S. specification, but C8 customers will have to wait until the earliest part of 2022.
“Orders for the vehicle to commence towards the end of 2021” is all that GMSV can tell us for the time being, which is another affront to the market that General Motors has failed time and again. The United Kingdom, by comparison, is getting the RHD sports car from Kentucky early next year in 2LT and 3LT flavors.
GMSV-branded dealerships won’t sell only the mid-engine ‘Vette, though. The Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup truck, for example, is currently sold by Holden Special Vehicles and converted to RHD locally by Walkinshaw Automotive.
The Camaro, unfortunately, is no longer converted to right-hand drive. HSV confirmed the saddening news in April, and although no reason was given for this decision, it’s easy to understand why. Put bluntly, a 2SS kicks off at 86,990 dollars or $63,245 at current exchange rates. Don’t even ask about the supercharged ZL1 because that bad boy costs two arms and two legs.
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