Holden Coupe 60 Greets World

Down under, in Australia, Holden still rules supreme as far as Australian cars go (basically, this is the only Australian car out there), despite the fact that it's owned by GM. News from down under reaches slow, but it did hit us today with a new concept model, a car named the Coupe 60, essentially a 2-door version of the VE Commodore.

Though GM insists that this is strictly a concept and that there are no plans yet to turn it into a production model. The name uses the Coupe term, since it's an “abbreviated” version of the Commodore and number 60 which marks Holden's 60th anniversary.

The fact that this car looks half decent has some people wondering if the Coupe 60 is not going to find its way onto the American market as a Pontiac or a Saturn, seeing as how big daddy GM does this kind of “mergers” on a regular basis.

The overall shape of the concept seems to hint a break for the German sedan market, a segment which has been so far elusive for Holden. The color they chose to go with on this model is also symbolic of their 60th (diamond) anniversary – a color that has been named “Diamond Silver”.

Specific figures for the model haven't yet been released, but judging by the overall aerodynamics on the car, the low stance, the rear diffuser and the big 21-inch wheels it's going to be one powerful mother. The engine used will be the E85, a 6 liter V8 which will be coupled with a rear-wheel drive system via a 6-speed gearbox. Braking will be done via the Brembo system.

Inside, we can see a fully-digital instrument panel with an LCD screen. The steering wheel has a flat bottom just like in race cars, which seems to hint at the sporty nature of this model. Also in the same lines are the bucket seats and four-point safety harness for all four seats.