Photo: Chevrolet
On October 20, the Holden plant in Elizabeth will come to a grinding halt, ending production of the rear-wheel-drive Commodore and marking the death of the GM Zeta platform. This leaves the Insignia-based Commodore as the Australian brand’s largest car. On the flip side, mid-2018 will see the Camaro added to the lineup as the new flagship of the import-only automaker.
Inspired by the commercial success of the S550 Mustang in Australia, the higher-ups at Holden are planning to fight fire with fire. Better late than never, the Camaro Gen 6 will arrive in the Land Down Under next year as an alternative to the world’s best-selling sports car. At a steep price, that is.
Wheels Mag reports that HSV (Walkinshaw) will convert the left-hand drive Camaro to right-hand drive, “before being sold via Holden showrooms with full factory support for servicing.” Bearing in mind the Australia-spec Ford Mustang priced at AUD 44,990, guess the pricing of the 2018 RHD Camaro.
“It’s believed to start from around AUD 80,000, which would equate to about AUD 90,000 once on-road costs, including luxury car tax, are factored in,” reports the cited publication. Even when compared to the Mustang GT Fastback with the automatic transmission and Coyote V8 (AUD 57,490), there’s no question the RHD Camaro is very expensive for a pony car.
The Camaro SS will act as the only conversion available in the first instance, packing 6.2 liters of naturally aspirated V8, 339 kW (455 horsepower), and 616 Nm (455 pound-feet) of torque. Available with a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic, Holden expects to sell 1,000 RHD Camaros per year in The Oz. Incidentally, that’s the original target Ford set for the RHD Mustang.
In related news, HSV is expected to be rebranded into Walkinshaw in 2018, and this begs an interesting question. Once converted to right-hand drive, what will the Camaro be called in Australia? Holden, HSV, Walkinshaw? It’s anybody’s guess, but in due time, the automaker will clear things up.
Wheels Mag reports that HSV (Walkinshaw) will convert the left-hand drive Camaro to right-hand drive, “before being sold via Holden showrooms with full factory support for servicing.” Bearing in mind the Australia-spec Ford Mustang priced at AUD 44,990, guess the pricing of the 2018 RHD Camaro.
“It’s believed to start from around AUD 80,000, which would equate to about AUD 90,000 once on-road costs, including luxury car tax, are factored in,” reports the cited publication. Even when compared to the Mustang GT Fastback with the automatic transmission and Coyote V8 (AUD 57,490), there’s no question the RHD Camaro is very expensive for a pony car.
The Camaro SS will act as the only conversion available in the first instance, packing 6.2 liters of naturally aspirated V8, 339 kW (455 horsepower), and 616 Nm (455 pound-feet) of torque. Available with a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic, Holden expects to sell 1,000 RHD Camaros per year in The Oz. Incidentally, that’s the original target Ford set for the RHD Mustang.
In related news, HSV is expected to be rebranded into Walkinshaw in 2018, and this begs an interesting question. Once converted to right-hand drive, what will the Camaro be called in Australia? Holden, HSV, Walkinshaw? It’s anybody’s guess, but in due time, the automaker will clear things up.
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