Holden plug-in hope

HOLDEN could become the first manufacturer in Australia to offer a plug-in hybrid vehicle following news that General Motors is considering sharing its so-called E-Flex technology among brands other than Chevrolet. A production vehicle based on the Chevrolet Volt is expected to reach the US market by 2010, and GM’s vice-president for research and development and strategic planning Larry Burns told GoAuto in Detroit last month that Holden would be included in the global campaign.

However, that could now come to mean a Holden-badged plug-in hybrid on sale in Australia next decade after executives from the American auto giant revealed at a dealer conference in San Francisco this week that other GM brands could get their own variant of the Volt. Dealers quoted by industry journal Automotive News said that among the environmental plans the company outlined was for Volt technology to be shared with other divisions. Delegates also indicated that GM was now hell-bent on becoming a worldwide leader in green motoring.

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GM E-Flex muscle for Oz