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New models - Holden - Commodore uteIt’s official: Holden’s tarmac-tearing trade uteRed hot: The first official images of Holden’s VF Commodore lapping the Nurburgring have trickled online. Export hopes high as Holden launches publicity drip-feed for VF ute at Nurburgring31 May 2013 By BARRY PARK UPDATED: 4/06/2013HOLDEN has started the drip feed of official images showing its most red-blooded ute yet tackling the tortuous Nurburgring circuit in Germany, sparking fresh hopes of a renewed export program for the Commodore-based light commercial to the United States. The images, posted on the Holden website today, show a lustrous red VF Ute SS V Redline captured against the famous Armco wall of the track that is fast becoming a proving ground for car-makers hell-bent on establishing bragging rights with rivals. Other shots show a helmet-clad driver – believed to be Mark Reuss, the former Holden chief who now heads up GM’s North American division – and a close-up of the racetrack-honed Brembo brake calipers tucked in behind the $48,490 Redline’s bespoke 18-inch alloys. Holden director of product launch communications Craig Cheetham said the Redline’s trip to the unofficial home of performance benchmarking was a rare case of good timing for the car-maker rather than a carefully planned exercise. He said the Holden team was at the track in April completing some “final engineering work” on the car ahead of its showroom launch in Australia in a few weeks’ time. “We test and develop cars all over the world, and we happen to have a ute in Europe that we were doing dynamic testing on, and we had some space on the manufacturers’ pool day,” Mr Cheetham said. “We decided to take advantage of that.” However, he would not be drawn on the idea that the ute was there to set a performance benchmark for a commercial vehicle, or whether the apparent involvement of Mr Reuss – an experienced engineer and the key decision-maker for all new models in the US – signalled a forthcoming export program for the two-door as a reborn Chevy El Camino. “You’ll have to wait and see,” he said. Holden is believed to have filmed the VF ute’s drive on the Nurburgring as part of its marketing for the commercial vehicle, which traditionally has showroom sales split almost evenly between V6- and V8-engined models.  Read more31st of May 2013  A closer look at the VF Commodore’s changesWhat exactly has Holden done to make this VF Commodore different to the others?30th of May 2013  Holden 2013 Commodore ute rangeHolden’s Commodore-based Ute workhorse gains a welcome VF makeover30th of May 2013  Driven: Holden’s VF Commodore-based UteHolden’s VF Ute is a sharper, cheaper car-like alternative for tradies than beforeAll new models Alfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chery Brabham Chrysler Chevrolet Cupra Citroen DS Dodge Fiat Ferrari Foton Ford Great Wall FPV Haval GWM Honda Holden Hyundai HSV Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Pagani Opel Porsche Peugeot Ram Proton Rolls-Royce Renault Saab Rover Smart Skoda Subaru SsangYong Tesla Suzuki Volkswagen Toyota VolvoMotor industry news GoAutoNews is Australia’s number one automotive industry journal covering the latest news, future and new model releases, market trends, industry personnel movements, and international events. |
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