Following on from the reveal of HSV’s Gen-F range, the full-size Holden Caprice gets some changes for the 2014 model year – chief among which is a re-designed interior with improved materials and a new layout.

Priced from AU$54,490 (RM162k), the base Caprice is powered by a 3.6 litre V6 reported to produce 285 hp and 350 Nm of torque. It gets new premium leather front seats, keyless entry and start, new-look 18-inch alloys and extra chrome exterior trim.

It also gets an eight-inch MyLink touch-screen infotainment system that has voice recognition and Siri Eyes Free integration, in addition to Pandora and Stitcher SmartRadio built-in apps. Other features include Auto Park Assist, Blind Spot Alert, an electronic parking brake and remote vehicle starting. Transmission is handled by a six-speed auto ‘box.

Bearing a AU$59,990 (RM178k) sticker price is the range-topping Holden Caprice V. This one has a 6.0 litre Gen IV V8 that should develop 353 hp and 517 Nm of torque, also mated to a six-speeder. On top of the base Caprice’s kit, it gets a new rear-seat entertainment system with remote control, DVD, AUX and dual channel wireless headphones.

There’s also Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, a colour HUD, leather bucket seats all round, a nine-speaker Bose audio system and an electric sunroof. The Caprice V sits on new-look 19-inch alloys, and round the back you’ll find quad tailpipes.

“Holden has added the features and advanced technology that customers would only expect from prestige brands to Australia’s own large luxury car – and we’ve made Caprice available with an RRP under $60,000 for the first time,” said sales and marketing ED Philip Brook.

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Holden Special Vehicles has released details and some juicy pictures of its new Gen-F range, which comprises Maloo, Clubsport, Clubsport Tourer, Senator Signature and GTS models.

The members of the already-menacing HSV family gets a bodykit, side gills, LED DRLs and quad tailpipes, with the range-topping Gen-F GTS (pictured) donning reworked bumpers, a bigger spoiler and snazzy black alloys.

Their cockpits benefit from racy goodies such as carbon-fibre trim, additional gauges, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, alloy pedals and sports seats.

With a brutal 585 hp and 740 Nm of torque from a supercharged 6.2 litre LSA V8 (from the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1), the Gen-F GTS is the fastest Holden ever built. The others should draw either 425, 435 or 455 hp from a 6.2 litre LS3 V8, depending on the model.

The GTS Gen-F will reportedly begin Australian sales in September; the rest could hit showrooms in June.

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More from Holden to round off a very packed time for it and the upcoming VF Commodore. The VF Calais V highlighted the glam, the VF SS V the sportier side of things and the US-bound Chevrolet SS provided the international take.

Now, to finish the job, there’s the VF Sportwagon and Ute, which will be part of the line-up when the VF Commodore makes its Australian market debut in mid-year. The VF Calais V Sportwagon showcar continues on the sophisticated theme, and the VF SSV Ute pairs it off with its brilliant orange sedan sibling.

All three body styles – sedan, Sportwagon and Ute – will go on sale at the same time. The VF is set to continue validation testing in the form of road-going trials until then, and by the time it arrives, it’ll have covered more than 1.4 million kilometres of evaluation.

Powertrains should continue on from that available for the VE, ranging from a 255 hp and 290 Nm 3.0 litre LF1 Spark Injection Direct Injection V6 right up to a 6.0 litre Generation IV V8, the L77.

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The slew of new VF Commodore variants and showcases continues. Earlier previewed by the VF Calais V and VF SS V, the next to pop up is the US-bound Chevrolet SS, which made its Stateside debut at Daytona. It’s due to make its market debut there in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The Chevrolet SS wears a LS3 Chevrolet 6.2 V8, which is expected to deliver 415 hp and and 563 Nm of torque. It’s the same mill as found in the 2013 Corvette, and here is married to a six-speed automatic transmission, with TAPshift paddles mounted on the steering wheel.

The promise of sporty comes with a near 50/50 weight distribution and low centre of gravity, made possible in part by the aluminum hood and rear deck lid that are 30% lighter than traditional steel panels.

Standard kit includes Brembo brakes with ventilated 355 mm rotors and two-piece, four-piston front calipers, as well as 19-inch forged aluminum wheels, wrapped with 245/40 and 275/35 rear rubbers.

The interior features leather seats, a Bose nine-speaker premium sound system, colour HUD and push-button ignition among others, and a SS emblem is prominently stitched onto the soft-touch instrument panel.

Electronic assist items include StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Side Blind Zone Alert and a rear-vision camera. The SS will also be the first Chevrolet to offer Automatic Parking Assist.

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Holden’s new VF Commodore, which was previewed by the VF Calais V showcar earlier in the week, has again shown off its upcoming form, this time in sported-up fashion. The US-bound Chevrolet SS Sports Sedan is due to be unveiled, and ahead of that comes the VF SS V, which has been amped up a little.

What’s on the VF SS V offers a different take than that earlier in the week; where the Calais V show vehicle emphasised luxury, the SS V offers a more performance-oriented outlook for the new Commodore. Leading the parade is an eye-catching custom Kandy ‘Fantale’ orange metallic paint specially created for the show car, contrasted against gloss black 20-inch twin five-spoke wheels.

Sport elements include front Brembo brake calipers done in gloss silver, projector headlamps with black bezels and a host of accent items finished in custom gunmetal chrome, these being the sports grille, lower air intake, vertical fender vents and window surrounds.

Inside, the SS V benefits from a sleek, new interior design layered with up-scale finishes of suede, galvano chrome, gloss black and perforated leather with accent stitching. Motorsport-inspired touches to the detailing include a carbon-fibre look cross-car applique, stitched leather instrument binnacle and sports profile leather steering wheel.

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Over in Australia, Holden has unveiled its Calais V luxury sports concept, which previewes the design direction of the upcoming Commodore facelift, expected to begin selling around mid-year. The new VF will constitute a major rework of the fourth-gen sedan, which was introduced in 2006 in its VE form. The new car is set to make its way Stateside, as the Chevrolet SS.

The new-look flagship Calais V-Series introduces a premium upgrade to both interior and exterior elements – outside, there’s more flamboyant and contemporary surfacing, and the bolder look has also translated into improved aerodynamic performance. Twenty-inch, double ten-spoke show car alloys help things along visually.

The interior gets a significant rework – everything from the instrument panel, instrument cluster graphics, binnacle hood, centre stack and flow-on console layouts to the steering wheel, seats, storage and lighting has been redesigned, with improved placement of control and function switchgear.

Also on, new redesigned seats featuring improved upholstery material – on the show car, a combination of fine-grained light titanium leather with suede and perforated leather inserts.

Plenty of tech gear on call in the Calais V, with Auto Park Assist, Head-up Display and Reverse Traffic Alert on the list. The company says that the car boasts a range of technology firsts for a local vehicle, one designed, engineered and built in Australia.

No mention made of what the VF Commodore range will wear in terms of powertrains, but it shouldn’t veer from what’s available now for the VE, starting from a 255 hp and 290 Nm 3.0 litre LF1 Spark Injection Direct Injection V6 right up to a 6.0 litre Generation IV V8, the L77.

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They do love their muscle cars Down Under, and local manufacturer Holden didn’t disappoint at AIMS 2012 with a raft of hairy-chested, horsepower-crazy machines brooding on its Holden Special Vehicles stand. Enjoying its first reveal was the HSV 25th Anniversary GTS, powered by a 6.2 litre LS3 V8 that kicks out 436 hp and 550 Nm of torque.

As the name suggests, the sedan celebrates the performance arm’s 25th birthday and is limited to 125 units for Australia and 15 for New Zealand. The yellow fellow comes in other colours too, namely Heron, Sting and Phantom (that’s white, red and black). Price? Just shy of AUS$85k (RM267k).

Additions on to the regular GTS include Satin Graphite 20-inch forged alloys (which save over 22 kg over the standard wheels and reduce unsprung weight by 8%), ‘Vector’ hood scoops and side vents. There’s also a six-piston brake package that comes with bigger brake pad areas. Transmission choices are a six-speed manual or six-speed auto with Active Select.

What’s an Aussie motor show without utes? The Maloo R8 was there, powered by the same V8 as in the GTS and featuring a remote locking hard tonneau. The mean load-lugger also gets 20-inch forged alloys and the same transmission choices. Also on the HSV stand was the Clubsport and the Senator Signature sedans, again powered by the same engine.

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As part of its ongoing 25th anniversary celebrations, Australia’s Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) has released details of a new limited edition GTS. It comes hot on the heels of the range realignment HSV launched in August, which saw the re-introduction of the ClubSport and Maloo nameplates to its line-up.

Powered by a 436 hp 6.2 litre V8 engine, the HSV 25th Anniversary GTS features a number of styling, performance and technology upgrades.

The list starts with the addition of lightweight 20-inch forged alloys finished in Satin Graphite, saving over 22 kg over the standard GTS wheels and reducing unsprung weight by 8%. “Vector” hood scoops and side vents combine with the forged alloys to deliver “menacing street appeal”.

From a performance perspective, HSV has added six-piston brakes which, with a 50% increase in pad area, deliver optimum braking performance, while technology gets a boost with the addition of HSV’s Side Blind Zone Alert, which should work like Volvo’s BLIS.

Limited to just 125 units in Australia, with each build plate individually numbered, the 25th Anniversary GTS will be available in Heron, Sting, Phantom and Hazard colours and will also feature some unique ornamentation including seat embroidery, exterior badging, sill plates, EDI “start-up” screen and an internal ID plate.

It’s quite good value. With over $7,500 of added extras, HSV’s 25th Anniversary GTS will be available at a recommended retail price of $84,990, just $2,000 more than the regular GTS. The car will make its debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney later this month.

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Aussie fettlers Walkinshaw Performance has unveiled this Holden Cruze (Chevrolet Cruze in Malaysia) in their home market down under. Based on the Series II SRi-V hatchback, they’ve managed to extract 241 hp and 310 Nm of torque from the turbocharged 1.4 iTi engine (factory output figures are 138 hp and 200 Nm).

The tuning company touts this as “the first Australian made Cruze Hatch with Australian engineered WP upgrades” – that improve handling and braking – although it has not gone into specifics on the kind of upgrades or the price. You can see from the pictures below though, that there are some unique WP seats, wheels and twin tailpipes amongst others. WP says there are a “range of custom packages to suit any budget.”

Our domestic-market Cruze is the 1.8 LT, available only in sedan form. The twin-cam Ecotec powerplant produces 140 hp and 176 Nm of torque. Read our two test drive reports of the global sedan, here and here.

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You’ve seen the Chevrolet Trax, which will premiere in Paris in September. Here’s what the new small SUV set to roll off from GM Korea will look like badged with a Holden grille.

Australia is set to get the five-seater – which sits on a GM Gamma II platform also worn by the Opel and Vauxhall versions of the Mokka as well as the Buick Encore – in 2013, one of the 140 markets worldwide that the vehicle will be sold in. Still no details about the Trax, but expect to see powertrains and equipment levels close to that found on the Mokka.

Eagled-eyed Oz folk might be able to catch a glimpse of what’s in store ahead of the arrival, because Trax development mules are on Australian roads – Holden’s expertise in engine and transmission calibration has been called upon as part of the completion of development work on the global program.

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Australia is set to export a car model to the US next year – the yet-to-be-launched Holden VF Commodore is set to make its way into the North American market as the new Chevrolet SS performance sedan.

The limited-production derivative of the VF will also become Chevrolet’s next NASCAR Sprint Cup racecar, debuting in its race configuration at the Daytona 500 in 2013. When the car arrives, it will be the first time in 17 years that Chevy will be offering a rear-wheel-drive sedan for sale in the US.

Holden, of course, is no stranger to the North American market – the company was responsible for the design and engineering of the Chevrolet Camaro, while the VE Commodore was sold as the Pontiac G8, and it is currently exporting the Chevrolet Caprice police patrol vehicle to the US.

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We posted two days ago about the possibility of a hatchback version of the Chevrolet Cruze appearing at the upcoming Paris Motor Show, and here’s the said car in its full glory, revealed by GM ahead of its official debut. While it wears a Chevrolet badge and will be a global car, this five-door Cruze show car was designed by Holden in Melbourne. GM’s Aussie outpost will start building it late next year.

According to Holden chief designer Richard Ferlazzo, his team spent more than 12 months working with GM designers from across the globe to develop this car. “Our brief was to create an alternative body style to the traditional sedan that retained the same dynamic proportions that has made Cruze such a success around the world,” he said.

Apparently, the design of the Cruze hatchback that we see here is final, as the design team created the production car first, before adapting it to look suitably glamourous for a motor show. This means that once you take off those huge wheels and fancy headlamps, you’re looking at the production Chevy Cruze hatchback.

This five-door Cruze, which sits on GM’s Delta II platform like the Opel Astra, has neat proportions and shares styling cues with the sedan – the front end is mostly identical while the profile signature line and the placement of door handles are familiar. It remains to be seen if there’s any change to the “double cockpit” interior.

Australia currently imports the Cruze sedan from Korea, badging it as a Holden. Click here to read our review of the Malaysian market Chevrolet Cruze 1.8.

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GM’s Australian arm Holden will resume exports of its big Series II Commodore saloon to Brazil, to be sold as the Chevrolet Omega in the South American country from November this year. This niche-volume program marks the return of Holden exports to Brazil which ran from 1998 with the VT-based Chevrolet Omega till 2008.

Holden will ship over 600 units of the Chevrolet Omega, which will be represented in Brazil by racing icon Emerson Fittipaldi. The special edition car will be called Omega Fittipaldi. Fittipaldi was the F1 champion in 1972 and 1974 with Lotus and McLaren, before switching to IndyCar racing in the US, where he won the Indianapolis 500 in 1989 and 1993 and the IndyCar drivers’ championship in 1989.

This year is the 40th anniversary of the Brazilian’s first F1 victory (Watkins Glen, USA on 4 October). Since retiring from racing he has become a strong advocate and an investor in ethanol production in Brazil. To sell in Brazil, a car needs to be flex fuel compliant, and the Omega will be powered by Holden’s locally-built 3.6 litre SIDI V6 engine initially capable of running on blends of up to 25 per cent ethanol.

Holden Chairman and MD Mike Devereux said this development is a step in the recovery process after the challenges of the financial crisis. “We’re really pleased to work with Chevrolet Brazil and to rebuild targeted export programs which add value to Holden’s domestic business. Holden’s Chevrolet Omega program for Brazil shows that niche export opportunities are beginning to emerge as we recover from the challenges of the global financial crisis.”

Full specs will be revealed in October at the 26th International São Paulo Auto Show, where the Omega Fittipaldi will make its public debut. More pics after the jump.

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According to reports from Australian publication Go Auto, General Motors might be showcasing a Chevrolet Cruze hatchback alongside the new Aveo and Orlando at this year’s Paris Motor Show.

GM Holden is said to have links with the design of the hatchback model (essentially an Optra5 replacement) which was done at its design facility in Melbourne, Australia. This would also mean that the hatchback will be built at the GM Holden factory in Adelaide and is expected to cater for the Australian, Asian and European market. In Europe, it will likely be positioned as a cheaper alternative to its platform-mate, the Opel Astra.

The car won’t vary too much from the standard sedan and will be put into production sometime in 2011. It will also be based on the same platform and mechanics as the Cruze sedan, with some speculating that it might have better suspension and handling.

Holden on the other hand have not confirmed any reports of its appearance at Paris but went on to make this statement.” There will be some exciting news coming out of the Paris motor show and the Chevy reveals for the Australian market,” Holden external communications director Emily Perry speaking to GoAuto. Truth or fiction, we’ll find out when the Paris Motor Show rolls out the carpet on the 30th of September.

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If you’ve ever dreamt of hearing the growl of a 5.0 L Ford “Boss 302″ SVO V8 in South East Asia, it might be closer than you think. Bernie Ecclestone is trying to get the Australian V8 Supercar Series to conduct a support race at the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix.

This comes after news that Martin Whitaker, who is CEO of the Aussie series, told an Australian publication “He (Ecclestone) would love to have us there in an earlier timeslot. It’s better for the spectators, better for the city and puts an extra four hours on to the show as far as Singapore is concerned”.

However, there is the problem of clashing television rights of V8 (who are under Channel 7) and F1 (Network Ten) in Australia. Whitaker went on to say that the TV issue is something that they have to work on, before the Singapore deal is confirmed. Ongoing negotiations also means that the release of the 2011 calendar for the Aussie series will be delayed.

The race series itself is a competition between cars based on the Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore. Based on three categories, class A consists of V8 cars employing either the 5.0 L Ford “Boss 302″ SVO or the 5.0 L Chevrolet small block race-engine producing over 600 horses in cars that weigh a minimum of 1355kgs.

Most of the races take place in different states in Australia, with added legs in New Zealand, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. Thus it would be an added variety of motorsport in the region, if this race series takes off in the region.

Source

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GM’s Australian car company Holden will take charge of the development of a 5-door hatchback version of the Chevrolet Cruze, which would be the replacement for the Chevrolet Optra5 which was sold here in Malaysia. The project will cost AU$600 million and Holden will build it alongside the Cruze sedan at its Elizabeth plant in South Australia from Q3 2010 onwards, and the company also intends to export it.

Holden says it needs a hatchback car as they claim Australia’s largest passenger car segment in terms of volume consists roughly half of hatchbacks. It used to bring the Astra in as an offering but decided to stop because of currency fluctuations.

Holden will use the Cruze platform (of which global platform also underpins the new Astra) and build a hatchback version positioned in a more upmarket position compared to the Cruze sedan. It will have an “European” feel that will lean more towards how the Astra feels rather than the Cruze, thanks to steering and suspension input from Holden.

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General Motors has revealed Vauxhall’s interpretation of the Chevy Volt which will be offered in a right hand drive form, and that potential buyers can expect a production version by 2012. Based on the Chevy Volt and the Opel Ampera, this almost similar looking Vauxhall Ampera also features the Voltec electric propulsion system, meaning for journeys of up to 60 kilometers, it runs on electricity stored in the 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery pack and this is done by emitting zero emissions.

Once energy in the battery pack is depleted, electricity generated from an engine-generator extends the Ampera’s range to more than 500 km. Recharging can be performed via a 230 volt house hold power outlet. GM also revealed that its Australian subsidiary Holden, will offer its own version of the Volt/Ampera for the Australian market. Personally, the Ampera looks a little better than the more down to earth Volt. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

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Holden and the Australian government will spend hundreds of millions of Australian dollars upgrade the automaker’s Adelaide plant to build a small car powered by a 4-cylinder engine. The Australian federal government will provide AU$149 million while the Adelaide state government will top up another AU$30 million, and this amount will be matched by Holden for a total of AU$358 million.

The car will be build from Q3 2010 onwards and will be powered by direct injection petrol and diesel engine engines, with planned support for E85, LPG and CNG in the future. This model could be a badge engineered version of the new Chevrolet Cruze. The Chevrolet Cruze’s predecessor (Chevrolet Optra) is currently sold in Australia as the Holden Viva sedan.

The delay in production could be due to Holden waiting for the next generation engine family for the Cruze to be released, since their press released mentioned direct injection across the board. The Cruze was originally promised to debut with a 1.4 litre turbocharged direct injection engine but so far launches have only featured a line-up of normally aspirated “old school” engines. The new family of “downsized” Ecotec engines may be in final stages of testing.

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