Chevrolet Special Vehicles established in the Middle East

It’s long been suspected with E-Series HSV’s being spotted in the Middle East and its now official. GM Holden has teamed up with Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) to expand its range of exported vehicles to the Middle East.

The new export program was launched at the start of November to coincide with the recent V8 Supercar round in Dubai. The Middle East will see a LHD version of HSV’s E-Series ClubSport R8 model exported under the Chevrolet Special Vehicles logo.

The Middle East export model will be known as CR8 and as per the Australian HSV offering it will feature the LS2 6.0-litre Corvette derived engine delivering 307kw and 550 Nm of torque.

The announcement is great news for GM Holden and HSV. With over 200,000 Holden-sourced short and long wheel based vehicles sold into the region since 1998, the Middle East has been Holden’s biggest and most enduring volume export market.

Holden currently exports variants of the VE and WM sedan ranges which are sold in the region as the Chevrolet Lumina and Chevrolet Caprice. The Chevrolet Lumina ranges from the LS model (based on the VE Omega) up to the sports-based SS (based on the equivalent Commodore SS model).

“Holden has been able to partner its expertise in tailoring vehicles for the Middle East with the high performance expertise of HSV to deliver a vehicle that will deliver a great driving experience. Local buyers appreciate the luxury brands but also seek great performance and handling from their vehicles. Both the Lumina and Caprice deliver that combination and with the introduction of the CR8, consumers will be offered another exciting option” , said Alan Batey, GM Holden Executive Director – Sales and Marketing.

Car enthusiasts in the Middle East are no stranger to HSV’s Clubsport with HSV having previously prepared 20 VZ based Clubsport R’s for the Lumina CSV Championship which is run by the Bahrain International Race Circuit and sponsored by Chevrolet.

Initial reports suggest that the response from dealers in the Middle East has been very positive.

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