Holden To Launch 10 New Models Over 20 Months

Ask Holden boss Mike Devereux about the 'state of the nation' at Holden and you might come away with the impression that the shaky times of the past year or so never happened at all.

If nothing else, parent company GM's recent battle through bankruptcy seems like little more than ancient history for Holden, with the company announcing today that it will launch 10 new models and variants over the next 20 months.

“Over the next year and a half Australian customers will see a roll-out of new Holden product like they’ve never seen before. We will have new, world-class, market-leading Holden vehicles competing in almost every segment in this market,” Mr Devereux said today.

Mr Devereux pointed to the upcoming entry-level Barina Spark and next year's Holden Cruze Hatchback as examples of GM's global strength - and of Holden's local design and engineering expertise.

“Spark is just the beginning with more fresh and original vehicles in the pipeline from our global and local design teams," he said.

The Holden design team has been responsible for some of the most exciting new GM cars around the world, including the awesome Chevrolet Camaro and the Cruze hatchback shown in Paris for the first time this month."

When the Cruze sedan and the new Cruze Hatchback go into production at Holden's South Australian plant next year, it will be the only locally-produced model offered in the small car segment - by far the top-selling category in the Australian new car market.

“The localisation of the Cruze sedan and hatch has been an enormous task for our manufacturing, engineering, design and other support teams.

The vehicle already has a great track record and the new program means a lot to the local economy of South Australia and supplier community,” Mr Devereux said.

Related Content

• Click to read TMR's review of the Holden Cruze
  
• Click to read TMR's review of the Holden Barina
  
• Click to read TMR's review of the Holden Captiva
  
• Click to learn more about the upcoming Holden Barina
  
• Click to learn more about the upcoming Holden Barina Spark
  
• Click to learn more about the upcoming Holden Volt
  

The Chevrolet Aveo is on its way to Australia next year also, debuting as the 2011 Holden Barina. Based on the Aveo concept that debuted at Detroit last year, the new Barina is another car with roots in Australia, its styling borne from the mind of Holden designer Ondrej Koromhaz.

The current Captiva SUV, another global GM model available in Australia since 2006, is due for a final Australian update in 2011, previewed by the 2011 Chevrolet Captiva in September.

Mr Devereux also said that Holden's localised version of the upcoming Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle, which had a 2012 launch date announced at last year's Melbourne Motor Show, is on schedule for a local launch in 2012.