Holden ‘trucking’ on
General Motors has today announced that GM Holden will export two new models to the North American market to live alongside the Pontiac G8.
Australians would know the Pontiac G8 sport truck as the Holden Ute. Also joining the sport truck will be Pontiac's new flagship model - the G8 GXP high performance sedan. GM Holden's chairman, Mark Reuss, had the following to say about the new export venture:
“It’s not everyday that a manufacturer announces a vehicle that creates a whole new segment in a market, but with this, the first ute export to North America in the form of the G8 sport truck, is exactly what Pontiac is doing,”
Interestingly, the G8 sport truck being exported to the US market will feature the same 6.0-litre V8 engine used for the Australian market, coupled with GM's 6-speed automatic transmission. One of the inherent differences though is the use of "Active Fuel Technology" for the US export. Active Fuel Technology - also known as Displacement on Demand - allows cylinders to be shut down in order to increase fuel economy.
The G8 GXP being sent to the US market will feature GM's 6.2-litre LS3 small-block V8 motor. Although Holden wouldn't speculate on whether this engine would be introduced for the Australian market, we believe there is a good chance we'll see the engine enter Holden's lineup at some point in the future.
Producing exactly 300kW, the LS3 small-block pumps out 546Nm of torque and is the newest member to GM's small-block V8 family.
Both vehicles will be shown at the New York International Motor Show which runs from March 21st - 30th.
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