Holden Special Vehicles today unveiled the all new E Series 2 (E2) range featuring several Australian production car firsts, a significant new design theme and a number of new driver features for Australia’s favourite luxury and performance car company.
Managing Director Phil Harding said 09/09/09 was a proud day for HSV.
“We decided to make a major investment in new product, features and performance, in a time of unprecedented economic turmoil,” Mr Harding said. “The new E2 range is yet another opportunity to demonstrate the engineering and design excellence of HSV.”
A highlight of the new E2 range is the return of the GTS to the top of HSV’s performance pedigree with 325kW of power, hi-flow intermediate exhaust system with bi-modal mufflers, recalibrated Magnetic Ride Control with stiffer springs and 8.5 inch front wheels as standard.
Range Highlights Include:
- Daytime Running Lamps
- Fuel economy savings of up to 4.5 per cent
- Dramatic new frontal shockwave graphic
- New driver enhancements including ‘Competition Mode’, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Launch Control (manual only) & Extended Cruise Control
- A range of new options under the banner of ‘SV Enhanced’ including six piston front brake calipers for GTS, a new ‘Performance Suspension’ for Clubsport R8, bi-modal exhaust on ClubSport R8 sedan & Clubsport R8 Tourer, Maloo R8, Senator Signature and Grange
- No price increase on ClubSport R8, Clubsport R8 Tourer and Maloo R8
- GTS and Senator Signature rise by just $700
Phil Harding said HSV’s new 325kW GTS continued the forty year tradition of the nameplate being at the pinnacle of Australian performance motoring.
“To be able to deliver a sophisticated, striking modern day interpretation of the GTS performance saloon – at an accessible price – is a tribute to our entire team,” said Mr Harding.
The HSV Engineering story behind E2 began not long after the release of E Series in August 2006.
The VE architecture gave the HSV Engineering team a wonderful platform to work from and in the three years since, a number of refinements, revisions, updates and upgrades via the release of Grange, Maloo, Tourer and model year changes have bought HSV to the release of E Series 2.
E2 introduces a number of driver enhancements, as well as an increase in the power output for the HSV GTS to 325kW, but not at the expense of fuel economy.
Chief Engineer Joel Stoddart said one of the goals of the E2 development program was to improve fuel economy.
“We have achieved up to 4.5 per cent improvement in fuel economy, with an auto ClubSport R8 now returning 13.9 litres per 100km,” said Mr Stoddart.
Competition Mode ESC allows enthusiastic driving, while still providing a high level of support from ABS, Traction Control and Stability control systems.
ESC will be compulsory in all passenger vehicles sold in Australia from 2011.
Intelligent Launch Control comes standard in all manual transmission HSV E2s and removes the guess work from ‘off the line’ starts. Launch Control provides the ability to accelerate from a standstill to the cars maximum potential.
Extended Cruise Control provides additional confidence for the HSV E2 driver where their vehicle will not exceed the speed they have set the cruise control to. This is particularly important on downhill sections of road, greatly improving safety and minimising the risk of exceeding the speed limit.
In addition to Extended Cruise Control, HSV’s Chief Engineer Joel Stoddart said HSV’s E2 safety story extended to the introduction of stunning new Daytime Running Lamps (DRL).
“The introduction of DRLs not only make the car stand out more than ever on the road, but are also a safety feature,” Mr Stoddart said. “Recent European studies have shown that appropriate DRL’s can greatly reduce the number of multi-vehicle accidents during the day time.”
Chief of Design and Styling, Julian Quincey, said work on sketching E2 began in early 2007, not long after the original E Series began delivering record sales for HSV.
“Our customers were telling HSV they loved the differentiation the new model delivered, giving us the starting point for designing the next generation,” said Mr Quincey. “We needed a new identity that would both excite the passionate HSV buyer and equally one that could be picked out by the non car enthusiast. This meant that our overall front and rear graphics had to be substantially changed from the original E series and ideally also look lower, wider and more sporty.”
“This made the performance hood a desirable addition to the ClubSport and GTS models. The twin bonnet intakes also work well with our signature twin nostril grill and the feature lines are very dynamic with a strongly angled taper to the front of the car.”
HSV E2 also introduces a ‘shockwave’ graphic theme across the model line-up.
“The new theme runs across the front and rear graphics, design of the mesh, wheels and exhaust tips,” Mr Quincey said.
The GTS wheel repeats the Shockwave graphic which is heavily emphasised with the use of a polished front face.
Similarly the ClubSport R8 picks up the dynamic angled spoke shape inspired by the graphic.
The exhaust tips complete HSV’s striking new look with stainless steel surrounds.
Mr Quincey said the addition of ‘Daytime Running Lamps’ to the line-up made E2 stand out from the crowd.
“We felt that such a strong visual cue was crucial to the new cars identity and visibility,” continued Mr Quincey. “I am proud of the entire new package, but particularly just how striking the front of the car appears.”
HSV will launch E2 with no price increases for ClubSport R8, Maloo R8 and Tourer R8, while GTS and Senator Signature price increases have been kept to less than 1 per cent.
“To launch a new range of cars, with a stunning new look and significant driver enhancements with no or little increase in price is great news for HSV customers,” General Manager of Sales Darren Bowler said. “We’re also committed to giving customers a range of performance options to truly customise their HSV purchase.”
The HSV E2 range allows significant customisation, with a number of options available for every model, under the umbrella of ‘SV Enhanced’.
Customers choosing an SV Enhanced option will receive a new HSV exterior badge.
ClubSport R8 customers can option new ‘Performance’ suspension, bi-modal exhaust, 20 inch wheels and leather interior trim.
Clubsport R8, Tourer R8 and Maloo R8 customers have the option of bi-modal exhaust, leather interior trim and 20 inch wheels.
GTS customers can option six piston front brake callipers – with larger discs, finished in SV Enhanced yellow. This option includes a unique accent finish for the 20 inch wheel design. GTS is the only model in the E Series 2 range that includes bi-modal exhaust as standard.
Senator Signature and Grange customers can option bi-modal exhaust and 20 inch wheels.
Darren Bowler said the new range had been enthusiastically greeted by potential customers and the Dealer Network alike.
“To have dozens of customers putting deposits on HSV E2 product – sight unseen – demonstrates how strong our brand is, even in the midst of an economic downturn,” Mr Bowler said.
The new E2 HSV range will be available for test drive in selected HSV dealerships this week.
