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Holden:: new V8 sports car “will blow your socks off”

With the end of local Commodore production a little over a year away, there has been a good deal of uncertainty about which model in GM's global stable will debut as the hero performer in the Holden line-up.


Hopes appeared to dim earlier this year, when new GM global design chief and former Australian styling boss, Mike Simcoe, told CarAdvice he would steer well clear of discussing the topic.

"I have a passion for RWD V8s, [but] are we going to get one here in Australia? You’ll have to live on what Stefan’s told you already, I’m not going to toss a hand grenade into that debate," Simcoe said.

Despite this, GM executives have confirmed in the past that Holden will retain a V8 offering, and it will be a sports car Australians will be proud of.

While there has been speculation that the promised sports car could be a Camaro, or a Corvette, it's unlikely to be either.

Speaking to CarAdvice at the recent Holden Colorado launch, Holden executive director of sales, Peter Keley said that the new V8 sports car for Australia won't be a Ford Mustang competitor.

"No [when asked if the V8 sports car will be a Mustang competitor]. We’re not going to say anything specific about the vehicle. We are going to launch a V8 sports car and it will blow your socks off. We can’t talk specifics," Keley said.

Camaro is currently not built as a right-hand drive vehicle on its new platform, although the company's global arm has revealed that may still happen.

Likewise, the Corvette product range begins at over $70,000 before taxes and shipping costs, and it too does not offer a right-hand-drive solution.

The recent Buick Avista coupe concept may also be a preview of things to come, although the company has steered clear of any hint at a production confirmation for that offering.

Sean Poppitt, Holden director of communications, agreed with Keley, suggesting that the V8 sports car will be anything but bland.

"I don’t think anyone could be anything but blown away by the performance and handling of the car that will become our sports car. No one is going to be disappointed by that thing," Poppitt said.

With HSV yet to confirm a successor to the Commodore performance product locally, there is a chance that it could carry a higher-performance version of the product to satisfy greater demands.

Which vehicle from the GM world would you like to see locally as a V8 sports car?

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