Purists and Australian muscle faithful have a few more months of local Holden VF Commodore production before the brand says so long to the Zeta platform for good. However, there is some good news on the horizon for those yearning for a V8 and rear-wheel drive down under.
A new report from Wheels states a right-hand drive program for the Chevrolet Camaro has officially been given the green light and would head to Australia to fill a void the sixth-generation Ford Mustang has most recently covered. But, the RHD program isn’t an overnight ordeal.
General Motors will reportedly hold out until the seventh-generation Chevrolet Camaro is ready to roll for a RHD, Australian introduction. Right now, that pegs a debut around 2020. Previously, Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer, stated his team was watching the Australian market carefully, keeping an eye on how the Ford Mustang performed with consumers; since the Mustang’s introduction in Oz, the pony car has swayed 6,000 buyers a year.
It’s understood support for the program is also coming from very high up in GM, with newly-minted GM deign chief, Michael Simcoe, lobbying for the Camaro to reach Australian shores. Simcoe hails from Australia and has deep ties to Holden.
The program is also reportedly being developed with a fail-safe, too, should the Australian market’s love affair for V8s, rear-wheel drive and sporting intention tank. GM is said to have until 2019 to pull the plug on a RHD Camaro should the market lapse.
But, with Ford Mustang orders continuing to pile up, Holden’s Camaro seems to nearly be cemented in.
Comments
Good start, now do an El Camaro Ute.
Camaro7 will also have a 4-door version, called Impala in the US, and Commodore in Oz…
All GM needs to do for Holden and Buick, is dust off the BUICK AVISTA, 2 door and 4 door models. After we all the Alpha platform is there and underutilized as the ATS coupe and sedan. Spread the R&D, across 4 divisions, common platform but with unique styling and powerplants for each division.
#JohnForGMCEO
hell no
i dont wanna camaro with holden logo
eff gm
they destroye Themselves
Hooray we may now get it in U.K. As well – just need Cadillac to do the same – come on GM now Vauxhall has gone we need something special.
In 2013 I was in London and saw a 5th gen Camaro convertible parked on the street one day. IT was the strangest thing since I didn’t think they were available there.
GM is currently re engineering their alpha platform for RHD which will underpin the next generation of Cadillac sedans & the 7th gen camaro. they plan to bring Cadillac back into Europe in 2019/2020 once their line up is filled and they have proper engine choices for the euro market.
Mustang sales are through the roof in Australia, so why is GM procrastinating on RHD Camaro. That’s giving Ford a mighty head start. No 8 pot Holdens after the demise of the VF Commodore. Sad days indeed.
The reason why they are waiting is they are already in on the new 7th gen car and it would be just more added expense and limited profits for all it would sell. Better to just finish the new car and just be about a year late compared to if they did the present car starting now.
Also I think if you watch it will follow the ATS and CTS with their moves to the CT numbered new models.
The Alpha is in for a major redo so they will set all of the models up for RHD.
As for why the present car did not get it. Well for one when it was developed Australia and Europe were not really a consideration on the Alpha as GM left bankruptcy. They were just worrying about the markets they were in here. Short sighted but then again hind sight is 20/20.
The key here is GM is doing it and they are moving to make the Camaro truly a global GT.
When looking at timelines you need to consider budgets, new platforms and even man power as they only have so many people to work on so many programs at a time and can only pay for so many at once also.
I agree, however, the focus of my comment is the massive head start that they have arch rival Ford with their Mustang. Ford were savvy enough to introduce the Mustang well before the demise of the Falcon and is selling gang busters. GM have known since the Abbott Government was elected that Australian manufacturing would become defunct, as predicted by the boss of BMW.
Rumour and innuendo has surrounded GM’s V8 rear wheel drive VF replacement since their shutdown announcement, plenty of time to move a steering wheel. Playing catch-up seems to be what GM (H) have been doing since the introduction of the Falcon and Valiant models in the early sixties.
The Ford GM rialry is much the same as here in the US in the performance segment.
There is little cross shopping and the. Camaro will be in great demand when it arrives.
I deal with many performance customers there and am familiar with the type of buyer for these cars.
Also as for numbers while the Mustang is doing well the numbers compared to here are modest. The Camaro will be the same as it is a very small market.
The reality is they are not going to move anywhere near the numbers we move here no matter how much demand. The total population there is comparable to just several of out programs largest states.
The reality is your sales are seen more as add on sale vs primary sales.
I am not disparing you market but the numbers are small and are not a priority when it comes to products like this. Like in our market the sales of smaller higher volume cars are where the money is made.
The challenge of the Mazda 3 and a Toyota trucks are more important to the bottom line than a Camaro vs Mustang deal.
G’day
Your points are valid. The population of Australia is 6% of the USA. Holden was once the very big fish in an extremely small pond, that no longer applies. There are far too many makes and models for our Australian population to support, as Opel found when they tried taking on their Holden counterparts. Big, comfortable rear wheel cars are, unfortunately, becoming dinosaurs. The performance car market is shrinking as the younger population seem intent on driving shopping trolleys. These same people don’t support motor racing, so the beat goes on
Hyundai and KIA are both unveiling rear wheel drive, six cylinder models here later this year, just as our home grown rear wheel drive Holden’s sink over the horizon. At this point in time, I’ll find it more than difficult to choose a new vehicle, when the time comes, but it will be rear wheel drive. As you point out Ford people don’t buy GM (Holden here) and visa versa. So I’ve got to choose an all wheel drive Commodore (Opel) if I stay with my 50 years of Holden ownership, call me one eyed, or look at BMW/Audi. Yes the Mazda’s , Toyota’s , Hyundai’s ,KIA’s, Nissan’s have inherited the earth.
One alarming fact for the Ford Mustang owners, is the very poor ANCAP safety rating, 2 out of 5 is not what I’d call flash. I would only hope that Camaro can improve on that figure, sloping rear roofs don’t help.
Cheers
At $AU 70,000 Ford are making a huge profit on the Mustang and it will be no different with the Camaro. There is absolutely no discounting here and every car is sold before delivery. It is a perfect market for these cars. It might be a smallish market but it is bigger than Canada’s and anywhere else outside the US. The money is there if they want it.
News just in. Theyre talking about pricing a 2018 RHD conversion Camaro at AU$90000. Shot themselves in the foot before it’s even started. An AU$20K difference is nothing to sniff at. Sigh.
That’s the best news from GM in years! Hopefully this now means the Chevrolet brand will again be available to Australians. It was 1969 when an Australian GMH (GM) dealer last offered Chevrolets and of course the former Pontiac brand.
So for the past 47 years any Chevrolet passenger cars to make it to Australia had to be privately imported. It’s been even longer in the case of Cadillac.
Whatever you do GM, don’t under any circumstances market the CHEVROLET Camaro as a Holden. Simply retire the Holden brand and let GM-Australia finally join the international community with the CHEVROLET & CADILLAC brands.
The future for GM in Australia is without question based on Chevrolet and Cadillac.
So the RHD Mustang will have about a 5 year “head start”. This is another example of how far behind GM is in some cases. They are total followers. Ford takes chances, (aluminum body trucks) they have enough courage to try things. They don’t always equal huge success, But at least they have the guts to try. GM? Everything is very slow, safe, calculated and more and more often, what does SAIC/China want.
Next year is 2018, Cadillac CT3 (Replacement for ATS/CTS) in 2019 or as 2019 model, 7th Gen Camaro 2019 or as 2019 model, next gen alpha chassis, lighter then last gen, something ford don’t have, Next generation trucks/SUV’s will use the same tech in welding as these Cadillac CT6, something ford don’t have, catching up were?
I know little about Cadillac, as I’m commenting from an Australian point of view, and we haven’t had Cadillac’s in Australia in 50 plus years, longer than the last Chev’s could be bought in Holden Dealerships. I’m a died in the wool Holden nut. Unfortunately, their market share has dropped alarmingly, not helped by the quality of many imported GM models, lemons. The VF Commodore is, without doubt, the best locally manufactured Holden ever, miles in front of any other GM based, Holden badged vehicles available in Australia, but Ford have stolen the race on a V8 replacement for their range. So, catch up it is, unfortunately,
One has to wonder how much weight the next generation Camaro will lose over the current generation as General Motors will wring out the fat in their advanced CAD/CAM work as they have done with every vehicle redesign over the past couple of years and whether Chevrolet will follow Ford with extensive usage of aluminum; but a right hand steering won’t just mean Chevrolet Camaro in Australia as it will mean the Camaro in Europe and Japan (as well as whether there will be a 1LE with the LTG 2.0L DOHC-4v 4-cyl turbo).
2020 ?? Holden will be gone by then. Most Aussies who still want RWD and V8 engines will have a Mustang and then sold it off. Currently 2016 model Mustangs with under 20k on he clock are for sale by the hundreds and dealers have tons of new vehicles available.. The love affair will end soon enough.
Did they think a Camaro would be a replacement for a SS Commodore ??? Hardly. Where will the kids and all the bikes and luggage go ?? SS Commodores are bought by families for daily use. Not a spurt around the block on a Sunday afternoon if the sun is shinning.
All of the above comments are worthy of General Motors consideration, however whatever the future holds for GM the bottom line is that GMs future needs to centre around just two brands, being of course the Chevrolet & Cadillac brands. GM simply has to reach a point where the same brand name is used worldwide. A Ford or a BMW is just that in global sense.
Holden (particularly Holden!) but also Vauxhall, Opel and even Buick all need to be retired. In this internet / mobile phone driven world supporting a brand name like Holden that after all has only really been around since late 1948, in such minority market like Australia simply does not make sense. To further support this you could hardly market Chevrolets Corvette and Camaro models as Holden Corvettes and Holden Comoros!
Without question GM needs to focus on Chevrolet & Cadillac. It’s 2017 and time for change Holden is nothing but ‘old school’ !
I wonder if the Australia & New Zealand markets would prefer new Holden Monaro based on the Camaro platform instead of an actual Camaro which doesn’t have a history down under.
There is enough “intellectual property” among true GM fans in this part of the world to want to see a “Chev Camaro”, not a Holden badge thrown on it.
The only real IP Holden retains is the Commodore, SS, Calais and Statesman names on home-grown sedans, stationwagons and utes . And since the factory is closing this month, it’s time to bury the Holden brand as well. There’ll be the nostalgicistas (if that’s a word) who get out of their Lazy-boys and shake their cans of VB crying; “Noooo!” but they’re not buying are they??
Chevrolet and Cadillac is where I’d put my money if I was Barra. They’ve both got recognition here, although Caddie’s rep is not too crash-hot and would take some serious and sustained rebuilding; strong marketing premium image, brilliant after sales service, and dedicated stores (like all the luxury brands, MB, Audi, Infiniti, Lexus, BMW, Ferrari, McLaren et al.).
Just be careful of those South Korean ‘piles’ [lemons] wearing a Chevrolet badge; they’re not good for the Holden image and I seriously doubt they’ll be any good for Chev either. They need to really lift their quality game with GM S.K. products because they are immediately and readily compared with the quality of the Japanese products (both Asian countries) in this part of the world.
Reply to RSBaker,
The ‘Chevrolet’ brand in Australia has a long 100 plus year history. The ‘Holden’ brand is only a new comer and has been around for just 69 years.
Without question, any Chevrolet Caprice, Chevrolet Camaro and or Chevrolet Corvette must be sold in Australia as what they are, and that’s ‘Chevrolets’. To attempt to badge theses Chevrolets as Holdens would be a big mistake for GM.
Chevrolet has a long history in Australia that dates well before a Holden ever existed. The Holden brand is dead and it’s funeral will be on October 20, 2017 when the final Australian designed and manufactured Holden rolls off the assembly line.
From October 21, 2017 GM should move quickly to rebranding its Australian GM dealerships to sell both the Cadillac and Chevrolet brand. That’s the CLEAR future for GM-Australia. Holden will join with Oldsmobile, Pontiac, La Salle, Vauxhall and Opel as former past history brands,
Reply to Carl Kelsen.
Holden being in Australia for only 69 years? I don’t think so.
Holden has been in Australia since 1856, starting as a saddlery business in Adelaide, South Australia. The Company progressed through car upholstery repairs to the full-scale production of vehicle body shells.
In 1924 Holden became the exclusive supplier of GM products in Australia.
In 1931 the two companies merged to become General Motors Holden’s, opening a new Headquarters and assemply plant in Melbourne in 1936.
After the second world war, development of Australia’s own car, the Holden began. The rest is history, and a proud one.
Your assertion that Chevrolet’s should be branded as such may be valid, and that being the case, should all the other shopping trolley’s imported by GM be rebadged as Daewoo?
I think there should be just the two brands; Chevrolet and Cadillac. But i repost this from my earlier comments/post:
‘Just be careful of those South Korean ‘piles’ [lemons] wearing a Chevrolet badge; they’re not good for the Holden image and I seriously doubt they’ll be any good for Chev either. They need to really lift their quality game with GM S.K. products because they are immediately and readily compared with the quality of the Japanese products (both Asian countries) in this part of the world.’
A HOLDEN car has only existed for 69 years. The first Holden appearing in November 1948.
General Motors – Holden (GMH) however has existed in Australia prior to 1948 but GMH did not sell a HOLDEN prior to 1948. Prior to 1948 there was no such thing as a Holden car. GMH did however sell Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Vauxhall and Bedford prior to 1948.
So it’s totally incorrect to claim that a Holden car has been around any longer than 69 years.
The HOLDEN brand has been here since 1856.
CORRECTION:
A ‘Holden’ car as in a brand only started in November 1948. Just 69 years ago.
General Motors – Holdens did not offer a Holden until November 1948. Just 69 years ago
General Motors – Holdens of its lifetime, sold many brands in Australia including but not limited to Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevrolet, La Salle, Vauxhall and Bedford. Holden was just one of the brands it sold and they have only been sold for 69 years.
The above is absolute fact.
A correction to your correction.
Chevrolets were manufactured in Australia from 1918 until 1968. Total, 50 years. They have not been sold by GM since that time.
Holdens have been manufactured in Australia since 1948 and will cease in 16 days time. A total of 69 years.
69 trumps 50 any day of the week.
Fact.
GM have already stated that cars imported by Holden will be called Holden. The Opel to be named Holden Commodore here and Buick in the US, local names for local markets. The Camaros to be RHD converted by Walkinshaw will be Chevs. I have no problem with that.
Cars manufactured by GM in Korea and imported to Australia are badged Holden, not Chev. The Holden Colorado is an Isuzu, manufactured in Thailand, still a Holden. The Holden name will live on. Bring on the Corvette.
Further correction
1918 to 1948 GMH – CHEVROLET
GMH assembled Chevrolets using import chassis, engines but with Australian made (Holden bodies)
1949 to 1970 GMH – CHEVROLET
GMH assembled ‘Completely Knocked Down’ (CKD) Chevrolet and Pontiac passenger cars. These were GMH premium luxury cars selling at twice the price of the then garden variety Holden.
The last Chevrolet and Pontiac models assembled by GMH were 1968 models, but assembly of these cars continued to as late as April 1970. As an addition to this, GMH imported a small batch of 1975 Chevrolet Caprice sedans that were sold through selected major city GMH dealers during early 1976.
GMH also sold Chevrolet trucks during the 1970s. So GMH had a much longer term involvement with Chevrolet than it ever had with Holden.
The Camaros that HSV will convert to RHD for GMH fortunately, will be sold through selected GMH dealers as Chevrolets. I say fortunately as I can’t imagine a ‘Holden’ Camaro!
I agree with comment “bring on the (Chevrolet) Corvette” but firstly and most importantly the “Corvette” is in the end a CHEVROLET. I could see Chevrolet becoming the supplier of premium luxury and sporting cars in Australia while Holden could become the entry level cheaper cars as was the case in Australia during the 1950s and 1960s.
But I in the end the best solution is to simply kill off the Holden name, its time as a brand is finished. Holden dealers need to be rebranded Chevrolet dealers.