When Holden Special Vehicles revealed its 2018 lineup of cars, it’s clear HSV’s purpose will shift in a world where Holden doesn’t build cars. Instead, it will help the brand expand its portfolio through right-hand-drive conversions of other GM vehicles. First up for HSV? The Chevrolet Camaro SS and the Chevrolet Silverado HD.
But, the forthcoming Silverado HD won’t mark the first time a Chevy truck made its way down under. In fact, Holden imported the K8 Suburban to Australia for four years from 1998 until 2001. Noting its on-sale timeframe, sales weren’t hot.
The Holden Suburban was built at GM’s Silao, Mexico, assembly plant with factory RHD and shipped to Australia with either a 5.7-liter gasoline-powered V8 engine or a 6.5-liter turbodiesel V-8 engine. A four-speed automatic handled shifts for either engine. The SUV was a hit at home in America, but hardly the right car for Australia at the time. Holden Commodore sales would soon boom in the early 2000s, leading to a golden age at the brand.
We can’t help but wonder if a similar modern-day proposal is in the works at HSV. Clearly, Holden and GM see a market for heavy-duty trucks, hence the Silverado HD’s scheduled availability. The Silverado and Suburban still share a platform, which means an RHD conversion wouldn’t be too difficult. At the same time, SUV sales continue to boom in Australia, much like the rest of the world.
Comments
To be honest there’s a demand for American trucks purely for two reasons:
1) Hauling 5th wheelers and heavy trailers
2) Mid-size trucks don’t pack the same technology and luxury features plus only a handful have just recently received more masculine styling.
The SUV craze has hit Australia hard but most hear don’t mind buying FWD garbage sadly.
Absolute bullshit, fullsize Chev trucks were assembled here by Holden until the late 50s and the C30 up to C60 could be bought in the 70s.
The big ute market is limited only to those who can afford to buy and run these things, and have a genuine need to haul excessive weight.
At $6.00 a gallon to run these Utes the buyer had better have a real need.