Holden Special Vehicles, HSV, recently revealed its first Holden Colorado-based vehicle, the SportsCat, but the tuning and conversion division may have plans for something hotter.
Motoring reported on Tuesday that HSV has begun studying the possibility of a true Ford Ranger Raptor rival. Ford has confirmed the off-road performance pickup will debut in Australia, leaving Holden and HSV without an answer at present.
Right now, the company is looking at either locally developed addition to the SportsCat lineup, or potentially converting the 2018 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 to right-hand drive. HSV boss Tim Jackson left the future vehicle as an open-ended question.
“We are not very far down the line,” said Jackson. “We have done one Colorado SportsCat, now what does the next one look like? Where should we take it? Where should we go?”
Although the HSV SportsCat offers an optional SupaShock suspension, the pickup is still meant mostly for on-road driving. The Ranger Raptor will be positioned as a mid-size off-road machine.
Interestingly, HSV also hasn’t closed the door on a Colorado performance variant, either. The off-road pickup under consideration is a different project from what may potentially be called the Wildfire. Originally, the HSV Wildfire was rumored to pack a twin-turbo V6 engine. Motoring reported HSV continues to have issues with the truck’s electrical management.
Comments
The question is can they do better truck and keep it with in the price range of the Raptor Ranger.
Zr2 plus 2.7 I4.
Done
Sorry Arctic Dog I agree with Dee. 5.3L ZR2
Zr2 plus 5.3
Done
Chevrolet could seriously be kicking a lot more butt and taking a lot more names and getting a lot more sales if they would position themselves better in the market. Even in the US market. First and foremost, they need to take on Dodge’s muscle car lineup in a big way. the new VSS-R platform that is coming in a few years needs to have not only the new Camaro but also a new high performance sedan (Chevy Nova) and the next generation Chevrolet blazer crossover. Those three need to take over for the performance lineup with a base 2.7L 330hp turbo-4, A 405HP 5.3L, A 495HP 6.2l N/A, a 550hp 7.0L and lastly a 750hp LT5 6.2L Supercharged V8. As far as Trim Levels go in the same order as the engines you would have the Camaro LT (LT Classic, LT 1LE, LT Berlinetta) RS (1RS, 2RS, 3RS & RS 1LE), SS (1SS, 1SS Classic, 2SS, 2SS, SS-1LE) Z28, ZL1 (ZL1 & ZL1 1LE), for the Nova sedan you have the LT, RS, SS, SS-R, Super Nova and lastly for the Blazer the trim levels would be the LT, RS, SS, SS-T (Track) and SS-R (Race). Once you have that in place you can drop the Spark, the sonic, the Impala, the Trax. The Chevy Cruze should also live on the VSS-R platform but in hatchback form only. This car should battle the likes of the Subaru WRX/STI, VW Golf-R, the Mercedes Benz A-series AMG hatch and the BMW M2, with three turbocharged options. The first option being a 350hp 2.7L Turbo-4 cylinder base model, the second should be the 420hp 3.0L V6 RS model with an optional high performance turbo-4 diesel option and lastly the 464hp 3.6L Twin turbo V6 SS model. All of them should have AWD but with different options as they go up. The SS package should have basically the ZL1 Camaro suspension and tire size setup, Corvette Z06 Brakes, an ultra high performance all-wheel drive setup, 10-speed automatic with the ZL1-configuration along with the optional Tremec 6-speed manual, selectable drive modes including one that can put 90% of the power to the rear wheels, heated and cooled Recaro seats, impressive aerodynamics, upgraded engine cooling and oiling systems, and a few other things to put it so far ahead of the Focus RS that it will become forgotten. Keep the Malibu as the more pedestrian sedan with the lift back and wagon like the Regal offer engines like the 310hp 2.7L turbo engine in an Premium luxury package (rivaling the Buick Avenir packages), the 335hp 3.6L V6 as a sportier RS package with Brembo brakes, performance AWD, Magnetic ride lowered performance 1LE type suspension for the FWD based AWD setup, dual mode exhaust, Recaro seats, premium stereo system, alcantara steering wheel, performance calibrated 9-speed auto, aerodynamic upgrades and things like along with a base Malibu with the 1.6L, a diesel option, a hybrid option and an electric option. Above that you have your SUV and crossover lineup with a new Rear wheel drive based Traverse with options ranging from a 270hp 2.0T base variant, a 335hp 3.6L N/A for the High Country, RS, LTZ and Z71 off road variants and a 385hp 5.3L V8 SS along with a hybrid variant. all of these should have the 10-speed auto behind them and AWD and of course different suspensions and things like that. The SS obviously should have dual exhaust, Brembo brakes, magnetic ride unique styling and wheels, unique interior and all of that stuff and I would even go as far as to put a hood on it styled like the ’70-’71 Chevelle SS cowl induction just to add a slight nod to the performance. Glad to see the Tahoe and Suburban moving towards the independent rear suspension. Tahoe needs a Z71 Blazer off road performance package like the blazer of old. Would be nice to see it as a two door big and bad off road truck with knobby tires a tuned 5.3L V8 and a diesel option with GM Performance accessories and things like that. The RST performance package is cool but most of us would rather see a true performance Chevrolet Silverado SS pickup but before I get into that the Colorado is a point I don’t want to skip. Australia has the HSV Sports Cat which needs to be up here pronto and it needs to be the performance oriented street & light off road mid-size truck and it needs the 420hp 3.6L twin turbo V6 under the hood with the 10-speed auto, performance suspension, brakes, upgradable options, wheels and everything else. Lastly the Silverado 1500 needs and SS Variant pickup and it needs 500hp, AWD, huge Brembo brakes, high performance suspension, high flow dual exhaust and everything that an SS pickup truck should have. Next up there should be a Duramax V8 diesel powered ZR2 1500 pickup that should be the toughest muddiest, dirtiest, off road truck there is. This isn’t a dune jumping lunatic but a real off-road capable 1500-series pickup truck designed to go in deep mud holes and come out on the other side, take that hunter all the way into the woods and tackle the rough side of the mountain and at the end of the day, carry you back home with road manners and peacefulness like a modern day truck should. This truck should have an intake snorkel, dual stacks out the bed, 35″ tires, a 4″ lifted suspension designed to tackle anything, bead lock wheels, detectable sway bars, Dana axles, front and rear winches, off road bumpers, rock guards, skid plates, lower engine covers to keep water away from the engine bay including the grille shutters, flared fenders, lower body armor, optional body graphics, a rugged interior that can be hosed down to clean, powerful stereo system, roof lights, dual panel sunroof, etc. Having a truck like that from the factory would be completely awesome.
Another thing Chevrolet needs to work on is having more street legal factory tuned options and packages such as suspension upgrades, brake upgrades, engine upgrades (cold air intakes, throttle bodies, intake manifolds, head and cam packages, full top end packages with ECUs) short tube headers, catback exhaust systems with more options & brands such as Borla, Corsa, Magnaflow and SLP with the options for the dual mode systems along with a Chambered Camaro exhaust system), different GM Accessories wheel options maybe from companies such as Vossen, BBS and other high end companies, upgraded stereo systems from companies like Pioneer, Alpine, Kicker, MTX, & Rockford Fosgate and things like that, this way customers can truly upgrade their vehicles and have their warranties because GM would have already picked the optimal sizes for different vehicles so that now you don’t have to go to the aftermarket to get stuff and void your warranty. If GM were to do that, what reason would there be to go to anything else? Even with just focusing on the Chevrolet lineup, there is a vehicle in this lineup that fits every genre of car. Electric, hybrid, pedestrian (commuter/daily driver) performance, entry level luxury, crossover, SUV, and trucks!
Oh I completely forgot about an extremely important segment, the electric segment. Chevrolet needs to bring out a few electric vehicles. One of which should be the FNR-X which should be a crossover type vehicles to out perform anything from Tesla all while being seriously luxurious and competing with the Jaguar electric crossover and the Ford EVOS. There should also be a sedan to compete with the Volvo Polestar-1 performance sedan with a modern take on classic styling. To be honest, this would be a very good spot for the Impala to take over and it would be the first all-electric car to sport the SS moniker. Also there should be two variants of the Camaro Z/28, there should be a stripped down track variant IROC-Z/28 and a regular Z/28 that has the full interior and everything else just like Ford’s GT350 Mustang and GT350R Mustang but with more tech and comfort than the GT350. GM also needs to bring back the red outlined black bowtie emblems on the performance vehicles, the blue GM Bowtie on their trucks and SUVs with the classic “Chevrolet” script, the gold bowtie on the commuter type vehicles and silver bowties on the electric & hybrid vehicles. Another couple of things that I forgot on the 1500 Silverado, a lot of companies have been doing the whole retro-look Cheyenne Super-10 package, which looks really good and has gained a lot of popularity which is something Chevrolet could really stand to do. A Silverado Cheyenne Super-10 Custom pickup with the 2.7L & 5.3L options along with a small turbo diesel, classic styling with the graphics package, silver painted grille, chrome bumpers, all terrain tires, Z71 suspension, a dual exhaust system with a set of higher flowing turbo mufflers to give the truck that classic sound without being loud, light colored cloth interior in greys, tans and browns, classic looking 20″ wheels that look like the old truck rally steel wheels, etc. The WT should also be renamed “Scottsdale” and other than that, that’s about it.
There were two other Chevrolet Vehicles I neglected to mention, the Equinox and the Corvette. The equinox and Malibu are pretty much synonymous with commuter type vehicles that rely more on styling and options rather than hot performance and things of that nature (which is why I over looked it) The equinox should appeal to the college commuter, the artist and those who love all things simplistic, yet techy. Like a quiet café on a cobblestone street, or a downtown apartment, tweed and wicker furniture, a cup of green tea all with a touch of laundry out on the line on a late summers eve while sitting out on your patio looking over the city. a vehicle themed as simply as a single speed commuter bike. a Hybrid electric setup with the 1.6L Ecotec turbo four-cylinder engine and a CVT transaxle with a seamless awd system should power this crossover for smooth, easy transportation around the city and highway with near silent operation as the cabin should be completely hushed. There should be large windows, a dual panoramic retractable sunroof to let in the most air and sunlight possible, 19×8″ “wire spoke” design polished wheels wrapped 215/45R18 touring tires to go along with the commuter bicycle theme. the car should have LED lighting with bright trim. Just like a bicycle, this vehicle should not be afraid of a day at the beach or a picnic in the park or even a trip to the local café.
The Corvette, on the other hand, is a whole different story. I believe that Chevrolet and the Corvette have reached the point where it’s time for the Corvette to be able to fully spread its wings and to do so. I believe it needs to live life away from the nest at a new dorm on the College campus of Cadillac. It’s time for the vette to become an AWD, mid-engine 650hp DOHC twin turbo v8 with a 10-speed DCT transaxle setup with a high performance 200hp 2-speed electric motor up front, a very luxurious and performance oriented interior and everything else that Cadillac can give it. This was the Corvette will be a true Lamborghini competitor. Would also be nice if Cadillac became a serious competitor with the AMG cars from Mercedes Benz and BMW’s M-series cars with a broadened lineup of V-Sport and V-Cars along with new models like an 8-series and S-Class coupe fighter such as the Elmiraj along with cars to compete with the rest of the AMG and M series cars. Along with all that, the Escalade needs a redesign. I needs to have no resemblance to the Tahoe, Suburban, or Yukon. It needs to be edgier, sleeker and more upscale than it is now.