mobile-menu-icon
GM Authority

HSV Backs Up Pricing For Chevrolet Camaro In Australia

Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) has backed up the hefty price tag that sits on the converted Chevrolet Camaro in Australia. The car, which is now launching nationwide, costs $85,990 AUD, or about $62,000 USD.

The comparisons come with no surprise to the Ford Mustang. Ford ships the Mustang in right-hand drive from the factory, which leads to the car costing nearly $17,000 USD less in Australia. HSV defended the Chevrolet Camaro’s price premium and noted the amount of work the company puts into swapping the controls and other elements from the left of the car, to the right.

2018 Chevrolet Camaro SS Coupe exterior 005

“If we needed to hit $66,000, it [the Camaro right-hand drive program] would never have happened,” HSV managing director Tim Jackson, said, referencing the Mustang GT’s price point.

He noted the two-door sports car market climbs well past $150,000 AUD and declared if the Mustang weren’t the baseline, he predicted everyone would call the Camaro a “great value.” HSV isn’t blind to the price and Jackson also said the Camaro clips at the upper end of the company’s ceiling.

2018 Chevrolet Camaro SS Coupe exterior 004

Jackson added if the Chevrolet Camaro stretched passed $90,000, the team likely would have taken pause. “We would have had some real cause for going ‘how will this be received? This could be too much to be received at that level,” he said.

The HSV boss revealed the decision to convert the Camaro to right-hand drive for Australia was made in 2016 after enormous pressure from customers who didn’t want to flock to a Ford dealer. HSV asked customers what they’d be comfortable with if they were to bring the car over and Jackson said the team received “lots of good feedback.”

This year, HSV will convert and build just 550 Camaros, but Jackson said the number will likely hover around 1,000 units annually in the future. He said about 70 percent of 2018’s batch has already been sold.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

Subscribe to GM Authority

For around-the-clock GM news coverage

We'll send you one email per day with the latest GM news. It's totally free.

Comments

  1. Tell me where they are selling for $85990. They are only available at HSV Dealers who are asking from $95-$99,000.

    Reply
  2. Their is big difference between retail & drive away price, most manufactures advertise drive away (out the door) price, it means less price shock becouse people know what the real price is when they start comparing.

    But $95~99k drive away if true is better than what has been available, a chop shop will import then convert a second hand (used) car for much more, chop shop cars must be sold in the USA before being shipped.

    With hsv selling “new” cars business owners can claim deprecation through their tax.

    Reply

Leave a comment

Cancel