Holden Special Vehicles, the Australian importer of the Chevrolet Camaro SS and ZL1, along with the Silverado HD, is open to bringing future electric vehicles from General Motors to the country.
HSV and parent company Walkinshaw Group say shipping one of GM’s upcoming right-hand drive EVs for the United States to Australia and then converting it to right hand drive would be the easiest way to offer such a product for sale in the country. The other option would be converting a gas or diesel vehicle already on sale in Australia to electric, although this would probably be far too complex for a company like HSV.
“When we look at electric the most likely first foray into that space is going to be a left-to-right [conversion],” Walkinshaw Group and HSV managing director Tim Jackson told Australia’s Motoring. “To bring an existing vehicle that’s not available in right-hand drive into the market is more likely than trying to change something from one to thing to another.”
If HSV ever does bring a GM EV down under to undergo a RHD conversion, it will likely be one of the automakers more expensive offerings, like the upcoming Cadillac electric SUV or the electric pickup truck. This is because American vehicles imported by HSV must be content heavy in order to offset the expense of purchasing the car from GM, shipping the car to Australia and converting it to RHD. HSV charges $86,990 AUD (about $60,150 USD) for a 2019 Camaro 2SSÂ and $159,990 AUD (about $110,500 USD) for a 2019 Camaro ZL1.
HSV ZL1
Jackson said he’d be keeping an eye out for a GM EV that would line up well with Australian tastes. In addition to the Cadillac luxury EV or electric pickup, a GM performance EV may also be well-suited to the Australian market and HSV’s buyers, or a rugged SUV.
Source: Motoring
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