Holden concept to wow Melbourne
Ford expects to take the limelight at Melbourne but has General Motors something up its sleeve?Detroit Motor Show breeds rumours aplenty -- from the arranged marriage of Nissan and Chrysler, to the death of Falcon (you can read about them both elsewhere, but not here -- they're both beat ups!). But one rumour that appears to be fact is General Motors plans to gazump Ford at the upcoming Melbourne Motor Show.
Ford Australia had rightly expected to take the lion's share of the limelight at the Melbourne show when it opened on February 29. That's when the long-awaited Orion will show its face for the first time, and with it usher in the next generation of the Blue Oval/Red Lion battle Down Under.
But Broadmeadows is now not going to get things its own way, if Detroit insiders are to be believed.
Holden will unveil its new VE Sportswagon at the event (see separate story here for range details), and there are even hints of a high-powered version of various HSV models, but neither have the muscle to oust the Ford -- either singularly or combined.
But, there's something up Team Red's sleeve and it's special enough for GM product supremo, Bob Lutz, to be talking it up. In a week when Holden's plans to export the Commodore wagon to the northern hemisphere were stymied, but news that ute was heading to North America eased the pain, Lutz let slip at Detroit that Holden would have something very special for Melbourne.
And when he did, observers described the onlooking Holden press and public affairs officials as "ashen faced"!
We can speculate what the concept might be, but we can't tell you categorically -- the secret's still too closely held. Indeed, with Holden's experience of leaks ahead of the Sydney motor show last October, insiders say there'll be an absolute news blackout on the concept until the sheets are lifted.
Just what will the concept be? How about a diesel, two-mode hybrid, high-ride cross-country version of VE Sportwagon that's half estate, half crewcab? Stranger things have happened...
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