Holden considers crossover options

Holden’s SUV range could expand well beyond the four models currently confirmed out to 2018 and include a seven-seat soft-roader based on the same architecture as the first imported Commodore due here in 2018.

At the Paris motor show last week Holden’s sister brand Opel opened up about a concerted SUV attack it is mounting, including a large all-wheel drive crossover it is developing based on the next Insignia’s E2XX architecture.

The new Insignia, which is yet to break cover, is the basis of the next-generation Commodore, which will be the first developed and built outside Australia.

The Insignia-based SUV plan, which was first revealed in 2014, is one of four crossovers Opel is developing for sale within the next few years and all of them could turn up in Australia as they will be built in right-hand drive primarily to supply General Motors’ British division Vauxhall.

“We want to make sure we continue offering that (right-hand drive) for Vauxhall customers in the UK and if Holden is a beneficiary of that that is only good,” Opel global strategy and planning chief Toscan Bennett told motoring.com.au in an exclusive interview at the show last week.

While the D-segment CUV would share its architecture with Commodore and is a big chance to come here, it is unlikely it would take that name.

However, Opel is expected to do an ‘all-terrain’ version of the next Insignia Sport Tourer (wagon) with raised ride height and cladding, as it has with previous generations and that theoretically could be part of the Commodore family, in the same way the Volkswagen Passat has the Alltrack model.

Having an all-terrain Commodore would also add significantly to the sales model’s firepower in an era where traditional medium and large car sales are plunging.

Apart from the D-segment Insignia-based vehicle, Opel is also developing C-segment Astra-size and B-segment Barina-size models in co-operation with Peugeot and based on the French company’s architectures.  They will replace the Meriva and Zafira people-movers in the line-up.

The fourth model under development is based on the second-generation A-segment Adam city-car. The B-segment model is expected on sale first in 2017, with the others following before 2020.

“SUV is a rich market and we would like to explore it further,” Bennett said.

“I think as the number of SUVs in the market grows and the demand for those SUVs grows then you are going to continue to see the boundaries changing, so you will see different answers.

“So it won’t just be a simple SUV any more, you will see different approaches to that aimed at different customer segments.”

That fits in with Opel’s own description of its new models as crossover utility vehicles (CUVs) rather than SUVs, meaning they will be more road car-oriented in their look and driving style.

That means all four Opel models could potentially fit in the Holden SUV line-up, which currently comprise the Trax mini, which will be facelifted later this year, the Captiva seven-seater and the hard-core Trailblazer.

Holden has confirmed the Chevrolet Equinox arrives in 2017 as a true rival for the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4 in the medium segment, while the GMC Acadia will take over from the obsolete Captiva in 2018.

Pictured here are the Trax, Trailblazer and Acadia.

Take all four Opels and Holden would have an eight model high-rise wagon line-up that would enable it to take full advantage of Australia’s expanding and splintering SUV market.

The new imported Commodore is expected on sale towards the end of 2017, when production of the locally-developed and built model ends with the shutdown of Holden’s Elizabeth plant in South Australia.

Holden’s last AWD Commodore was the Adventra, which was developed as part of the massive expansion of the range during the early 2000s. Based on the VYII-VZ Commodore wagon, it was never matched the sales success of Ford’s Territory. It was retailed from 2003 to 2009.

While there has been recent controversy about Opel and GM’s commitment to Vauxhall because it has not approved the new Bolt-based Ampera-e EV for right-hand drive, Bennett insisted it was the exception that proved the rule.

“Vauxhall is one of the most important brands for General Motors in the world so with the exception of the Ampera-e everything we do is right-hand drive and that’s our going-in positon.”

Bennett explained Opel’s motivation for launching into the SUV segments was clear.

“We look at the industry as everyone does and what we can see is crossovers and SUVs are growing exponentially,” he said.

“If you talk to customers and ask then what car do they imagine themselves buying next, the vast majority of people express an interest in buying a car like a crossover SUV.

“It’s clear the growth we have experienced will continue for some time and it’s not just about the capability, or the image, or the emotion that comes with that, it’s also about a higher seating position and H-point.

“People like to have command of the road, they like to have good visibility around them. We have evidence that people who go to a car with a higher H-point want to keep that.”