Holden 'sells' discount as fuel cap

Last month Holden was talking about fuel efficiency, energy diversity and independence from foreign oil… This month it's delivering 99 cent per litre petrol… And the more your new Holden guzzles, the more they'll give you!

In a marketing move that will likely tempt a few at first glance, Holden has announced a range-wide discount campaign under the disguise of a $0.99/litre fuel price cap. The cap is on offer to private customers that purchase and take delivery of a new Holden before October 31.

Under the scheme Holden will offset the cost of the fuel purchased for up to 20,000km or two years -- whichever comes first.

The new Holden owners will purchase their fuel using the Motorpass fuel card system. Holden's agents then debit the car purchaser's nominated account at a rate of 99 cents per litre. Only diesel and 91 RON unleaded fuel can be purchased under the scheme, although Holden says some exceptions apply. Default fees and some other conditions also apply.

The offer is available on all Holden models, but does not extend to HSV, nor any of the GM Premium brands. Interestingly given Holden's interest in ethanol based fuels no special accommodation of E85 fuel has been made as part of the fuel cap offer. [Ed: since this story was first published Holden has confirmed E10 fuel can be purchased under the fuel cap promotion.]

The amount of fuel offered is based on the respective models' ADR81 combined fuel economy. This means the purchaser of a diesel-powered Astra (five-door manual) will receive just 1140 litres of discounted diesel, while hot-shoe Astra Turbo hatch buyers get 1880 litres [premium unlead in this case, says Holden]. Purchasers of the latest 6.0-litre SS Sportswagon get to burn almost 2900 litres at the cut price rate.

Based on today's average prices (Vic) of 1.50 for ULP and 1.70 for diesel, the effective discounts offered under the fuel cap scheme range from $640 (approx) on the Combo petrol van to $1580 on the dual-fuel 60th Anniversary Commodore sedan. (Note: only petrol can be purchased not LPG).

Alan Batey, Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales said the 'Holden 99c Fuel Cap' would "ease the pain of petrol and diesel prices for Holden customers".

"We will provide this cap across all segments to ensure the benefits are as widely available as possible, given that fuel prices impact all drivers regardless of the size of their car," Batey said in Holden's media statement.

"GM Holden is committed to providing affordable and economical cars to our customers, and this campaign is another way that can be achieved," he said.

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