Holden to leave muscle car market to Mustang

General Motors' decision not to build the Mk6 Chevrolet Camaro for right-hand drive markets will allow Ford's new Mustang to have a clear run at the Australian marketplace.

However, while Holden won't have a cost-effective two-door competitor for Ford's iconic pony car when it launches here late in 2015, Chevrolet's top-shelf Corvette supercar is now the most likely vehicle to head up Holden's future performance car line-up, which should also comprise a Commodore SS unlike any other.

GM's newest rival for the Mustang was launched this week in Detroit and goes on sale in the US in October. The new Camaro promises "even higher levels of performance, technology and refinement" but GM has now confirmed it will not be offered ex-factory in right-hand drive.

In a joint statement by Chevrolet and Holden following yesterday's Camaro debut, GM ruled out RHD production "at this stage in the program".

"Right-hand drive isn't in the current [Camaro] program," Holden Corporate Affairs chief Sean Poppitt told motoring.com.au.

"I'm always wary about committing to anything with new programs like this because, for example, if all of a sudden every RHD market started screaming 'we want one' then sure we'd have a look at it, but as it stands there is no RHD in the current plan."

Meantime, Ford dealers are said to be holding "thousands" of confirmed orders for the Mustang coupe and convertible variants that will arrive Down Under in December. The cheapest Mustang will be a turbocharged four-cylinder coupe, priced from just under $45,000.

GM on the other hand does not forecast enough volume potential from markets including Australia, the UK and South Africa to support the investment in factory RHD Camaro production.

Despite the announcement, motoring.com.au understands Ford's sharp Mustang pricing has made local aftermarket converters like Performax International wary of investing in RHD development and production of the Mk6 Camaro, customer versions of which would have to be priced from around $90,000 to be profitable.

Interestingly, while the Corvette shapes as the 'V8 sports car' Holden has promised to release after the homegrown Commodore is retired in late 2017, Performax is just months away from producing its first C7 Corvette.

The Queensland converter sold more than 100 examples of the previous-generation C6 Corvette and already holds a number of orders for the C7, despite a pricetag that's likely to nudge $200,000.

While Performax has not ruled out investing in the new Camaro, the Walkinshaw group is known to have explored the business case for a RHD Camaro converted at HSV's Melbourne base or even alongside GM's Lansing factory in Michigan as part of a 'Chevrolet Special Vehicles' plan.

If the plan comes to fruition, it would be Walkinshaw's second factory-backed RHD conversion deal following a similar arrangement that will see it produce heavy-duty Dodge RAM pick-up trucks in Melbourne from September.

Whether or not a RHD Mk6 Camaro eventuates from Walkinshaw or its HSV sister brand, there are other interesting moves afoot at Clayton. For one, HSV is also understood to be continuing to explore options of producing high(er) performance versions of Holden's new Opel-sourced VXR models.

This development is believed to have gained extra momentum following rumours Holden's iconic Commodore SS badge will live on beyond the swansong 6.2-litre LSA V8-powered MY16 Commodore SS.

With Holden expected to continue the badge on a hot V6 turbo all-wheel drive version of the next-generation Opel Insignia-based imported model, HSV is already testing a hotter version of the turbocharged 239kW Opel Insignia OPC that will be relaunched here as the $52,000 Holden Insignia VXR next month.

Insiders claim the muscled-up Opel is the fastest accelerating HSV road car ever. Given its 430kW GTS flagship – Australia's quickest ever production car -- is no slouch, it could be something worth waiting for.