Holden underpins GM's Middle East offensive

The hullabaloo might be dying down in Australia following the launch of Holden's all-new VE Commodore and WM Statesman, but the fun is just starting in the Middle East.

You see, the Aussie-built sedans will make their showroom debuts in the Arab Gulf countries on November 1, prior to which the local contingent of motoring hacks will sample the vehicles at a media launch in the Sultanate of Oman.

Some readers may be aware that although we know them as the Commodore/Statesman, the cars wear Chevrolet 'bowties' in the Middle East and are dubbed Lumina and Caprice respectively.

Quick overview: Chevrolet is GM's high-volume brand in the Middle East, accounting for 66 per cent of the conglomerate's regional sales. Chevy sales in the Middle East numbered 49,535 vehicles in the 12 months to July this year -- an improvement of 12 per cent on the previous year.

Interestingly, the Middle East Chevy line-up comprises 51 models and stretches from an 800cc Spark (what we used to know as the Daewoo Matiz), priced at around $7850 in our money -- that's new, not second-hand -- to a thumping 7.0-litre Corvette Z06 at a not absurdly extravagant $100,000.

The Caprice and Lumina are significant players for brand, as the former notched up around 20,000 Middle East sales last year, while the latter achieved almost 12,000. Unlike Australia, the long-wheelbase car outsells its shorter sibling in this region.

Middle East exports account for about 20 per cent of Holden's production output, so being in this market is clearly well worth the company's while.

However, engineering its cars for the Middle East wasn't just a case of sticking the steering wheel on the left-hand side and bunging Chevy badges on the grille.

The unique demands of the region necessitated what the company refers to as "one of the most extensive validation and testing programs undertaken by a car manufacturer in the Middle East region."

Extreme ambient temperatures (up to 50 degrees on a stinker), sustained high-speed running (we're talking 160-200km/h…or more), idling for long periods with the air-con on max and copious amounts of dust/sand are just some of the factors that vehicles in this region have to contend with.

Consequently, three production-level cars were shipped earlier this year to the Middle East where a team of engineers and UAE technical systems experts put them through an exhaustive testing and validation program throughout the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Each car clocked up over 50,000km during the program and was tested against a variety of criteria including high temperature performance, salt corrosion resistance, humidity resistance, structural resistance and integrity, long term reliability, and resistance to dust and sand intrusion.

"No other vehicles have been so extensively tested and validated to ensure they meet the unique needs and requirements of Middle East driving conditions," said Chris Probert, Chevrolet's Marketing Manager for large cars in the Middle East.

Probert said experience and expertise gained from the development of previous models has been pooled to identify and map out the performance requirements of the 2007 Caprice and Lumina. This knowledge was then used to develop a blueprint for the validation and testing program for the cars.

The testing program also called for 28 pre-production Luminas and Caprices to be evaluated at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground to gather additional data.

This testing involved running the new engines on imported Middle East fuel to check for smoothness and efficiency, while other systems such as brakes, suspension and climate control were hammered to make sure they too would operate in dusty conditions and temperatures soaring up to 50 degrees.

Holden's efforts in adapting its offerings to local conditions appears to have paid dividends as the Lumina and Caprice enjoy a reputation locally as being solid, dependable cars.

Interestingly, not many locals are aware that they're sourced from Australia -- most people assume the Chevy badge on the cars' face and rump means they're American.

GM Middle East doesn't go out of its way to promote the cars as being Australian -- but there's no real need to. The cars are sold on their merits, rather than their place of origin.

The imminent launch of the new Lumina and Caprice is big news as far as the local car market is concerned. GM Middle East has high hopes the pair will sell in even greater volumes than their predecessors.

It's probably just as well, given the shrinking large-car market in their country of birth.

In addition to the requisite badge engineering, left-hand-drive configuration and climate-related mods, the trim/spec levels have also been doctored to suit the regional market.

Here's a brief rundown on what's offered to Arab buyers:

LUMINA

CAPRICE

Holden shipped 60,518 cars to offshore markets in 2005, and that number is set to grow with the recent introduction of its revamped large-car line-up.

As explained in depth above, Commodore models are rebadged as Chevrolet Luminas and exported to Middle East markets of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Syria, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq.

They're also sold in New Zealand, Brazil, North America, Fiji and Brunei, New Zealand, Brazil and South Africa.

Statesman/Caprice models are exported to Middle East regions (again with Chevrolet badges), while New Zealand, China and Korea further add to overall export volumes.

Ute models are exported to South Africa and New Zealand, where the Holden Adventra, Crewman, Cross 8 and One Tonner are also sold.