Holdens to Korea -- it's official

Holden has confirmed its latest 'coals to Newcastle' export deal. Reversing the trend of badging Korean-built GM cars with Holden jewellry, as tipped by the Carsales Network last year, the deal will see Australian-built cars badged as Daewoos.

Holden will export WM Caprice based cars to Korea where they will go on sale as the production version of Daewoo's latest showcar, the L4X. Unveiled at the Seoul motor show yesterday, the L4X will be officially launched into the burgeoning Korean market in 2008. And it will feature a swag of standard equipment never before seen in a Holden.

Holden says the new vehicle will be "tailored to the needs of the Korean market" but expect many of the bells and whistles (see below) to find their way into local flagship models.

What won't be making the trip to Korea are V8s. The L4X will be powered by GM's Global V6 engine (also an Aussie product) and will also feature substantial panel changes.

"With our new VE and WM ranges, we designed and engineered them to appeal to both local and overseas markets. We are starting to see the returns from that with our Australian–built cars currently being exported to every continent except Antarctica," GM Holden's Chairman and Managing Director Denny Mooney said of the announcement.

"Exports of cars and engines continue to be a core component of GM Holden's future strategy for growth and today's confirmation of new exports to Korea further expands our growing presence in overseas markets," Mooney said.

It's not yet known at this time how many cars Holden expects to send to Korea. production of teh cars will commence at Elizabeth (SA) in April 2008.

The new WM-based export is not the first Holden to go to Korea. In 2005 GM Holden exported nearly 2000 of the previous model WL Holden Statesman to Korea where it was sold as the GM Daewoo Statesman.

Daewoo describes its WM-based L4X showcar as the "Premium Large Sedan of the Future".

President and CEO of GM Daewoo, Michael Grimaldi, said at the launch of the car: "The L4X exemplifies what a true premium large sedan should be. It excels in the most fundamental virtues of its segment.

"Our latest show car is not only stylish, it also offers an array of convenience features and luxury appointments to satisfy the most sophisticated Korean consumers," he said.

The standard feature list of the L4X reads more like a European limo than a humble Holden and points to what buyers of the next generation of Caprice and Statesman might expect locally.

According to GM-Daewoo, in addition to the Caprice-echoing bi-xenon headlamps and tri-zone automatic temperature controls, the production version of the L4X will feature an integral navigation system with Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) television, curtain air bags, power rear seats with heating and massage functions, power rear-window curtains, rear roller blinds and reversing camera.

Expect most, if not all, of the above features to find their way into the Caprice or perhaps even a new higher-level long-wheelbase Holden model sooner rather than later.

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