Walkinshaw linked to GMSV

Walkinshaw Group is expected to be the prime beneficiary of General Motors’ decision to shut down the Holden brand at the end of 2020.

GM Speciality Vehicles has already been mentioned as the name of the business that will convert the US corporation’s vehicles to right-hand drive for local sales.

Walkinsahw Group is the obvious candidate to form GMSV as it currently converts the Chevrolet Camaro and Silverado models under the HSV banner. It’s about to add the current Silverado 1500 to its line-up.

Other potential conversion targets include a squad of SUVs led by the Chevrolet Suburban, Cadillac Escalade and potentially GM’s upcoming electric models.

GMSV could even become the local conversion source for the new C8 Corvette if GM’s plan to go ahead with right-hand drive factory production does not proceed.

“Although it’s not firmed up formally, our intent and our desire is to stay in the market, albeit in a different format and a different model with the GM Specialty Vehicles,” GM International Operations Senior Vice President Julian Blissett told a press conference in Melbourne this afternoon (February 17).

“I can’t tell you what products today … we are in negotiations with our partners to make that happen. That is still work in progress, we are making good progress with our partners, but that is not final.”

The new specialty vehicle deal was referenced by both General Motors and Holden in the media statements announcing the “retirement” of the Holden name.

“GM intends to focus its growth strategy in Australia and New Zealand on the specialty vehicles business and plans to immediately work with its partner on developing these plans,” the Holden release stated.

In the global release GM President Mark Reuss stated: "We do believe we have an opportunity to profitably grow the specialty vehicle business and plan to work with our partner to do that.”

At a subsequent press conference Julian Blissett and Holden interim managing director Kristian Aquilina expanded little further than that, apart from stressing any GM future presence would be “minimal”.

On Corvette, Blissett said: “Corvette right-hand will still exist and we haven’t decided how to do that yet.”

Both Aquilina and Blissett refused to name Walkinshaw Group as the partner in GMSV.

Walkinshaw Group chairman Ryan Walkinsahw refused to offer any comment on the prospective business tie-up with GM when contacted by carsales.com.au.

Ryan Walkinshaw’s father Tom first established the HSV business in 1987 to develop hot versions of the locally-built Holden Commodores.

The business transitioned to converting left-hand drive only Chevrolet models sourced from North America in 2017. It also developed a hotted-up SportsCat version of the Colorado ute.

That part of the HSV business looks in trouble because of the sale of the Thailand plant where it is built to Chinese brand Great Wall Motors.