Holden Free To Rebadge And Import Any GM Product To Australia; Which Ones Do You Want?

Since Holden has stopped producing cars in Australia and is now focused entirely on imports, General Motors thought it would lend a helping hand and give them access to a wider range of products.

According to Holden chairman and managing director, David Buttner, no GM products are off the table as long as they’re considered to be a good fit for Australian buyers, which could eventually mean the end of Holden’s current arrangement with Opel.

“The facts are we can draw on a fantastic stable of SUVs and trucks,” stated Buttner. “And I spent a week in Detroit back in September as part of my 60 days of immersion, and I had a chance to go to the design studio, visit all the studio, see every clay model, see everything that’s under development for all the brands.”

Of course, Holden already sells a multitude of GM-sourced cars, such as the Trax, Equinox, Colorado, Trailblazer and even the Acadia. Whether or not Buick and Cadillac models will be allowed to make the trip Down Under remains to be seen.

“If you get in early enough at the platform development stage designed for both right-hand drive and left-hand drive, then really, the world’s your oyster in terms of what you can bring in,” added the Holden exec.

“You just have to make sure what you’re bringing in, you have to understand the market today, and if we’re planning three-to-four years out, then also what’s the market tomorrow. So, you have to make sure you are bringing in the right product to meet the market at the right time.”

GM vehicles that might be worth considering for Holden could include the next-gen Chevy Cruze, the Camaro, the Corvette, the Colorado, Bolt, Volt and possibly even a Cadillac sedan or SUV, reports Carsguide.

Asked whether importing multiple vehicles with completely separate design languages could confuse Holden buyers, Buttner stated that it was more about getting the right vehicle for the right market.

“It’s interesting, because we have had discussions in terms of the focus of one brand so you have that same face across the product. ” But the fact that we can draw on a world of cars from different brands, (we ask ourselves) ‘What’s the best vehicle for this segment?”

“So, when we looked at (Acadia’s large seven-seat SUV class), we felt this was a big, bold vehicle, a GMC product that in this market that would suit the market, while the Equinox is a Chevy product that suits the segment it competes in. So, having that advantage to draw upon, at this stage we’re not hung up about having the same face, it’s not something we’re focused on, but whether that changes as we go through our strategic plan, we’ll see what comes out of that … and I don’t know of another product that’s got that similar number of brands on which they can actually draw upon.”