Holden Pickup Trucks

Holden shutdown its last manufacturing plant in May 2017 and has been a mere importer ever since. The former automaker has been importing General Motors cars and marketing them under its brand name. However, this has allowed Holden to deliver upgraded products to the market, and this time, it’s the Colorado Z71 Xtreme.

The Land Down Under has a new racing series that plays off the exploding popularity of pickup trucks. It’s called the SuperUte ECB Series and it’s hosted by Australia’s well-known Supercars Series – you know, the series with V-8-powered, rear-wheel-drive sedans thundering around an autocross course. Well, now Australia will have turbodiesel-powered, mid-size, crew cab pickups racing around tracks like the Gold Coast’s Norwell Motorplex starting in March of 2018.

Unlike NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, these Utes aren’t sheet metal bodies on steel tube chassis. No, they are production pickups from the assembly line. Each undergoes a full work-over with a safety cage, suspension modifications, performance wheels and tires, and a tune of their stock turbodiesel engines. Every truck is capped at 340 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, while the minimum weight is set at 3,968 pounds. Automakers currently preparing for the SuperUte Series include Ford, Mazda, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Toyota, and General Motors. GM’s fighter is the Holden Colorado, a truck very similar to North America’s Chevrolet Colorado, even down to the 2.8-liter Duramax turbodiesel.

With official testing currently underway, let’s have a look at Holden’s newest and most unconventional racer.

General Motors’ Holden division has just released its newest top-trim model for its Colorado pickup truck, the 2016 Colorado Z71. The updated trim level comes loaded with visual upgrades, both inside and out that include 18-inch wheels, heated leather seats, and a unique appearance package with a hard tonneau cover and a bumper-mounted front nudge bar.

The new styling cues don’t detract from the Colorado’s truckish abilities, including its 7,716-pound towing capacity and its off-road capability. Holden’s move to include such an appearance package reflects customer’s increasing tendency to use trucks as a lifestyle vehicle.

“Drivers are increasingly using trucks to facilitate an active lifestyle, whether it’s surfing or snowboarding, and looking good is important to them,” said Peter Keley, Holden’s Executive Director of Sales. “Z71 adds an impressive range of features to the Colorado truck, not least the exterior black components and leather-appointed seats that combine to give a more aggressive look and comfortable ride.”

Of course, Holden’s version of the Colorado is inherently different than our U.S.-spec version, though there are a number of similarities. The two trucks do not share the same interior or exterior design, nor do they share the same exact underpinnings. Each truck is built specifically for its intended market.

That extends to the powertrain as well, as the Holden exclusively offers a 2.8-liter Duramax turbodiesel four-cylinder. The U.S.-spec 2015 Chevy Colorado comes with either a 2.5-liter four-cylinder or the 3.6-liter V-6. However, the 2.8-liter Duramax is set to make its U.S. debut for the 2016 model year in the Colorado.

Returning back to Holden’s new Colorado Z71, the truck’s announcement comes only days after Ford announced its newest top-trim level on the global Ranger – the 2016 Ford Ranger Wildtrak. The trucks compete head to head for folks looking to utilize trucks for both work and play. So let’s dive into the Colorado Z71.

Continue reading to learn more about the Holden Colorado Z71.

Holden has official re-released the Holden Thunder Ute, which we all assume will eventually makes its way to the U.S. as the resurrection of the El Camino. With its reintroduction, Holden needed a new advertising campaign. With an advertising campaign comes the need for a new slogan, and “The Ute, Americans are begging us to let ’em use it’” is just too long.

Well, Holden turned to its fans to come up with the new slogan, via everyone’s favorite medium, Facebook. Fortunately, those Aussie blokes are rather creative, as they came up with the slogan “No backseat drivers.” That makes perfect sense, as the Thunder Ute has only two seats and a truck bed. It would have been a little more difficult had GM chosen to go the Subaru Brat route and put two seats in the bed. Then, you technical would have backseat drivers. You can even see the new ad slogan in use in the above Thunder Ute commercial.

For a refresher, the Ute Thunder comes standard with a 280-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 standard and has an optional 360-horsepowerpower 6.0-liter V-8. It also has a special charcoal-colored 19-inch rims and a slew of other standard features.

Now the only question remaining is when will GM officially start “leaking” information about the Thunder Ute coming to the U.S. as the El Camino? We are willing to put a dollar on it being here within five years. Then again, it was rumored to be returning with the previous Ute rendition, so we could be in for just a bunch of teasing and jealousy.

Any Australians anxiously awaiting the return of the Thunder can were able to breathe a tremendous sigh of relief; when Holden brought back the special-edition Thunder nameplate to the VE Series II Ute line-up. The special edition was launched as a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the original 1951 Ute and was be based on the popular SV6 and SS Ute models. The SV6 was powered by a 3.6-liter, SIDI, V-6 and the SS Ute came with the standard V-8. Both models came standard with a six-speed, manual transmission or an optional six-speed automatic.

The special edition Holden Thunder Ute will be available in 10 exterior colors and will be distinguished by unique 19-inch five spoke charcoal alloy wheels. Thunder badges will also be visible on the side and rear of the exterior, while the interior gets sports seats with leather bolsters and Touch-screen Holden-iQ system with Satellite Navigation.

"Over 60 years of production, the Holden ute has evolved from typical tradesman’s transport to two-door sports machine with a practical edge - that’s epitomized by the Thunder range," Holden Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales John Elsworth said. "It is a really bold, tough looking ute which we think will appeal to many of our traditional sports ute buyers. We’re expecting it to be an absolute winner in our showrooms."

Take a good first look at this car and you may just sit there for a few minutes with absolutely no words. Official Chevrolet Camaros come in the classic coupe and convertible forms, but unofficially things can get a little, shall we say, eccentric. For example, some tuners feel that a car should be taken to that next level just on the other side of normalcy. A coupe and convertible Camaro? Boring! How about a completely inappropriate muscle car turned truck? Apparently, that’s what Luke Bromidge from Victoria thinks is fitting of a vehicle tuned to look like a classic and beautiful Chevrolet Camaro and pick-up truck. All around the world muscle cars are weeping over their fallen brethren.

While we never imagined something like this was even possible, Luke Bromidge from Victoria has spent moths in customizing a front end that will transform any Holden VE Commodore into a Camaro. While we admit the VE Commodore owners will be very happy with the new and more aggressive look, we really can’t imagine what a Camaro owner will think when it sees something that is supposed to be a muscle car carrying all kinds of cargo in its newly opened rear trunk.

The worst part of this whole conversion is that it is extremely simple. All Bromidge has to do is take the front end kit, install it, and paint it. Ta-da! Did anyone order a Camaro pick-up?

We can thank General Motor’s Australian arm, Holden, for making a few of the more memorable modern day high performance Pontiacs available here in the U.S. market; however no matter how hard they tried, the new defunct automaker couldn’t seem to keep the GTO and G8 around for too long. The latter is still available down under as the Commodore, and in the outback one of America’s favorite four door sport sedans is also available as a five door wagon and even a modern day El Camino cross between a G8 and a pickup truck better known as the Holden Ute.

The Australian automaker is currently working on series of factory tuned performance models that will carry a very interesting combination of GM high output monikers. Chevrolet contributes their Super Sport logo along with Cadillac’s V-Series lineup of sports cars so that Holden can come out with the SS V-Series Special Edition Commodore, Sportwagon and Ute models a little later on this year. The new limited edition vehicles will offer around $7,500 worth of Holden factory options at a considerable savings. The SS V-Series Commodore will get the familiar Pontiac G8 GT aggressive twin kidney grill and hood with matching scoops as well as a deck lid spoiler and a few key chrome accents. Just like the SS V-Series cars will be a limited production run, they will also be available in a limited selection of colors, like: Phantom black, Red Hot and Voodoo blue.

Unlike either an SS or V-Series powered GM car, these budget minded Holden’s are more focused on efficiency, so instead of a 426 HP LS3 V8 under the hood, the special edition Holdens are offered with a very efficient 3.6 Liter direct injected V6 under the hood connected to a gas sipping four speed automatic transmission; providing customers with everything they need and none of the excess that they don’t. The Holden SS V-Series Commodore, Sport wagon and Ute are the perfect solution to the new car buyer that wants some additional cargo room without sacrificing fun, or breaking the bank while doing it.

Press release after the jump.

The BBC’s best automotive journal, Top Gear, has a problem with proper German sports saloons built for businessmen and that is that they are all just too similar. So that is why Richard Hammond decided to introduce a pair of very special GM cars from Australia. First up was the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst Edition. Aside from being the most popular track on the V8 Super car calendar, it is also a blindingly fast version of what we here in America have come to know as the Pontiac G8. The Bathurst comes complete with a set of racing stripes on the hood and a supercharger underneath it. The VXR8 wears some very race inspired bodywork to go along with the 560 HP and the bargain £44,995 price tag.

Continued after the jump.

Holden revealed today the Colorado, a new powerful light truck that promises to deliver high levels of performance and load carrying capability.

The Holden Colorado will bring an extensive LCV range to the market, offering consumers a wide choice of body styles, powertrains and specifications to suit all work and recreational applications, catering for both fleet and private customers.

A new sports variant, the LT-R, will combine a number of sports features to create the toughest Colorado yet. Available in 4x2 or 4x4 variants, featuring sports bars, soft tonneau cover, side steps, front fog lamps, 16 inch alloy wheels and sports interior trim. The LT-R 4x4 also adds Bluetooth capability for compatible phones and Rear Park Assist.

Colorado is powered by a range of three engines are available, including a 3.0 litre four-cylinder common rail turbo diesel, which delivers peak torque of 360Nm at 1800rpm and peak power of 120kW at 3600rpm (manual transmission). Also available is a 3.6 litre Alloytec V6 petrol engine and a spirited 2.4 litre four-cylinder petrol engine.

GM Holden will unveil its new value-packed VE Ute 60th Anniversary Special Editionat the National 4x4 Show in Brisbane this week.

Adding to an already impressive list of standard features including ESP® and 18-inch alloy wheels, the VE Ute 60th Anniversary Special Edition boasts over $2,000# of extra value, including leather faced seats and alloy foot pedals.

Based on the popular SV6 model in Holden’s award winning VE Ute range, the VE Ute 60th Anniversary Special Edition includes the following additional features:

Onyx leather seat trim Bluetooth® connectivity for compatible mobile phones Sports profile steering wheel 6 disc in dash MP3 compatible CD player Alloy foot pedals 60th Anniversary floor mats 60th Anniversary badge on rear tailgate

Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) has unveiled the hottest HSV Maloo R8 Ute ever as part of its 20th birthday celebrations at the 2007 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney today.

Special edition Rodeo LTZ models are now on sale featuring enhanced sports styling with up to $4000* extra value, depending on model. Rodeo LTZ represents exceptional value for money across three LT model variants. They are 4x2 V6 petrol crewcab, 4x4 V6 petrol crewcab and 4x4 turbo diesel crewcab.

Holden has released a second special edition SS Thunder Ute, featuring more than $3,000 in extra value.

You all know that records are made to be broken. And so did Mark Skaife who has just taken the crown with Holden Special Vehicles. The new world record is 168.66 mph and it was establish in South Australia.
The V8 Supercar ace cranked out a maximum speed of 172.21 mph in the stock-standard Maloo, but his entry in the Guiness World Record books is a two-way average to eliminate any wind assistance.
The old world recod was Still, it was easily better than the previous mark of 154.58 mph (...)

Holden’s ever-popular light commercial range now features special edition “Thunder” models for Ute and Crewman.

Holden is set to maintain its leadership of the ute and light commercial vehicle markets with the release of substantially upgraded versions of its top-selling Ute.