First Drive: Holden Caprice V Series II with 6.0-liter V8

The car that most Americans know as the Chevy Caprice PPV (Police Patrol Vehicle) owes as much to the Australian designed and built Holden Caprice luxury sedan reviewed here as the latter owes to business decisions Ford Australia made a couple of decades ago.

In the early 1970s, Holden – GM’s Australian subsidiary – introduced two new models to compete with local rival Ford. The first was the Statesman, a vehicle with no Holden badging whatsoever, designed as a direct competitor to Ford’s Australian-built Fairlane and as a replacement for the unloved Brougham sedan.

A few years later came the Statesman Caprice, an even more luxurious model, introduced to compete with Ford’s freshly minted LTD.

Thus the Caprice name was born. Over the years the Caprice has grown in interior room, price and standard equipment but retains the same basic idea of what Aussie luxury should be. We took the V8 engined V Series II model out for a week long road test and review.

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Crazy Holden Torana with Blown Chevy Puts Out 1,584 WHP

Talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing. With a few exceptions like the sporty six-cylinder GTR XU1 and the 5.0-litre V8 powered SLR 5000 editions, the Holden Torana was a run-of-the mill compact model with plain Jane looks and lackluster performance.

But in the world of tuning and drag racing even the Torana can be transformed into a terrifying beast. Meet Jakes Edward's latest Torana sedan fitted with a massive 496ci (8.2-liter) turbocharged V8 Chevrolet engine that runs on methanol fuel.

At this month's Summernats festival in Canberra, Australia, Edward's yellow Holden took part and won the "Horsepower Heroes" competition as it yielded 1,584.5 wheel horsepower on the dyno! Watch the Aussie-made monster in the video after the break.

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Holden's Version of the Volt to Cost Over $60,000 in Australia!

Bad news for Australian drivers interested in GM's Chevrolet Volt as the local version of the car that will be marketed under the Holden brand and which is expected to arrive later this year will reportedly cost well over AU$60,000 (equal to US$62,000).

While Holden has yet to publicly announce prices, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that GM's subsidiary told its dealers that the Volt will carry a retail price of AU$59,990 before on-road and dealer costs, which the newspaper says rises to as much as AU$66,000 (US$68,200) with the aforementioned fees.

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Beware of Flying Objects: Cameraman gets Hit in the Head by a Piece of Tire

Every profession has its dangers, some more hazardous than others. For this cameraman who was filming an early 1970s Holden HQ sedan doing a heavy burnout at the Summernats festival in Canberra, Australia, the danger came from a flying piece of rubber that smacked him right in the head and knocking him down. Ouch...

Watch the video after the jump.

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Holden Rumored to Decide on the Future of the Commodore by the End of December

Once a production hub, Australia's motoring industry is now facing the prospect of losing one of its most acclaimed model series, the Holden Commodore (and apparently, its Caprice derivatives) after the upcoming redesign, which is scheduled for 2013.

While production of the 2013 Commodore VF will endure at least until 2017, The Sydney Morning Herald (via its Drive car site) is reporting today that Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux confirmed that the brand will decide on its local manufacturing future beyond 2018 before the end of December.

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GM Builds 100 Millionth Small Block Engine, Confirms Gen V with Direct Injection Tech

It’s one of the most famous engine series in the world with a history spanning close to six decades. We're talking about General Motors' small block that was first introduced by Chevrolet in 1955 and which celebrates today its 100 million production milestone.

Fittingly, the landmark small block is a hand-built, 638-horsepower supercharged LS9 V8 that will find its way under the hood of a Corvette ZR1. The force-fed LS9 is the most powerful engine ever to be installed in a regular-production Chevrolet or GM vehicle.

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Subtle Updates for 2012 Holden Commodore

While Holden's engineering team is working hard on the development of the new generation Commodore dubbed VF, which is expected to launch within the next two to three years, the company's designers took some time off to spiff up the current model.

For the 2012 model year, Australia's homegrown Commodore VE (sold as the Pontiac G8 in the States before the brand was axed) receives some minor exterior and interior enhancements, plus the introduction of the track-inspired FE3 sports suspension on the Redline series.

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Video: Just Another Drifting Day in the Middle East

For those of you that think driving through the congested roads of Manhattan or Paris is bad, maybe you should take a look at the following video, which seems to have been shot somewhere in the Middle East (if you happen to know where, leave us a comment below).

In broad daylight and while normal drivers are using the road, numerous wannabe drifters, mostly in American and Australian rear-wheel drive saloons like the Ford Crown Victoria, Chrysler 300 and the Holden-based Chevrolet Caprice, are showing off their rides slideways.

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2011 Australian International Motor Show Photo Galore

Even though it’s not as famous as its Frankfurt, Paris, Tokyo or Detroit counterparts, this year’s edition of the Australian Motor Show, which takes place in Melbourne from July 1 to 10, has some interesting debuts including the Mad Max Concepts pictured above as well as a number of new production and prototype models from the local divisions of General Motors (aka Holden) and Ford.

You can take a look at all the vehicles in our comprehensive photo gallery right after the break. For those of you interested in learning more about the Ford-badged Mad Max Interceptor prototypes, check out our previous post here.

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Police Forces in Georgia and Iowa Sold on GM’s New Chevy Caprice PPV

General Motors has began delivering its first 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV) to law enforcement officers across the U.S. Among the first to receive GM’s new patrol car are police departments in Forsyth County, Georgia and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton said that after trying out the Chevy for a month his office decided to replace its current fleet of around 175 other patrol vehicles with Caprice PPVs.

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2011 AIMS: New HSV Black Edition Versions of Commodore Based Sedan, Station and Ute Models

General Motor’s Holden Special Vehicles unit in Australia is following in the footsteps of Mercedes-Benz’s AMG division as well as more recently, Porsche, with the presentation of a black-themed and named special edition series based on the E Series 3 range launched last September.

Making its world debut at the 2011 Australian motorshow in Melbourne, the SV Black Edition package is offered in the ClubSport R8, Maloo R8 and ClubSport R8 Tourer, which are the sports versions of the Commodore sedan, ute, and station wagon models respectively.

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GM’s Holden Readies Rebadged Chevys for 2011 Melbourne Auto Show

It’s a global economy we live in and as such, it doesn’t come to much of a surprise when we see the same vehicles launched under different brands and names in various parts of the world.

Of course, it would be somewhat unfair to Holden if we didn’t mention that it has played a key role in the development and design of several GM products including the 5-door Cruze that will be show in pre-production trim at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show (AIMS), which takes place in Melbourne from July to 10.

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Aussie V8 Supercar Series Coming to America in 2013

The thundering sounds of Australia’s V8-powered racecars will soon be heard in the U.S.A. as Texas Governor Rick Perry and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, announced today a five-year agreement to bring the famed Australian V8 Supercar series to the new Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas beginning in 2013.

"The addition of V8 Supercars into our lineup at Circuit of The Americas will add to what we already know will be a rich and exhilarating fan experience," said Steve Sexton, President of Circuit of The Americas.

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First Drive: 2011 Holden Cruze Series II SRI-V

Appearing soon after General Motors announced its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, the Cruze – which launched in Oz almost two years ago– aims to appeal to buyers that would normally not buy a Holden. Its key competitors in the Australian market are the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and the (European) Ford Focus.

With the recent launch of the Aussie-built Cruze Series II, we thought it was about time we tackled GM’s “game changing” small car. The 1.4 L turbo is said to be the cherry on top of the Cruze cake, and the perfect target for a review. The question is: can it live up to the hype? Read on…

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Holden Engineers Fine-Tuning 2013 Chevy Malibu for Global Markets

The all-new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu has made its way to Australia landing in the hands of Holden’s engineering team, which was recruited by General Motors to assist in the calibration of the mid-size sedan for both the local and global markets outside of North America.

The Australian team is working on the Malibu at Holden’s Lang Lang Proving Ground in the State of Victoria while also evaluating the car on public roads. GM said Holden will continue development of Malibu until the end of 2012.

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Holden Ute Series II SS V8 Arrives in Carscoop’s Garage

Our man Tristan has snagged the keys to a Holden Ute Series II SS V8 model for a first drive in Queensland, Australia this week, and just to make it a bit more interesting, he’ll be driving the Down Under-flavored El Camino to a classic car gathering in Brisbane.

Blurring the line between cars and trucks, the Holden Commodore-based sport pickup comes from a long line of Utes dating back to the middle of the previous century. The Ute almost made it to North America when Pontiac revealed the G8 Sport Truck at the 2008 New York Auto Show, but GM’s growing financial troubles at the time put a stop to that plan, and eventually the brand itself which was discontinued in 2009, and finally shut down in 2010.

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Chevrolet Shows First Photograph of 2013 Malibu’s Interior

The painstakingly slow drumbeat continues in advance of the official world premiere of the all-new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu at both the Shanghai Auto Show in China and the New York International Auto Show in the USA later this month, with the second teaser photo providing our first look at the mid-size sedan’s interior. Read more »

New Malibu to be Offered in Australia as a Holden, will Sit Between the Cruze and the Commodore

Last week, GM released the first teaser photo of its upcoming Chevrolet Malibu ahead of its global debut on Monday, April 18. The next generation of the Malibu is the first Chevy mid-sized model designed for the global market and will be sold in up to 100 countries around the world including Australia where it will be launched under the Holden brand.

The Holden Malibu will arrive in Australia for the first time in 2012 with a range of four cylinder engines, effectively replacing the unpopular Epica, a badge-engineered version of the South Korean Daewoo Tosca, which itself had taken the place of the Vectra.

“The Malibu will play an important role within the Holden line-up, providing a spacious and efficient four-cylinder alternative for Australian customers,” said Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mike Devereux.

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Watch This Space: High Performance Holden Cruze SS said to be in the Works

In Australia, the SS badge has a special meaning to Holden owners. Its most frequently associated with the Commodore large car and to a lesser extent, the ultra-rare Torana SS of the 1970s. It’s all about big Aussie V8’s and rear-wheel-drive. It’s as Australian as Fosters beer and Four’N Twenty pies.

So now, there’s talk of a performance version of the Cruze small car in the works - and insidious rumors this front-wheel-drive econobox may carry the prestigious double ‘S’ moniker previously reserved only for V8 models. “Sacrilege!” you scream, and I’m more than willing to agree. Nevertheless, let’s push on and see what the Australian rumor mill has in store for us.

It’s possible a high performance version of the Cruze would use the same 132 kW, / 180HP and 230 Nm 1.6-liter turbo four from the European Vauxhall / Opel Astra as there drivetrains are readily interchangeable thanks to both using the GM’s Delta II architecture.

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Holden Unveils its Own Version of the Cruze Hatchback

Even though it was Chevrolet that came out first with both a thinly disguised concept in 2010 and this year’s production version of the Cruze hatchback at the Geneva Show, the five-door model was actually penned by GM’s Holden division at the Port Melbourne studio in Australia. Now, it’s finally time for Holden to reap the benefits of its work with the release of the first official photos of the compact hatchback with the Australian brand’s lion logo.

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