Monaro and Ute to the US
03-21-2002, 09:42 AM
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Monaro and Ute to the US From the April Street Machine magazine
It seems only a matter of time until Holden exports Monaros and Commodore Utes to the USA. The strongest sign yet is that Bob Lutz, General Motors new Vice-Chairman in charge of new product development, has been in Australia recently clocking up kilometres in Commodores and Monaros.
"The Monaro would be a wonderful replacement for the Pontiac GTO," Lutz said recently. "We get about 20 letters a week from people who say the one way to fix GM's image problem is to bring back GTO. Its the same with the El Camino. Not everyone in the US wants to drive a truck."
"While the El Camino badge is a no-brainer for the Ute, Monaro could be renamed as any one of Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, et al, models.
The best news for Holden is that GM is likely to import both models from Australia rather than manufacture Monaro and Ute in America, even though much of their mechanicals are US sourced.
"We could be looking at taking 10,000 - 15,000 Monaros a year - maybe 20,000," Lutz continued, "and about the same number of utes."
Lutz, who pushed for Viper and PT Cruiser production at Chrysler , is trying to improve GM's US brand image. The poor-selling Camaro has recently been axed.
Further proof that America is hungry for both models comes from the US street machine and hot rodding fraternity. In the US for the Detroit Motor Show, Hot Rod magazine recently took a Commodore SS Ute for a spin around the block and went nuts over it. If it went on sale in the US, it would become 'an instant legend' according to the magazine's website.
Of Commodore and Monaro, Hot Rod claims Holden's current V8 rear-drivers, rebadged as Chevrolets and sold Stateside, would "have the 800,000 - odd readers of Hot Rod screaming for the nearest Chevy dealer, cash in hand. This could be the car they have been clamouring for since the Impala SS went away."
Hot Rod's website is currently urging readers to vote in an online poll with the aim of convincing GM to import or build the SS ute, and it seems to be going to great length to build a case. "We'll even deliver your mail to GM personally." claims Hot Rod.
www.hotrod.com/index.jsp?articleid=54718
It seems only a matter of time until Holden exports Monaros and Commodore Utes to the USA. The strongest sign yet is that Bob Lutz, General Motors new Vice-Chairman in charge of new product development, has been in Australia recently clocking up kilometres in Commodores and Monaros.
"The Monaro would be a wonderful replacement for the Pontiac GTO," Lutz said recently. "We get about 20 letters a week from people who say the one way to fix GM's image problem is to bring back GTO. Its the same with the El Camino. Not everyone in the US wants to drive a truck."
"While the El Camino badge is a no-brainer for the Ute, Monaro could be renamed as any one of Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, et al, models.
The best news for Holden is that GM is likely to import both models from Australia rather than manufacture Monaro and Ute in America, even though much of their mechanicals are US sourced.
"We could be looking at taking 10,000 - 15,000 Monaros a year - maybe 20,000," Lutz continued, "and about the same number of utes."
Lutz, who pushed for Viper and PT Cruiser production at Chrysler , is trying to improve GM's US brand image. The poor-selling Camaro has recently been axed.
Further proof that America is hungry for both models comes from the US street machine and hot rodding fraternity. In the US for the Detroit Motor Show, Hot Rod magazine recently took a Commodore SS Ute for a spin around the block and went nuts over it. If it went on sale in the US, it would become 'an instant legend' according to the magazine's website.
Of Commodore and Monaro, Hot Rod claims Holden's current V8 rear-drivers, rebadged as Chevrolets and sold Stateside, would "have the 800,000 - odd readers of Hot Rod screaming for the nearest Chevy dealer, cash in hand. This could be the car they have been clamouring for since the Impala SS went away."
Hot Rod's website is currently urging readers to vote in an online poll with the aim of convincing GM to import or build the SS ute, and it seems to be going to great length to build a case. "We'll even deliver your mail to GM personally." claims Hot Rod.
www.hotrod.com/index.jsp?articleid=54718
