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From the album: Pontiac G8 ST Concept
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From the album: Pontiac G8 ST Concept
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From the album: Pontiac G8 ST Concept
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From the album: Pontiac G8 ST Concept
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Whenever one German automaker does something new, others will follow. For example, the BMW X6 caused Mercedes-Benz to launch the GLE-Coupe. Now with the launch of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class in certain markets, BMW's Australian office is pushing the main office for a pickup truck. “We cannot close our eyes and neglect it, we cannot neglect market trends,” said Marc Werner, head of BMW Australia. "We have been very pushy regarding utes or pick-ups, and we believe that this is something the company should be looking into. We have raised that with headquarters and certainly investigations are happening as we speak, but it’s too early to speak about the results of that analysis, but if there was a ute we would certainly take it.” In Australia, pickups or utes as they are known is one fastest-growing segments in the country. “If you look at the market, more than 150,000 Utes [were sold last year], out of 1.1 m cars overall and I think that that segment grew last year by 17 percent,” said Werner. BMW building a ute really doesn't fit the image of the brand. But Werner disagrees, saying the similar arguments were given with the launch of the X5 in 1999. Now the X family of crossovers are some of BMWs most popular models. “At the end of the day, we need to cater for what the customer and consumer want – and then the question is does it fit with the BMW DNA and BMW brand promise or are we over-stretching the brand, that is the core question that needs to be answered. But from a pure engineering perspective, everything is possible. The question is what does the brand stand for and how far you want to stretch it.” If BMW decides to go forward with this idea, they could reach out to their alliance partner Toyota to use the Hilux truck as a base. Mercedes did the same as the X-Class is a reworked version of the Nissan Navara pickup. Source: CarAdvice -
Whenever one German automaker does something new, others will follow. For example, the BMW X6 caused Mercedes-Benz to launch the GLE-Coupe. Now with the launch of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class in certain markets, BMW's Australian office is pushing the main office for a pickup truck. “We cannot close our eyes and neglect it, we cannot neglect market trends,” said Marc Werner, head of BMW Australia. "We have been very pushy regarding utes or pick-ups, and we believe that this is something the company should be looking into. We have raised that with headquarters and certainly investigations are happening as we speak, but it’s too early to speak about the results of that analysis, but if there was a ute we would certainly take it.” In Australia, pickups or utes as they are known is one fastest-growing segments in the country. “If you look at the market, more than 150,000 Utes [were sold last year], out of 1.1 m cars overall and I think that that segment grew last year by 17 percent,” said Werner. BMW building a ute really doesn't fit the image of the brand. But Werner disagrees, saying the similar arguments were given with the launch of the X5 in 1999. Now the X family of crossovers are some of BMWs most popular models. “At the end of the day, we need to cater for what the customer and consumer want – and then the question is does it fit with the BMW DNA and BMW brand promise or are we over-stretching the brand, that is the core question that needs to be answered. But from a pure engineering perspective, everything is possible. The question is what does the brand stand for and how far you want to stretch it.” If BMW decides to go forward with this idea, they could reach out to their alliance partner Toyota to use the Hilux truck as a base. Mercedes did the same as the X-Class is a reworked version of the Nissan Navara pickup. Source: CarAdvice View full article
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William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com October 30, 2013 2016 could mark the end of era. After 65 years serving the Australian marketplace, the Holden Ute could say good-bye. News.com.au has learned that Holden could end production of the Ute after the current Commodore is replaced in 2016. The Ute has been a staple of Australian automotive marketplace since the first model was introduced back in 1951. But in the past few years, sales have precipitously dropped. This is due to an influx of midsize trucks being built and imported from Thailand. Thailand has much lower labor costs when compared to Australian labor costs. Also, Australia has a free-trade agreement with Thailand which means anything imported from the country has no tariff. Sales of midsize trucks have been booming. Models like the Holden Colorado, Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, and Nissan Navera dominate Australia’s best-selling vehicle list. Meanwhile, the Holden Ute and Ford's Falcon Ute are way down on the list. The news gets grimmer when you compare sales of the Ute to the Commodore. Sales of the Commodore and its variants are up 15 percent year-to-date, while sales of the Ute have fallen 31 percent in the same timeframe. A lot of the sales increase for midsize trucks can be directed at a boom in mining in the country, and by small businesses and buyers who need something a bit more practical. "We've seen orders more than triple in the past five years. A lot of companies are now using crew cab utes to replace station wagons. But they're also popular with private buyers because they're part 4WD, part family car and part ute. They're more of a lifestyle vehicles these days," said Abe Tomas, managing director of Fleet and Financial Products at Macmillan Shakespeare. There is also talk about what the future holds for Holden itself. The Australian Government is currently deciding whether inject more money into Holden so they can keep building vehicles in Australia. If the government decides not to, then GM might layoff about 1,700 blue collar workers and close up their Australian operations. If the government does decide to inject more money into Holden, then the brand will adopt two new "global" cars, one which is speculated to be a front-wheel drive platform that will take the place of the Commodore. Source: News.com.au William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article
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William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com October 30, 2013 2016 could mark the end of era. After 65 years serving the Australian marketplace, the Holden Ute could say good-bye. News.com.au has learned that Holden could end production of the Ute after the current Commodore is replaced in 2016. The Ute has been a staple of Australian automotive marketplace since the first model was introduced back in 1951. But in the past few years, sales have precipitously dropped. This is due to an influx of midsize trucks being built and imported from Thailand. Thailand has much lower labor costs when compared to Australian labor costs. Also, Australia has a free-trade agreement with Thailand which means anything imported from the country has no tariff. Sales of midsize trucks have been booming. Models like the Holden Colorado, Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, and Nissan Navera dominate Australia’s best-selling vehicle list. Meanwhile, the Holden Ute and Ford's Falcon Ute are way down on the list. The news gets grimmer when you compare sales of the Ute to the Commodore. Sales of the Commodore and its variants are up 15 percent year-to-date, while sales of the Ute have fallen 31 percent in the same timeframe. A lot of the sales increase for midsize trucks can be directed at a boom in mining in the country, and by small businesses and buyers who need something a bit more practical. "We've seen orders more than triple in the past five years. A lot of companies are now using crew cab utes to replace station wagons. But they're also popular with private buyers because they're part 4WD, part family car and part ute. They're more of a lifestyle vehicles these days," said Abe Tomas, managing director of Fleet and Financial Products at Macmillan Shakespeare. There is also talk about what the future holds for Holden itself. The Australian Government is currently deciding whether inject more money into Holden so they can keep building vehicles in Australia. If the government decides not to, then GM might layoff about 1,700 blue collar workers and close up their Australian operations. If the government does decide to inject more money into Holden, then the brand will adopt two new "global" cars, one which is speculated to be a front-wheel drive platform that will take the place of the Commodore. Source: News.com.au William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. -
William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com August 22, 2012 The dream of the Holden Ute coming to the states has made a resurgence when General Motors announced the Holden Commodore would be coming as the Chevrolet SS. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news to the small group who cling onto this dream, but the Ute will not be coming. A report from the Herald Sun states that if Holden was to export the Ute to the U.S., the vehicle would fall under a light commercial tariff rate of 35%, three times higher than the tariff for passenger vehicles. "We were hopeful at one stage, we thought we might be able to duck in under it, but it was ruled out. With the dollar where it is, exports can only be pursued that are niche ... and profitable in this environment," said Richard Phillips, Holden's executive director of manufacturing. Source: Herald Sun William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article
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William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com August 22, 2012 The dream of the Holden Ute coming to the states has made a resurgence when General Motors announced the Holden Commodore would be coming as the Chevrolet SS. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news to the small group who cling onto this dream, but the Ute will not be coming. A report from the Herald Sun states that if Holden was to export the Ute to the U.S., the vehicle would fall under a light commercial tariff rate of 35%, three times higher than the tariff for passenger vehicles. "We were hopeful at one stage, we thought we might be able to duck in under it, but it was ruled out. With the dollar where it is, exports can only be pursued that are niche ... and profitable in this environment," said Richard Phillips, Holden's executive director of manufacturing. Source: Herald Sun William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. -
Rumorpile: Chevy’s Upcoming SS Sedan May Give Way to a New Ute and Wagon
Blake Noble posted an article in Chevrolet
Blake Noble Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com May 4th, 2012 GM hasn’t exactly been bashful about the fact it plans to build a new rear-drive performance sedan for Chevrolet next year, and race it on your local NASCAR track. Announced in March of this year, the upcoming Chevy — which will wear the SS moniker in either short or long-hand form — should likely boast the same 6.2 liter V8 heart which furiously beats beneath the hood of the Camaro SS. The 6.2 should produce upwards of 415 horsepower for use in the SS sedan. When news broke about the Chevrolet SS, it was widely believed that the car would be only be available with a V8 and four doors. However, that may not turn out to be the case as it seems GM may be planning to further expand the Bowtie brand’s portfolio of rear-drive cars. Car and Driver is reporting that after the SS is introduced with the hairy-chested 6.2 V8, Chevrolet will offer a version of the car for more squeamish buyers using a 3.6 liter V6 good for churning out 300-plus horsepower. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise given that most automakers must remain conscious of ever increasing CAFE regulations with every new model and a V6-powered Chevy SS would likely achieve highway mpg figures somewhere in the upper 20s. What may be seen as surprising is that the Chevy SS family may not be comprised of just a V6 or V8-powered sedan. When the SS moves to an updated, lighter version of the Zeta platform on which it is based, GM could very well introduce additional ute (read: ElCamino) and wagon bodystyles. This should take place around 2015, and production of the SS will also shift to North America — likely GM’s plant in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada — from Australia where it will first be built alongside the related Holden Commodore. It’s worth mentioning that while production of the Chevy SS will probably move out of Australia, it’s unclear if the Holden Commodore will follow suit. Australian website Drive is skeptical and thinks if the Commodore leaves its native home it likely wouldn’t happen until a totally new model is introduced for 2018, pending future currency exchange rates and sales. Whatever the case, enthusiasts will undoubtedly be excited at the prospect of not only the upcoming Chevy SS, but a new wagon and especially a successor to the beloved ElCamino. Let’s just hope that GM doesn’t revoke anyone’s green card this time around. Sources: Car and Driver, Drive -
Blake Noble Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com May 4th, 2012 GM hasn’t exactly been bashful about the fact it plans to build a new rear-drive performance sedan for Chevrolet next year, and race it on your local NASCAR track. Announced in March of this year, the upcoming Chevy — which will wear the SS moniker in either short or long-hand form — should likely boast the same 6.2 liter V8 heart which furiously beats beneath the hood of the Camaro SS. The 6.2 should produce upwards of 415 horsepower for use in the SS sedan. When news broke about the Chevrolet SS, it was widely believed that the car would be only be available with a V8 and four doors. However, that may not turn out to be the case as it seems GM may be planning to further expand the Bowtie brand’s portfolio of rear-drive cars. Car and Driver is reporting that after the SS is introduced with the hairy-chested 6.2 V8, Chevrolet will offer a version of the car for more squeamish buyers using a 3.6 liter V6 good for churning out 300-plus horsepower. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise given that most automakers must remain conscious of ever increasing CAFE regulations with every new model and a V6-powered Chevy SS would likely achieve highway mpg figures somewhere in the upper 20s. What may be seen as surprising is that the Chevy SS family may not be comprised of just a V6 or V8-powered sedan. When the SS moves to an updated, lighter version of the Zeta platform on which it is based, GM could very well introduce additional ute (read: ElCamino) and wagon bodystyles. This should take place around 2015, and production of the SS will also shift to North America — likely GM’s plant in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada — from Australia where it will first be built alongside the related Holden Commodore. It’s worth mentioning that while production of the Chevy SS will probably move out of Australia, it’s unclear if the Holden Commodore will follow suit. Australian website Drive is skeptical and thinks if the Commodore leaves its native home it likely wouldn’t happen until a totally new model is introduced for 2018, pending future currency exchange rates and sales. Whatever the case, enthusiasts will undoubtedly be excited at the prospect of not only the upcoming Chevy SS, but a new wagon and especially a successor to the beloved ElCamino. Let’s just hope that GM doesn’t revoke anyone’s green card this time around. Sources: Car and Driver, Drive View full article
