Category: Holden

The Australian love affair with dual-cab utes shows no sign of losing that fresh flush of romance with the vehicle’s ability to service both work and family commitments a major drawcard. The segment is highly competitive filled with all manner of temptations including utes that look like utes but drives like cars (well, almost), utes that have such a premium feel you couldn’t imagine getting it dusty, utes that are better off-road, those that are better on road, utes that can haul heavy trailers, others that would battle with an… Read more

The clock is counting down not only the end of Australian-made Holden cars but also on one of our nation’s most iconic vehicles, the trusty (occasionally rusty according to the lyrics of a popular Aussie Christmas song) Holden Ute. The first ever Ute, the Holden Utility 51-2016 to give it it’s full name, was launched in 1951 and apart from the period from 1984 and 1990 (from the last WB Commercial to the first VN Commodore variant) there’s been a passenger car-based light commercial Holden on sale here ever since…. Read more

Holden made a fair bit of fuss about the new Trailblazer when the model made its appearance on these shores late last year. Far from just being an update of the Colorado 7, the seven-seater was touted as the perfect companion for a family who loved adventure, a heady mix of space, comfort, off-road prowess and on-road manners. Sceptics dismissed the marketing script as just that, nothing more than a ploy to dress up a name change as something much grander than it was. That is hardly surprising given the… Read more

The upgraded Colorado is the shape of things to come for Holden. The ‘Wizards of Oz’ joined their Brazilian counterparts and Thai manufacturing technicians to come up with a vehicle that the maker says is ideal for Australia’s driving conditions. “The variety of roads in Australia and the ways Australians use trucks means the 2017 Colorado has to be versatile enough to handle everything thrown at it,” says Holden’s Lead Development Engineer, Amelinda Watt. “We know customers like to drive their Colorado off-road or on unsealed roads, but we also… Read more

It’s no secret that when it comes to performance and low fuel consumption and emissions in cars, weight is the enemy. So it was with the development of the new Holden Astra hatchback, which is an impressive 140 kg lighter than the previous model, despite the take-up of more kit. Australia took the Astra into its heart when first launched here in 1996. Since then, motorists’ feelings for the small Holden, with its European looks and dynamics have not waned. Designers and engineers were given a clean sheet by Opel… Read more