GM to Replace Holden in a Limited Capacity
As we reported back in February — which, by 2020 standards may as well be 1963 — General Motors decided to pull the plug on Holden. If a recent report by Autoblog’s Ronan Glon is anything to go by, the global automaker may be launching something of a revival, even if its scope is smaller than it used to be.
It’s like the Holden Equinox: Just American
How we got here
Holden was established 164 years ago in 1856, and more or less created the Australian motor vehicle industry. It went on to supply cars to both New Zealand and Thailand. Three years ago, General Motors decided to end on-site production in Australia and New Zealand, and announced plans to sell its Thai plant in Rayong to a Chinese company. The restructuring cost the company somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.1 billion.
However, it seems that GM isn’t through with the Australian market just yet, as it recently patented two new names in the country.
The future of Holden
The terms in question are “General Motors Specialty Vehicles” — or GMSV — and SV Specialty Vehicles. According to Glon, the automaker filed the former on June 19 and the latter earlier this month, on July 3. He also corroborates a report by GM Authority’s Johnathan Lopez, which not only confirms the filing dates, but states that GMSV is expected to “import select vehicles for the [Australian] market, such as the Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet amaro, and Chevrolet Silverado.”
SV Specialty Vehicles, on the other hand, “will cover goods and services with regard to ‘Aircraft; boats; caravans and trailers; cycles and bicycles; vehicles including motor vehicles; engines for motor vehicles; cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles; land vehicles; cigar and cigarette lighters for motor vehicles; parts and accessories for all the foregoing.’”
Bafflingly, a fly-by-night merchandise company launched in June apparently in an attempt to capitalize on Australia’s prospective enthusiasm for General Motors’ return to the continent. Those close to the situation confirmed that the line had no affiliation with the automaker or its international partners.
We don’t know exactly when GMSV or SV Specialty Vehicles will hit the mainstream — or whether the cars it sends to Australia will feature specialized branding — but it’s certainly reassuring to know that GM Holden will have a successor rather than fading into obscurity.
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Aaron was born in a suburb of Toledo, Ohio and has managed to traverse most of the state between college and various shenanigans. Having majored in video game development and minored in film studies, he is a considerable fan of both forms of media. Additionally, he is available to explain why Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best feminist films of all time at the drop of a hat. His aspirations include — but are not limited to — not accidentally adopting any more cats and developing a responsible sleep schedule. See more articles by Aaron.