58 january 2018 motormag.com.au
flat out working and finishing off, and obviously the
new facility’s designed to run three or four lines in it,
whereas traditionally we’ve only had to run one line.
And we’re super, super excited about it.
“It’s been a journey over a few years and we have to
be grateful in terms of the work that’s gone on in the
background between ourselves and Holden and GM
to find the right product solutions for the marketplace.
We’re genuinely excited about the opportunity and
how our business is going to change and transform. It
doesn’t come without risk and scrutiny, but we think we
have a portfolio of products in the beginning that will
hold us in good stead. But there’s a lot of scope for other
and new and different product going forward.”
What happens with the HSV brand?
TJ: “The HSV brand sticks around. In terms of the
Colorado, we’re going to refer to that as the Colorado
SportsCat by HSV. We’ve had a lot of different discussions
about what HSV has become synonymous with and
I guess it’s not dissimilar to an M Sport or an AMG as
reference points. People will ask about the SportsCat,
‘is it a fully blown HSV without a powertrain upgrade?’
because it doesn’t have a
powertrain upgrade at this
point. And I think we’re honest
enough to say, ‘yeah, we think
it’s probably best described as a
Colorado SportsCat by HSV’.
“It definitely has our DNA
all over it in terms of chassis
work, a new bold appearance,
exciting, but it doesn’t have
that power-up that I think most
people have come to know HSV
for. That’s not saying that won’t
happen in the future, but it’s a
starting point. And then when
you look at the Silverado and the
Camaro, they’re not what we’d
call an enhancement of that
vehicle. It’s really taking it from left-hand drive to right.
We’re not trying to improve or expand its performance
parameters. And they will be marketed as a Chevrolet
Silverado and a Chevrolet Camaro.”
So where does the HSV name fit in with the
Camaro and Silverado conversions?
TJ: “It won’t. The simplest way to describe it is that
HSV is the organisation behind these products. When
and if there’s a product that we think logically wears the
HSV brand, I’m sure we’ll have the conversation with
Holden and determine if that’s the right path.”
Hence Holden Colorado SportsCat by HSV
rather than HSV SportsCat?
TJ: “I think it’s trying to be honest about where it sits.
We see a lot of debate in the market place about what
name should be on different products, but it’s actually
a great product and we don’t want it to get lost in the
debate of what its name should be if people think we’re
overstating the name. We’re better off saying, ‘don’t
worry about that, it’s actually a great product, worry
about the product itself’.
“Typically, when we’ve looked at an HSV, it’s been
strong, bold design, improved chassis dynamics and
a power upgrade. And that’s really the only thing we
haven’t been able to have an influence on (with the
“A Super
Colorado is
in the works,
one that will
be powered
by GM’s twin-
turbocharged
3.6-litre V6”