Seismic Shift

WHEN the currentgeneration Holden Colorado debuted in 2012 it represented a seismic shift in General Motors’ global approach to the lighttruck market. No longer would GM look to Japanese manufacturer Isuzu for product in this market sector as it had previously done with vehicles such as the Rodeo and the first generation Colorado. Instead, it would build its own ute.

To this end GM mustered its global resources, including engineers from Holden, and corralled them in its Brazilian division headquarters. And after six years and twoand-a-half million test kilometres carried out in South America and four other continents, Holden produced a ute it would sell around the world.

This change from Isuzu-sourced to in-house development came about due to GM selling the last of its interest in Isuzu in 2006, a company it had held a one-third stake in since 1972 (and a controlling interest from 1999 to 2002). Isuzu was still involved in the development of this new ute but as a junior rather than a senior partner. Indeed, the current Isuzu D-max shares its basic body shell and chassis with the Colorado but differs in powertrain, suspension details, bodywork and interior fit-out.