HSV not threatened by Holden push

The future of Holden Special Vehicles is not threatened by the new small-car push with Opel imports. Even though the chosen cars are all performance models, and the Astra VXR was once sold as part of the HSV family, the parent company says there is no plan to cut ties to the famed hot Holden shop.

“There are discussions with HSV,” is as far as Stefan Jacoby, head of GM International Operations, will go as to commenting.

But HSV chief Tim Jackson says he is not worried, even though there are no public plans yet for cars beyond the last Commodore in 2017.

“Holden is always raising the bar, as it should, and we are always challenged with delivering more,” Jackson tells

“Our job is as it has always been – deliver an exciting and differentiated product.”

HSV CEO Ryan Walkinshaw has been hinting for some time about the cars that will headline at HSV, but without going into detail.

The big challenge is finding cars that can be imported, then tweaked at Clayton with HSV ‘fairy dust’ while still satisfying demanding customers and a profitable business model.

Holden has moved aggressively into HSV territory in the past with the SS-V versions of its Commodore, but the Opel-sourced arrivals will stretch things again and perhaps put a different slant on negotiations about the companies’ joint future.

But HSV is committed to building its current range of Clubsport sedan and wagon, Maloo ute, Grange limousine and GTS super-sedan until the very end of Commodore production in October 2017 and is expecting to stockpile enough cars to carry it through into 2018.