Muscle News

Doubts over an Oz Corvette and Supercars’ post-Covid dilemma

Well, we thought the new structure General Motors would employ in Australia in the post-Holden era might emerge before the last issue of Australian MUSCLE CAR was published.

And then along came COVID-19.

There is every chance negotiations over what has been referred to publicly as General Motors Specialty Vehicles between GM and the Walkinshaw Group might have dragged out anyway, but there’s no doubt a global pandemic doesn’t help such things!

All of which is a long-winded way of saying that by the time you read this GMSV might have been announced. Then again…

Little by little, more is leaking out about what GMSV is going to look like.

First off, we are hearing that Chevrolet is very much the focus of the new entity. So if you read about Cadillac, Hummer electric SUVs and other stuff, that is speculative.

The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pick-up – which Walkinshaw has already engineered and converted to right-hand drive in Melbourne and sells under its HSV brand – seems certain to continue under the new deal.

The Tahoe SUV should be headed our way too. OK, so far, so predictable.

What gets you and me excited is the prospect of the V8 Camaro returning and the mid-engine C8 Corvette being con rmed. The former was built here by Walkinshaw, but it’s stopped production until the GMSV deal is nalised.

The latter? Well it is package protected for right-hand drive as we know, but the big question is whether it will be built ex-factory in Bowling Green Kentucky, or ‘remanufactured’ in Melbourne? Your guess…

A few other little tidbits for you. Peter ‘PK’ Keley, the Holden veteran we pro led as part of the VE Commodore development feature in issue #113, is leading the negotiations from the GMside. Appropriate considering he owns a HSV GTSR W1.

And the likely structure is headed towards GM owning the business and Walkinshaw being contracted to do local engineering and conversion.

And yes, that would probably mean the end of the HSV brand as we know it.

Stay tuned for the announcement…