Holden's European invaders are here

I've reported a couple of times over the past few months on Holden's impending release of it's new European sourced model line up, signaling the end of Aussie made Holden's. Well if you so choose, the day has come when you can now go out and buy one of Holden's new breed. Let me refresh your mind on whats to come.

They're made in Europe don't you know

The Holden Astra, GTC, VXR and Cascada convertible mark the beginning of a product offensive by Holden, possibly in a bid to quell any sadness brought about by the passing of Australian car manufacturing, they plan on releasing 24 new vehicles in the next 5 years. These cars mark the tip of an iceberg for Holden, an iceberg that they are keen to point out is very European. Made in Germany along with their Opal and Vauxhall cousins Holden say that European made stands for high quality and refinement, there's even a mention that the VXR variant was honed at, and I quote, "the iconic mecca for all driving enthusiasts; the Nurburgring Nordschliefe track". I think it's clear that Holden want the public to be aware that their new cars will move the company upmarket.

Go posh or go home 

Sticking to that premium image the new Astra's are being offered initially in only their poshest of guises, that means 3 door coupe body styles and in the case of the VXR ballistic performance levels. This is a brave move but one that will hopefully pay off, as when people get a glimpse of the handsome 3 door Astra, which nails that swish European look the company are hankering after, the 5 doors, wagons and sedans that appear later in the year hopefully won't look as ordinary as they would should all the cars be released in one go.

The GTC and VXR

Being top of the range, spec sheets for the Astra's are impressive. The GTC offers trick HiPerStrut front suspension for vastly improved road holding, plush sports seats, a 7 inch screen with MyLink so you can easily link your phone to the car and sat nav all within that high quality European cabin. You also get rain sensing wipers, auto headlights, start stop on the manual, and a DAB digital radio to name a few other toys. Go for a GTC Sport and you get 19 inch wheels, leather seats and a suitably sporty body kit. Astra VXR's take it a stage further, the GTC's 1.6 litre turbo motor is replaced with a 2 litre turbo unit good for 206kw of oomph and the outside is treated to an even more aggressive body kit. There's also the choice of 3 driving modes in the VXR to cater for whatever mood you might be in. Prices for the 6 speed manual GTC start at $26,990 rising to $29,990 for a GTC Sport. There's a 3k premium if you want an automatic. If its a VXR you want you'll have to fork out $39,990. 

The Cascada 

This car marks Holden's return to the convertible sector and it is an all together more sedate affair than it's sporty Astra siblings. Looking every bit the European drop top Holden were aiming for the Cascada comes with only the 1.6 litre engine option and the 6 speed automatic gearbox, no bad thing as this cars all about the cruising anyway. Holden have also announced 50 special edition Cascada's to mark the firms return to soft top motoring. Priced at $44,990, 3k more than the normal Cascada the Launch Edition features Nappa leather seats, 20 inch alloys and adaptive bi-xenon headlights with daytime running lights.

Embrace the imports

From reading my blog you might have guessed that I've been trying to drive home the idea that you can't beat a car with a splash of European fineness for the past 6 months. And Holden's shift towards a European line up has made me one very happy motoring blogger. I hope in the coming months I'll be able to test out some of Holden's new breed on Australian roads, but in the meantime if you want to buy one just pop into your local Holden dealer from the 4th May 2015.                  

       

Production of Euro sourced Holden's start in Germany

The wait for European sourced Holden's is almost over with the announcement that the first Insignia VXR has rolled of the production line in Germany. For many this will be the first definitive nail in the coffin signalling the end of Holden production in Australia. Despite the potential for reservation among buyers though, Holden are confident the new cars will be exciting enough to win them over and have released details of just how many new cars they plan to bring to market.

All change

Last year I wrote about the impending Insignia, Astra and Cascada. I pointed out that if you couldn't wait for a new one, the short lived Opel foray into the Aussie market meant you could pick up one of these "new" Holden's merely badged as an Opel. This is still very much the case, however Holden have confirmed that these 3 former Opel's which in the case of the Astra and Insignia are a bit long in the tooth will just be the start of a product offensive. Over the next 5 years Holden will launch 24 new vehicles and 36 new powertrain combinations with one third of Holden's portfolio being euro sourced. This indicates that cheaper Asian sourced cars like the current Cruze will still feature in the companies future while more expensive Opel's will take the brand upmarket.

Holden Insignia VXR on the production line

What can Australia expect? 

Speculation as to what some of the 24 new cars will be is rife, one guess is that the Opel/Vauxhall spotted testing in Melbourne earlier this year. Another guess is that the Zafira people carrier will make a return to Holden's range, again this car was briefly available in Aus as an Opel but could make a welcome return, as for a people shifter it's rather good looking.
Corsa will make its way down under to take on the likes of the Ford Fiesta, Hyundai i20 and Honda Jazz. A new and previous generation Corsa VXR were

Time to get excited

Anyway time will tell as to whats coming Australia's way. The Insignia, Astra and Cascada are all expected in the second quarter of this year and I for one am pretty excited about Holden's European sourced future. Check out the reviews below for an idea of what the 3 new cars could be like.

Holden Insignia #1

Astra VXR

Insignia VXR

Cascada 

Photo credit: caradvice.com.au
            

Holden commit to an EU sourced line up

Holden VF Commodore 

Holden have confirmed that with the demise of the Australian built Commodore in 2017 the company will source its vehicles from GM's European divisions, namely Opel (or Vauxhall if your British like me). So what does this mean for Australian buyers? Will the cars be any good? Lets see what Holden have confirmed they'll be offering and how you could get your hands on one right now.

Early invasion 

Holden are preparing the market for the import invasion early, announcing three models coming to these shores in 2015. This will hopefully ease the hysteria when the Commodore dies a couple of years later. Announced for release are the Astra GTC/VXR, Cascada convertible and Insignia hatch.

The Insignia

The Insignia seems like an appropriate place to start, as it will take the crown of the largest car in Holden's range after the Commodore. Despite it's saloon profile the Insignia is a hatch back that has been on sale in Europe since 2008. The car came as a welcome breath of fresh air for Opel/Vauxhall when it replaced the mind numbingly boring Vectra. In 2013 it was face lifted to keep the design sharp and I for one really like the way the car looks. It has elements of coupe in the roofline and beautiful little touches like the crease in the doors and chrome trim that runs the width of the boot. A hotted up version of the Insignia, the VXR is expected to come this way too. It is even better looking thanks to a lower stance deeper bumpers and big wheels and serves up 321bhp (239kw) of turbo charged 2.8 litre V6 to all 4 wheels. If this car is given the HSV treatment it could be a pretty formidable machine.

Insignia VXR

The Astra

Continuing the VXR theme lets move onto the Astra already sold in Aus briefly as the Opel OPC. Unashamedly a hot hatch, the VXR is no shrinking violet with a massive body kit, equally large rear wing and 20 inch wheels, it's by no means ugly, just a bit in yer face. Powering the VXR is a 2 lite turbo producing 276bhp (205kw) which it sends, rather worryingly, to the front wheels only. In a bid to quell the rampant understeer VXR's are fitted with a mechanical limited slip diff and a HiPerStrut suspension set up, which do a pretty good job of keeping you pointed in the right direction. The lesser powered Astra GTC looses the body kit, wheels and limited slip diff, however it keeps the HiPerStrut suspension. Losing the body mods you can see the GTC is a well proportioned hatch thats trying to be a coupe and I look forward to its release here, sure beats a Hyundai i30 for kerb appeal.

The Cascada

The last car due for release in Aus is the Cascada. Essentially an Astra convertible the bosses at GM clearly wanted to give the car a classier image, hence the choice of name. I'm not convinced mainly because the Cascada name for me means awful dance music, but don't let that put you off as the car is gorgeous. A lovely fabric roof means the lines of the car are not destroyed by a massive bottom needed to conceal a folding hard top (here's looking at you Renault Megan CC). To drive expect the car to be softer than the Astra hatch on which its based, tuned more for cruising than high speed cornering. Naturally the Cascada will weigh more too with all the strengthening required when you chop a roof off and the body is likely to flex a little more if it is driven hard.

Pretty roof down...

And roof up

             

How much will they cost me?

Right then, that's the cars covered but how much will they cost?  The Commodore is a pretty bespoke Aussie product with a relatively small number being exported meaning the margins on making it profitable are quite small. The new breed of Holden's however will be mass produced in Europe for numerous markets resulting in them having much bigger margins. Meaning that despite the import costs they are still likely to be offered to buyers at competitive prices. Think around $30000 to $40000 for an Astra and more like $50000 to $60000 for the Insignia depending on spec.

Insider tip

This wouldn't be a very useful blog though if my my final words were, wait until next year and buy a brand new car would it? A car that's going to lose half its value the moment you drive it off the forecourt. So my final tip if you really want one but can't afford nor wait for one is, buy an Opel. You see Opel briefly existed in Australia between 2012 and 2013 before finances forced them out of the market. In that time they sold the Astra and Insignia and importantly they sold them in OPC form (that's just Opel's way of saying VXR). And guess what, these can be picked up right now for at least $10000 less than the price of the impending new ones, here are some I found on the web:

Opel Astra OPC $32000
Opel Insignia OPC $45990

With only a handful of these cars being sold you'll definitely be exclusive and don't worry about that exclusivity meaning no spare parts either, as once Holden start selling them in 2015 you can just take it to them for a service. It really couldn't be better, you get a rare car at a good price that's easy to service and when your mate tells you he's ordered a new VXR you can say, I've already got one of those!

Photo's: Newspress & GM Corp