Three days before Christmas last year, Holden announced they've been given a giant wad-o-cash to "develop" a new small car for Australia. I supposed that it's likely to be the Astra version I (I as in after H, not 1) and they released an official sketch.
Jalopnik reports that test versions have been seen in both the Austrian Alps, and other reports have seen the car at the Nuburgring, highly camouflaged - just follow the links.
http://jalopnik.com/393650/2010-opel-astra-spotted-testing-in-alps-2011-saturn-version-not-far-behind
http://jalopnik.com/photogallery/opelsaturnastra-/1001679444
Me being the little snoop that I am, managed to scab a couple of pictures from Auto Express in the UK:
I conceed that this is a very big guess, but Auto Express' sketch does employ some of the styling features which have already been employed in the Insignia and the press releases coming out of Opel.
There is however a snag to all of this. Due to the Global Financial Crisis, Opel and Vauxhall are trying to cut themselves loose from GM in America. If that were to happen then not only does Holden lose potential export markets for the car, but it's just possible that the whole project as far as Australia is concerned never eventuates: at least as far as the Astra is concerned.
If Opel and Vauxhall leave GM, then Holden is left in the same group as Geely, Daewoo and GM North America and without access to European technology and design work. Holden themselves already decided to drop the Vectra from their lineup which proved to be really stupid as its replacement, the Insignia won European Car of the Year for 2008. They also shot themselves in the head by replacing the Opel Corsa with the Daewoo Kalos (both of which carried the Barina nameplate) and in doing so replaced a 4-Star safety rated car with a 2-Star safety rated car and a corresponding drop in sales. What happens then if they accidentally do not have access to the car which they've been given wad-o-cash for?
Currently Holden sell the Daewoo Lacetti under the name plate Viva. Most folk might actually recognise it as the Chevrolet Lacetti which itself features in Top Gear's "Star in a reasonably priced car" segment in the UK version (which is still better that Top Gear Australia). The Lacetti itself is expected to be replaced by the Chevrolet Cruze.
What I greatly fear is that Holden who have a proven history now with replacing fairly good European cars with rubbish Korean ones, will be buying American developed Korean rubbish and then building it in Australia. I have seen first hand the quality of American cars on American roads and quite frankly I was left totally underwhelmed. Should Holden choose to go down this path then I actually expect that by 2015, there will be no Holdens produced in Australia at all and it will have been their own fault.
I believe someone else had something interesting to say to Holden:
You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed, and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
The red pill in this case, could very well be the first step into oblivion; and just to remind you, Holden will be taking $149 million in taxpayers funds to go there.
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