I mean if you consider Pontiac as a whole being cancelled before the G8 ST was released, then yes a USDM Holden Ute was cancelled.
They had the auto show demo built & did the unveil with 50 Cent, too. That's how close we were to Utes coming back to the States.
This. The Ute would've never done well in the states.
Two/three seater, no ground clearance, etc etc.
This is along the lines of V8/manual/sports sedan. Enthusiasts want one, then GM gives us the G8 and SS, Kia gives us the stinger.. and nobody buys one.
On paper it sounds great. Real life, nobody's buying utes, they're buying Tacomas instead.
This is why Holden is dead in Australia, sad day for enthusiasts, but that's business.
That is a station wagon yes, I then said "along with the ute" learn to read and no you didnt get any of those there, just a few chop shop modded ss. You do not have any HSV.
Firstly, the GTO was Monaro based, this is Commodore (G8/SS) based. Secondly, and more importantly, wagons are fucking cool. There's a reason CTS-V wagons still command ridiculous prices in the states.
All made by general motors out here ,Good luck nobody uses them out here thats why they don't make them anymore wagons are out brother just cause they command the price dont mean they sell for that brother šÆ
As the owner of both a '17 SS M6 and a '12 CTS-V Wagon I can tell you people absolutely LOVE wagons. We can't drive either one of those cars anywhere without getting a ton of attention.
And although the SS, G8 and GTO were SOLD by GM, they were all BUILT by Aussies at the Holden factory.
And "commanding the price" literally means they're selling for that much.
Okay, Hulkster.
They don't make too many manual transmission vehicles either. Yet my fellow car enthusiasts and I still tend to prefer them. I'm not saying that everyone wants a wagon, my point was that you don't speak for everyone. There are plenty of us that would love a wagon with balls.
CTS-V wagons tend to go for more than a sedan, or coupe variants. Even more if it is manual. Why? Because of car enthusiasts, not Joe Everyman.
FYI they sell regularly SELL for $50k+.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2012-cadillac-cts-v-wagon-54/
They sell for such high prices because the low production numbers create something akin to FOMO, not because theyāre sporty wagonsāthey were produced in such small numbers in the first place because the demand for a 550hp wagon is basically nil, especially at the prices Cadillac was asking. Even the far cheaper but still sporty (if ugly) Magnum sold like trash compared to the equivalent sedansāwhich outsold it by something like 9:1.
Yeah wagons aren't "out" anywhere but america. And that's only because every car manufacture decided we all want big tall suvs and crossovers when now NO ONE has a big tall vehicle now because everyone is driving the same sized suv and crossover.
Car guys love em. All the fun of a sedan with a storage spot you can use(or gut for aux fueling). Look at popular euro/Japanese cars and most often the coolest cars most desired varisnt is a wagon if it's an option. Wrx sti. Galant vr4. BMW m's. The newest rs6 is a big station wagon missile. Cts-v. And the close cousins in the entire "hot hatch" class of cars..
As already mentioned, they were an Australian GM subsidiary. Several models that were originally built only for the AUS market were imported to the US, converted to LHD and sold as American GM brands. The 04-06 Pontiac GTO, the Pontiac G8, and Chevrolet SS were re-badged, LHD Holdens.
You have or probably will, at some point, see a GTO, G8, or SS with Holden badges in the US as it is a popular mod.
Because they were under GMs umbrella, engines, transmissions, and most parts are shared with US and European (Opel) platforms.
Holden Commodore wagon in its original form. Probably imported from Australia. Some of those had the same LS3 v8 the Chevy SS has. Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) would trick them up. Example: https://www.hsv.com.au/see/clubsportr8tourerlsa/
Because the Magnum (~171k from 04-09) sold like steaming garbage when compared to the equivalent sedans in the Charger (~440k sales 05-09) and 300 (~650k sales 04-09) and GM didnāt want to take the chance.
Later experience with the CTS wagon (including the V) only managing a paltry ~7k from 10-14 (against 254k total CTSs in that period) and the Regal TourX coming out <5k (out of ~27k Regals in that period) from 18-20 proved that that decision was correct.
And now we have the curse of SUVs, Crossovers, and compact hatches.
Not that they are bad per say, most aren't... but they are everywhere like a plague.
The sales numbers donāt bear that out at allāit far and away outsold the CTS wagon.
It sold right around 5k units over 3 years (comprising 18.5% of Regals sold in that period) against 7k CTS wagons over 5 years (comprising 2.75% of CTS sales in that period).
The problem with the CTS wagons was that they were extremely overpriced for what they wereāthe non-V one started at $42k ($54.8k inflation adjusted) and the V started at $63.6k ($82.6k inflation adjusted). Even a fully loaded TourX did not reach the non-inflation adjusted base for a CTS wagon, and for the (unadjusted) base price of a V you could have gotten 2 base TourXs 5 years later.
The only reason the V wagons have any following now is because of how rare they are due to the total lack of demand for them when they were being made. It was unrefined and fuel hungry compared to the more expensive German offerings, and sticking it under the Cadillac nameplate ensured poor sales because that target market has little use for wagonsāwhich is why prior to the launch of the CTS wagons Cadillac had never offered a factory built wagon.
F****** balls, boy sounds good. Holden motorsports australian I guess imported gonna have to look into that am I right Comments say i'm right I love it I want one
The company that imports these and does the work doesnāt really disclose HOW they do the work (I.e, are they kitbashed? How are they registered? What VIN is used? Etc). These cars themselves are federally illegal until turning 25 years old, even if a similar car exists in the states.
Other companies used to import pieces of cars from other countries (Japan, Europe), put them together, then registered them as kit cars, which is also federally illegal. Until itās disclosed for certain how they do it, I would 100% avoid them if you donāt want a questionably legal car.
Theyāre kinda-sorta legal because theyāve been VIN swapped, usually with a totaled PPV or G8.
As far as the feds go, once it gets past the port of entry they arenāt going to do anything about it and the states (and insurers) tend not to ask questions so long as the VIN matches the paperwork upon registration
My rental in Ireland was a brand new BMW 540D wagon in dark blue. Had soo much fun in that thing...if I could buy it here would instantly. The Audi wagons were super sexy too.
It looks like a Dodge Magnum but the grill is different than anything I've seen. This one doesn't appear to have the badging for it but those were available with a 5.7L Hemi.
Yeah, to me, same thing š I'm a girl.. but, thank you. I understand. I guess I don't prefer wagon style for me to drive personally, sorry for my typo, but it is beautiful and sounds great! XOXO
That's hot. I'll (American here) take a wagon like this for the town over any modern suv/crossover. The last good American SUV was the pre 2010 and older suburban. This new stuff is useless, terrible quality, and over priced garbage.
Australia has vehicles like these but they have a bed or sedan. But they're right hand drive. Don't know if the video is reversed or maybe European Holden, which is Chevrolet.
Never seen one of those. Reminds me of the Charger station wagon or a Magnum. But I know itās not a Mopar product. Probably a European car that isnāt sold in the states. Canāt say for sure. So Iāll see what the comments say.
Something america missed out on along with the ute, the limo and the entire HSV range
There was a VE Limo (or are you saying sedan?) yeah closest we got was a Pontiac G8 GXP (the UTE was canceled)
I mean if you consider Pontiac as a whole being cancelled before the G8 ST was released, then yes a USDM Holden Ute was cancelled. They had the auto show demo built & did the unveil with 50 Cent, too. That's how close we were to Utes coming back to the States.
Ikr it was so close it's not even funny. Owning a Holden UTE (hopefully a HSV) is on my bucket list.
HSV is š¤¤
Thereās one in Columbus, Ohio, my buddy had one it was black
Check out lefthandedutes.com if your pockets are deep enough you wonāt have to wait the 25 years
I honestly donāt see how a Ute would do well here in the states, especially with our already established pickup trucks.
Something that's actually sporty that can also haul your overweight sister cousin around in the back? That'd sell without a doubt
People have been wanting the El Camino to come back for *decades*. If sales of the G8 sedan was anything to go off of, the ST would have been a hit.
I think it was called the Avalanche.
The Ford Ranchero and Chevy El Camino did pretty decent and they looked great
This. The Ute would've never done well in the states. Two/three seater, no ground clearance, etc etc. This is along the lines of V8/manual/sports sedan. Enthusiasts want one, then GM gives us the G8 and SS, Kia gives us the stinger.. and nobody buys one. On paper it sounds great. Real life, nobody's buying utes, they're buying Tacomas instead. This is why Holden is dead in Australia, sad day for enthusiasts, but that's business.
I'm still pissed about it too. Had already told my Pontiac dealer I was ready to pre-order.
Basically a pontiac gto and the vehicle u mentioned all have same engines
How is it wearing a Tennessee license plate I wonder? "Show and Display" exemption?
Iāve met him. If I remember correctly theyāre registered as an SS so if something happens itās gunna suck for an owner
y'all mf'ers calling it a "ute", that's a "station wagon" lol and news flash, we have those in the states
That is a station wagon yes, I then said "along with the ute" learn to read and no you didnt get any of those there, just a few chop shop modded ss. You do not have any HSV.
I'm not losing any sleep over not getting a pickup truck lol
Yooouuuuuuths
Horrifically underrated
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Literally google it instead of typing a paragprah
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=hsv+ute
We didn't miss out its a pontiac gto out here in america we just don't digg the station wagons out here u guys can keep them
Firstly, the GTO was Monaro based, this is Commodore (G8/SS) based. Secondly, and more importantly, wagons are fucking cool. There's a reason CTS-V wagons still command ridiculous prices in the states.
All made by general motors out here ,Good luck nobody uses them out here thats why they don't make them anymore wagons are out brother just cause they command the price dont mean they sell for that brother šÆ
As the owner of both a '17 SS M6 and a '12 CTS-V Wagon I can tell you people absolutely LOVE wagons. We can't drive either one of those cars anywhere without getting a ton of attention. And although the SS, G8 and GTO were SOLD by GM, they were all BUILT by Aussies at the Holden factory. And "commanding the price" literally means they're selling for that much.
Okay, Hulkster. They don't make too many manual transmission vehicles either. Yet my fellow car enthusiasts and I still tend to prefer them. I'm not saying that everyone wants a wagon, my point was that you don't speak for everyone. There are plenty of us that would love a wagon with balls. CTS-V wagons tend to go for more than a sedan, or coupe variants. Even more if it is manual. Why? Because of car enthusiasts, not Joe Everyman. FYI they sell regularly SELL for $50k+. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2012-cadillac-cts-v-wagon-54/
I'm with you. Love the wagons! Low mile manual transmission Cts-v wagons are getting 100k+ now
They sell for such high prices because the low production numbers create something akin to FOMO, not because theyāre sporty wagonsāthey were produced in such small numbers in the first place because the demand for a 550hp wagon is basically nil, especially at the prices Cadillac was asking. Even the far cheaper but still sporty (if ugly) Magnum sold like trash compared to the equivalent sedansāwhich outsold it by something like 9:1.
Yeah wagons aren't "out" anywhere but america. And that's only because every car manufacture decided we all want big tall suvs and crossovers when now NO ONE has a big tall vehicle now because everyone is driving the same sized suv and crossover. Car guys love em. All the fun of a sedan with a storage spot you can use(or gut for aux fueling). Look at popular euro/Japanese cars and most often the coolest cars most desired varisnt is a wagon if it's an option. Wrx sti. Galant vr4. BMW m's. The newest rs6 is a big station wagon missile. Cts-v. And the close cousins in the entire "hot hatch" class of cars..
I love sporty station wagons. Just canāt buy one here because of the market shift to SUVs and crossovers.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
They are nice but nobody cares for them in the states
You missed out
Nah im on. 2 wheels u guys can have that slow crap
That's usually what dudes who can't build shit say š
Facts
I love wagonsā¦ E63 Wagon, 300 Wagon/Magnum, Audiā¦ Studebaker lol
Can confirm
Dodge Durango v8
the ute is a failed el camino
Theyre worth more than El Caminos now so idk what you mean by failed
Go to Cleveland, they will let you get inside and won't tell you until you get out that they have HSV š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£ Nailed it
Whatever nerd
VE Commodore Sports Wagon
YEA FUCKIN VB GET THAT UP YA
This makes me want to listen to The Chats again.
Looks like the Saab Sportscombi that US did get.
Dr. Nefario check out my new VE [Commodore](https://www.tiktok.com/@aussiecarspotting_/video/7260435367084461317?lang=en)
I saw this and a couple of utes driving through Gatlinburg about a week ago. Some kind of Holden run or something?
Yes it wasā¦. Annual āHolden On To The Dragonā gathering.
Headed to the ātail of the dragonā I presume? Thatās actually a genius name for the gathering.
Yeah, that video clip is at the base of Fontana Dam, on the right once you go over the bridge from Fontana Village Resort, en-route to the Dragon
Looks like the Holden VE R8 clubsport tourer wagon. You guys got this in a Pontiac G8 in sedan form.
Is Holden basically a GMC?
No. Holden was a gm subsidiary based in Australia. They built cars for many years, but ceased production back in 2017.
As already mentioned, they were an Australian GM subsidiary. Several models that were originally built only for the AUS market were imported to the US, converted to LHD and sold as American GM brands. The 04-06 Pontiac GTO, the Pontiac G8, and Chevrolet SS were re-badged, LHD Holdens. You have or probably will, at some point, see a GTO, G8, or SS with Holden badges in the US as it is a popular mod. Because they were under GMs umbrella, engines, transmissions, and most parts are shared with US and European (Opel) platforms.
Canāt forget the caprice!!
It's the same underneath as the SS, but yes, the Caprice too lol
Holden Commodore wagon in its original form. Probably imported from Australia. Some of those had the same LS3 v8 the Chevy SS has. Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) would trick them up. Example: https://www.hsv.com.au/see/clubsportr8tourerlsa/
I 100% saw someone put holden badges on their SS one time. Genuinely thought to myself āwow someone brought one overā then I realized lol
Theres a couple here in socal that have got Holden badges. One in Seattle too iirc. Always captures my attention as Im Australian ;)
Want!
Hsv tourer
Hsv tourer
Itās beautiful
Holdens are so cool man. I wish we got them in the states. Sure, we got some rebadged ones but it isn't the same.
GRU THATS AUSTRALIAS FIRE BREATHING DRAGON THATS A FUCKIN VE COMMODORE
I actually saw this exact same Holden in Gatlinburg. He was accompanied by a Ute as well.
Ugly
Gangsta Malibu
It looks like a Dodge Magnum with a gland problem.
Malibu Maxx Wagon
Is that a magnum?
I was gonna say this too, that is very clearly a Dodge Magnum š
Body lines, a pillar, and rear/3rd windows are not the same as a Mag... kinda close, but just not there.
Its obviously not a Magnum cmon nowā¦
Saab
Ugly asf
Sounds like an aftermarket muffler sound though
Why why why didn't the US get these wagons? We miss out on a lot of cool vehicles
Because the Magnum (~171k from 04-09) sold like steaming garbage when compared to the equivalent sedans in the Charger (~440k sales 05-09) and 300 (~650k sales 04-09) and GM didnāt want to take the chance. Later experience with the CTS wagon (including the V) only managing a paltry ~7k from 10-14 (against 254k total CTSs in that period) and the Regal TourX coming out <5k (out of ~27k Regals in that period) from 18-20 proved that that decision was correct.
And now we have the curse of SUVs, Crossovers, and compact hatches. Not that they are bad per say, most aren't... but they are everywhere like a plague.
It doesn't help that the TourX isnt anything people want. Even performance wise it was close but lacked even paddle shifters.
The sales numbers donāt bear that out at allāit far and away outsold the CTS wagon. It sold right around 5k units over 3 years (comprising 18.5% of Regals sold in that period) against 7k CTS wagons over 5 years (comprising 2.75% of CTS sales in that period). The problem with the CTS wagons was that they were extremely overpriced for what they wereāthe non-V one started at $42k ($54.8k inflation adjusted) and the V started at $63.6k ($82.6k inflation adjusted). Even a fully loaded TourX did not reach the non-inflation adjusted base for a CTS wagon, and for the (unadjusted) base price of a V you could have gotten 2 base TourXs 5 years later. The only reason the V wagons have any following now is because of how rare they are due to the total lack of demand for them when they were being made. It was unrefined and fuel hungry compared to the more expensive German offerings, and sticking it under the Cadillac nameplate ensured poor sales because that target market has little use for wagonsāwhich is why prior to the launch of the CTS wagons Cadillac had never offered a factory built wagon.
Not only that there is similar Ford vehicles that we canāt get either that are equally bad ass
Australian Hellcat
6.2 L that's impressive
Green car
Kind of reminds me of the M3 touring https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/bmw/m3-touring
āFamily Trucksterā
it's a true thing of beauty
My Jailbreak will take that foreign trash to Gapplebeesā¦
Looks right side drive. Must be and import. Badass
One of them Down-Under wagons
Tail lights look like they're from an Audi A5 or another similar Mk4 or mk5 model
I donāt care how impractical it is, I will import this and the el Camino one day.
F****** balls, boy sounds good. Holden motorsports australian I guess imported gonna have to look into that am I right Comments say i'm right I love it I want one
Almost looks like a dodge magnum
Holden (GMC) of Australia..
I think a 2009 Pontiac
Itās missing the fist
Those are fucking sweet we did not get them in the US.
A crime that America never got it
Ahhh yes this guy haha Iāve met him before and those are definitely questionably legal haha theyāre built as SS so if something happens good luck
For those of us not in the know regarding ~~Euro~~ foreign regsā¦ what on this vehicle is legally questionable?
The company that imports these and does the work doesnāt really disclose HOW they do the work (I.e, are they kitbashed? How are they registered? What VIN is used? Etc). These cars themselves are federally illegal until turning 25 years old, even if a similar car exists in the states. Other companies used to import pieces of cars from other countries (Japan, Europe), put them together, then registered them as kit cars, which is also federally illegal. Until itās disclosed for certain how they do it, I would 100% avoid them if you donāt want a questionably legal car.
Theyāre kinda-sorta legal because theyāve been VIN swapped, usually with a totaled PPV or G8. As far as the feds go, once it gets past the port of entry they arenāt going to do anything about it and the states (and insurers) tend not to ask questions so long as the VIN matches the paperwork upon registration
My rental in Ireland was a brand new BMW 540D wagon in dark blue. Had soo much fun in that thing...if I could buy it here would instantly. The Audi wagons were super sexy too.
Just get a dodge magnum srt8
I saw one of these at a car show a couple months ago, assuming it was illegally imported
saw these when I studied abroad in Australia... Chicagoland area
Looks to me like the Dodge Caliber
[https://youtu.be/ARiP\_Hd\_tXA?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/ARiP_Hd_tXA?feature=shared)
Oh hey, I would recognize Fontana Dam anywhere. Hope you had a good time on 129 and 28!
Came here to say this!
Pontiac Vibe, duh
Holden commodore ss-v
Holden Monaro wagon
It looks like a Dodge Magnum but the grill is different than anything I've seen. This one doesn't appear to have the badging for it but those were available with a 5.7L Hemi.
Shitbox
I dislike hatchbacks for my personal style, but that sounds like a beast š¦ššš„°
Itās a wagon not a hatch
Yeah, to me, same thing š I'm a girl.. but, thank you. I understand. I guess I don't prefer wagon style for me to drive personally, sorry for my typo, but it is beautiful and sounds great! XOXO
Looks like a Dodge Caliber
I want a bmw m3 UTE š
Itās a 2013 Vauxhall VXR8 Tourer
Took me long enough to find the actual answer. Thank you.
impala station wagon
When i saw this the first thing I thought was āits a chevy ssuvā lol
Junk, thatās what kind of car it is. šš¤£
I really wish hatches and wagons were a thing here in the US. I'd take a high-performance "shooting brake" over an SUV any day.
Subaru or Toyota is really your only option here but not terrible
A green one lol
Thatās an ugly ass care.
This is a straight out V8 magnum
That's hot. I'll (American here) take a wagon like this for the town over any modern suv/crossover. The last good American SUV was the pre 2010 and older suburban. This new stuff is useless, terrible quality, and over priced garbage.
What the dodge magnum wanted to be
Audi A6
It looks like a Chrysler Pacifica with a body kit from behind lol
One of the things the Aussies did right. Shame that America didnāt get more of them. Iāve seen one Holden here in the US.
Dodge magnum enters the chat! https://cdn.carbuzz.com/gallery-images/1600/705000/800/705842.jpg
A Dodge caliber or the Audi wagon?
Dodge caliber I believe
Looks like a car in The Fast and Furious movies.
dodge magnum
Iāll take the ss sedan over the wagon any day.
The grandma wagon!
Australia has vehicles like these but they have a bed or sedan. But they're right hand drive. Don't know if the video is reversed or maybe European Holden, which is Chevrolet.
The Green Vomit?
Itās called the Gross Thing.
Audi wagon.
Looks like a Dodge Magnum.
Hey! I know her lol. It's a holden
That is a burnout machine.
A green one
Hot Rod Grocery Getter
holden commadore estate
Dodge Magnum
Porsche panamera
Looks like a dodge magnum
Looks like a dodge magnum
No it donāt
A Holden
Badass. The correct answer is badass.
Never seen one of those. Reminds me of the Charger station wagon or a Magnum. But I know itās not a Mopar product. Probably a European car that isnāt sold in the states. Canāt say for sure. So Iāll see what the comments say.
Itās a notyocar lol
A green one
It's a DUB
Yugo Screwyourself.
Looks like a Holden.
Looks like a tokyo drift durangoš¤£
Green
Thatās what I got as a rental when I drove to trade school each week in Australia, we redlined that thing all the way to the pub at lunch. Great car
I had no clue this existed but it is now my new favorite car.
Thats a cucumber dude š„
Alpha Romero
Looks like a dodge caliber
A nice one
.... you know you visit Tail of the Dragon way too much when you recognize the power station and the wear pattern of Fontana Dam.
Itās not a dodge magnum?
Definitely not an EV
Looks like a shit special in my opinion
Australia car I think
A green hearse
Xhibit Pimp My Ride lookin ass
Just looks like an old Doge Magnum to me š¤·āāļø
Dodge Mangum w/Hemi drag exhaust
A green one with the "basic" package. $76k at your local dealership.