The vehicle will be based on General Motors' global Delta small-car platform and will feature new technologies to increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse emissions. The new front-wheel-drive four-cylinder vehicle will be built as a sedan and hatch at GM Holden's Elizabeth manufacturing facility in South Australia. Design and engineering work will take place at the company's headquarters in Port Melbourne, Victoria.
The new car will share the same small-car architecture as the next generation Chevrolet Cruze and Opel, Vauxhall and Saturn Astra.
Start-stop hybrid technology and capacity to run on alternative fuels such as E85, diesel, LPG and compressed natural gas (CNG) are all being considered for the vehicle's development. It will be GM Holden's first locally produced car beyond its current range of larger vehicles since the Asian economic crisis ended Vectra production in 1998.
GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mark Reuss said flexible manufacturing infrastructure will be introduced to the Elizabeth plant to make it capable of producing a series of GM global vehicles in years to come. There is also the possibility of developing an export program for the vehicle.
Inside Line says: Innovation from Down Under. — Mike Jarvis, Correspondent
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