General Motors’ Australian unit Holden is to ship its redesigned VE-series Commodore ‘ute’ to South Africa, badged as a Chevrolet.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


The company will also celebrate its 1000th ute (for utility or pickup truck) export to the country.


The new deal is the first export programme for the latest ute outside neighbouring New Zealand. This will be the fifth year Holden pickups have been shipped to South Africa.


The export model will be called the Chevrolet Lumina SS Ute, with similar specification and features to the sedan version already sold in South Africa.


General Motors South Africa marketing manager Des Fenner said the Lumina ute was the only vehicle of its kind in the market.


Pickups are also called ‘bakkies’ there.

Just Auto Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Auto Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Continental has secured the Window Displays Innovation Award in the 2025 Just Auto Excellence Awards for its Window Projection solution, transforming side windows into dynamic, data-rich canvases. Discover how this compact projection technology and intelligent software are reshaping in-car UX and opening fresh revenue streams for OEMs and mobility providers.

Discover the Impact