GM affiliate Holden is to export 1,200 Chevrolet-badged Monaro coupes to the Middle East in 2003, writes Mike Duffy.
The first export order for the two door muscle car GM product czar Bob Lutz wants to sell as a Pontiac in America and Vauxhall MD Kevin Wale would like in his range, is worth $A63 million.
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The cars will be badged as the Chevrolet Lumina S Coupe and SS Coupe and will expand the existing Middle East Lumina range based on the Holden Commodore, its sporty SS sedan derivatives and the long wheelbase Statesman Caprice.
Holden chairman and managing director Peter Hanenberger said the Middle East Monaro programme would add considerable weight to GM’s presence in the region and help grow Holden’s largest export market.
“The Monaro is ideally suited for the Middle East, where many buyers want large rear-wheel-drive cars which make a statement and provide high levels of comfort for the driver and passengers,’’ he said.
Holden wants to export 50,000 vehicles by 2008 – roughly a third of annual production at its Adelaide plant – generating $A2.3 billion in export earnings.”
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By GlobalDataThe Middle East market will get two engine options, a naturally-aspirated 3.8 litre V6 and a 5.7 litre V8. The V6 version will be badged as the S Coupe and the V8 as the SS Coupe.
Production is scheduled to start in December for shipping in January and sale from March.
Holden last year exported 20,931 Chevrolet-badged cars to the Middle East, making the area by far the company’s largest export market.
More than 70% of Middle East Lumina and Caprice shipments were to Saudi Arabia, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Other markets included Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon, Qatar and Syria.
Hanenberger said Holden was continuing work with GM on Federal emission and safety compliance issues associated with proposed exports of the Monaro to the US as the Pontiac GTO.
He said he remained hopeful of being able to confirm the US export deal within two months.
