While Holden’s VE Commodore will still be coming to the U.S. in the form of the Pontiac G8, it looks doubtful that any other Holden models will make it to our shores. Holden’s export program has been put on hold due to the high value of the Australian dollar, essentially killing rumors that the VE Commodore Ute will emerge in the U.S. market as a new Chevrolet El Camino or Pontiac model.
Bringing the car-based Ute to the U.S. would mean pricing it out of the market or outsourcing its production to keep costs down, something GM’s Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, says is out of the question.
Plans to import roughly 50,000 Pontiac G8s remains unchanged, although margins on the cars will be slim. Holden currently exports about half of its annual production and was hoping to gain a foothold in the U.S. market.
Holden is also developing the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro .
