The General is sending its iconic Camaro muscle car and Silverado pick-up into Kiwi showrooms, with the Bowtie badge staying put.
The Chevrolet badge and branding will feature alongside all dealership signage with the Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) logo.
Both Camaro and Silverado will be ready to buy in 2018 fully converted to right-hand drive at HSV’s new Melbourne facility.
HSV managing director Tim Jackson says both Camaro and Silverado offer what the market has wanted for a long time.
“Whether it be the farming sector, those who need to pull a large caravan or horse float or simply those who want awesome towing and load carrying capability, Silverado is the pinnacle of the GM range”, he says.
“The availability of the Chevrolet Silverado range opens up some wonderful new opportunities for our business in a market segment whose potential is relatively un-tapped, and we believe has high growth potential,” Jackson adds.
The new-generation Camaro 2SS Coupe will subject its occupants to longitudinal G-force using the 6.2-litre direct-injection LT1 V8, hooking up a yet-to-be-confirmed 340kW and 615Nm through a paddle-shifting eight-speed automatic gearbox.
Fixed four-piston Brembos fore and aft will provide stopping power inside enormous 20-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels with front 245/40Z and rear 275/35Z Goodyear tyres laying all that grunt onto the blacktop.
In the more practical corner, the 2018 Silverado will be available in five different flavours of 4×4 crew-cab.
Starting from the base 2500HD WT, two special-editions the “Midnight” and “Custom Sport” will be based on the 2500HD LTZ, and the top-spec 3500HD LTZ will come with all the trimmings.
All versions will get the gargantuan 6.6-litre turbo diesel Duramax V8 powerplant, offering 332kW and a whopping 1234Nm of haulage happiness.
Handling all that shove is a robust six-speed Allison automatic transmission which comes with an automatic rear differential lock.
Naturally, with all that muscle, the towing capacity, depending on which flavour appeals, starts at 3.5-tonnes and caps at 6.1-tonnes – including 1140kg to 1848kg of payload.
At each corner, anti-lock disc brakes will offer anchorage.
The Silverado 3500HD LTZ will be available from Q2, 2018 as HSV conversions begin in April, with pricing to follow.
