I believe there was a recent thread here where someone (Ude??) posted pics of a yellow Chevy Lumina SS in coupe form, destined for the middleeast.

Here's some blurb from the UAE

and last paragraph

"Key features of the Lumina SS Coupe include • Alloy Wheels with Low-Profile 235/45 V-Rated Tyres • 4-Speed Automatic Transmission • Sports Suspension • Rear Spoilers • ...."

hey...last post in this forum has someone seeing a LHD Monaro in the shop undergoing transmission testing, back in March this year. I wonder if it is already styled as a GTO or left as a Monaro. He didn't say or post pics.

 

I want one!

 

First I've seen or heard that. Never too late to learn something new!

Kind of suspicious someone saying they saw one undergoing transmission testing in a "shop". One of our resident engineering types may shead more light on something like this, but I'm inclined to "circular file" that claim.

 

aaahhhh!!! That was the yellow coupe I was thinking of that surfaced on here recently.

Also, I reread the last post by Boxhead on the automotiveforums.com and I misinterprete "shop" and his "work". We don't know who he works for that has the LHD Monaro in for transmission testing.

Anyway, here's his post if you don't want to link to the forum:

The yellow gts-r in the pic above is an older model VR it uses a stroked version of the 5.0 litre Aussie motor
The American market will get the Monaro rebadged as the GTO pontiac we had a left hand drive monaro at work doing transmission testing this week

 

I don't know about that...

I heard a rumour that Holden will be dropping the Chevy name in the Middle East...combine that with what you said....I'm speculating that the Holden "Brand" is going to the US not just the cars??

 

Makes sense for the Middle East, but I think most "non auto enthusiast" people here in the US would have a hard time figuring out what Holden is. They instantly know and recognize the Chevrolet name.

 

If they bring the UTE to the US as the el camino it would be a desaster....The subaru baja does not sell at all.

 

Why would it be a disaster? It looks like an El Camino? The Baja is and ugly squat thing with a useless tray it doesn't sell b/c its a POS

 

Screw the Lumina SS. Where's that Caprice they are still making over there? Bring that sumb!tch over here and wipe out Ford's dominance of the Law Enforcemant Vehicle and Taxi markets! The Crown Vic is NOTHING compared to a Sigma platform LS1 powered Caprice!

Of course, I'm biased toward big cars

 

I'd accept buying a Holden if they did in fact come to the States. Buying a Pontiac is a little harder pill to swallow. It's not the name or anything, I'm just not keen to the "Pontiac-look".

 

and if it does come to the States, the car line would probably still be GMH (General Motors Holden) so the association with GM is still predominant in the name, which may or may not be a bad thing since we still have the masses out there that associates "lower quality" cars with GM.

 

I think the new UTE would sell here if it was priced around $30k and has an LS1, but thats the problem. GM invested alot in the SSR and it is basically the same vehicle, 1 just costs $12k more.

 

It would be less than $30K The SS UTE is around the $39 K AUD mark which would translate to about the $19-20K USD amount.

 

The GTO will be selling for roughly the same price here as the Monaro CV8 does in Australia, and the GTO has a more powerful version of the LS1 (350hp vs 305!).

IF the Ute were imported it would ideally cost the same as it does there...$20,000 w/ an LS1 and 6 speed! How ever that pesky 25% tariff on trucks is still there.

Perhaps if it were made here it would get around the tariff and even with the increased labor cost, it would sell cheaper than it would if imported. But since you can't do a single line profitably, what options would you have???

 

Hmmm... yep, could'nt make just one model...so what else could you do?