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Exclusive Holden VE ute images


Check out the our feature story on the VE Ute launch, including great images and video.

It is only weeks away from an eagerly awaited launch but CARSguide has nabbed the new Holden Commodore VE ute.

The disguised SS ute had 18-inch alloys, dual exhausts and a modest body kit. It was caught on the Western Highway, returning from Daylesford, by eagle-eyed readers Jamie Smith and Lucy White.

The new range will be launched to the media in 12 days, the line-up including an entry base model SV6 and an SS V8. High-performance HSV models are expected next year.

Visually, the ute adopts the same features as the sedan from the A-pillars forward, but has total bespoked metal behind the front doors.

Unlike the Ford Falcon ute, the Commodore ute has a single side pressing for the ute tray and door frame.

The ute's tray appears slightly higher, which should mean a deeper tub to improve carrying capacity.

The previous-generation ute was based on the long-wheelbase Statesman/Caprice platform, but the new car is expected to be based on the Commodore sedan, which itself has a slightly longer wheelbase.

Outgoing Holden chairman Denny Mooney was a big fan of the VZ ute and believed there were potential export markets for a left-hand drive VE ute.

However, Holden remains tight-lipped about any export plans.

It is widely known that General Motors lacks a smaller car-based utility in its US product portfolio and is keen to add a smaller, more economical 'pickup.'