Holden Colorado 2012 News

Buying a used car is difficult enough in normal times.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced its latest round of automotive recalls, with models from Citroen, Holden, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi and Peugeot affected.

Holden spokesperson Sarah Prescott interviews Holden Vehicle Performance Manager Scott Doughty before the Holden Colorado light commercial’s 2012 media launch to the media.

The homegrown Holden ute is almost certain to follow in the tyre tracks of its Commodore sedan stablemate and be exported to North America.The Commodore will be sold in the US from next year as a performance sedan and now it seems the ute will follow soon after. Reports out of the US claim that General Motors has renewed the trademark of the El Camino name, an iconic car-based Chevrolet pick-up sold between 1959 and 1977.The classic 1970s El Camino has earned recent notoriety in the hit TV series, 'My Name Is Earl' and North American enthusiasts have longed for a revival of the iconic model. The Holden ute was supposed to be exported to North America in 2009 -- all re-engineering work was completed and the car was even unveiled by rapper 50 Cent at the New York Motor Show as a Pontiac.But that deal ended before exports could begin because the brand was folded in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. Holden spokesman Sean Poppitt told News Limited: "We haven't made a decision on the next generation ute or its presence in export markets outside Australia."However there is the free trade agreement between the US and Australia which means we are not precluded from selling Australian-made light commercial vehicles in the US market." Foreign pick ups and utes rarely make it onto North American soil because they are subject to a 25 per cent import tariff. The US and Australia FTA means there is no tariff barrier.The US website GM Authority reports that the Chevrolet El Camino trademark was renewed on August 9, 2012. "Any speculation on the trademarking of the El Camino name is just that: speculation. However we are keeping our options open," the Holden spokesman said. 

It will go on sale in the middle of this year with the highest hauling rating despite using a smaller engine than the Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50, Nissan Navara V6 and Toyota Hilux. Holden is yet to reveal the maximum payload, that is, the amount in can carry on the tray or in the ute back. The top-spec Colorado will run a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel generating 132kW and 470Nm. It works with a six-speed automatic transmission, which can handle the higher torque figure. Customers can also select a lower output version of the same engine, which makes the same amount of power, but has 30Nm less torque. This unit is available with a five-speed manual gearbox. The entry-level diesel option will be the smaller 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel with 110kW and 350Nm of torque, which will be hooked up to a five-speed manual. This smaller powerplant doesn't quite match that of the larger engine, but is still a fairly handy 3000kg. Holden has decided against offering up a petrol variant, as is the case with the just-introduced Ford Ranger. More details on the Colorado, including pricing, will be released closer to the launch, which has been delayed due to floods near the Colorado factory in Thailand. The company has disclosed the new model will be available in three body styles, a single cab, a space cab and family-friendly crew cab with the choice of 4x2 or 4x4. Key safety features will be standard on the new model, which shares the same base as the Isuzu D-Max but wears a different skin and runs unique engines, including electronic stability control (ESC). Holden says it will also install front and side curtain airbags to all Colorado models as standard equipment. In a bid to have interested customers hang-on until the new ute arrives, Holden is sending out display Colorados to dealers in April.

It’s the all-new, trade-tough and leisure-ready Holden Colorado.The dual-cab hero was designed and built in Melbourne by the Holden Design team and is also going to be engineered by local experts to prepare it for action next year.To be built in Thailand and on sale in the first quarter of 2012, the second-generation workhorse to wear a Colorado badge also marks the official split between General Motors and Isuzu – its long-term Japanese partner – on development of future workhorse utes.The Colorado four-wheel-drive dual-cab at the show is a one-off, not a production vehicle, and follows similar vehicles that have been shown in Bangkok and Buenos Aires.Holden says its Colorado design delivers a unique look to a vehicle that will be sold in Australia and up to 100 countries.The top-secret Colorado project was led by 26-year-old creative designer Ben Last, who applied Holden’s sports-performance design flair to the new-look ute.Last, an industrial design graduate from Monash University, worked on the Australian show car project for more than a year and collaborated with the car’s global "home room" in Brazil and design studios in the US and Thailand. He applied Holden’s design touches to the Colorado by playing heavily on the vehicle’s stance and wide proportions.Working to a brief of "refined ruggedness", the Colorado gets locally-styled panels, including the front fascia, bonnet, fenders and tailgate. Designers also introduced a series of machined aluminium details to the vehicle, including side steps, bumpers, rear step plates and side mirror attachment arms, as well as striking 20-inch satin-finished wheels.The exterior is further enhanced by unique LED head and tail lamps, custom rear-vision mirrors with integrated turn signals, hard tonneau cover and a brilliant Red Rock metallic paint finish.