Posts from ‘Australia’
Forgotten Concept: Holden Efijy

Holden Efijy Concept
This is an installment in a series of posts looking back on show cars that we feel deserved a little more attention than they got. If you have a suggestion for a Forgotten Concept topic, please shoot us a line or leave a comment below.

1984 VK Commodore SS
For the month of March 2021, not one American-brand vehicle was reported among the top-ten best-selling vehicles in Australia. For folks not in the know, that might not seem so strange. Australia is a long way from the U.S., and very close to Japan, a country known for its automobiles. And in fact, except for a single Hyundai model, every vehicle on the Australian top-ten list is Japanese.

Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast
Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you’ve come to the right place. Join the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive as they break down everything that’s going on in the auto world. New-car reviews, shopping tips, driving green, electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.
The Last Holdens

2019 Holden crossover and SUV lineup
We should have seen it coming. Over the past couple years, as General Motors made announcements that it was discontinuing sales activities in the United Kingdom, South Africa, India, and Indonesia, our collective bad-news alarms should have begun shrieking: Holden, GM’s Australian division, probably isn’t long for the world either. And that is indeed the case: last month GM announced that it the Holden brand will be phased out by 2021.
Aussie Madness! 12 Classic Ute Ads

1976 Ford Falcon
An important automotive anniversary passed with little fanfare recently. At least, it passed with little fanfare here in the United States.

2014 Chevrolet SS
By Don Sikora II
Note: The following story was excerpted from the April 2016 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.
When considering the 2014-16 Chevrolet SS as a future collectible, it’s impossible to ignore the one-year-and-out 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP that we looked at back in the October 2010 issue of Collectible Automobile. Killed off like all Pontiacs in the wake of General Motors’s 2009 bankruptcy filing, the 415-horsepower GXP was the highest-performance variant of Pontiac’s new-for-2008 G8 based on GM’s Holden Commodore VE from Australia.

Question: What Australian-conceived pickup truck was based on a Dodge Dakota, lacked a rear axle, and very nearly came to the United States?
I would make a lousy forensic investigator. Actually, I am a lousy automotive forensic investigator. I confess this because, try as I might, I cannot piece together the complete story of a car company that existed—or nearly existed—just 25 years ago.

A pair of high-performance Holden Commodores: 2016 Redline SS (foreground) and 1978 SL/E.
The days of Australian-market GM vehicles that are actually produced in Australia are winding down. The last iteration of the home-built Holden Commodore was unveiled this week, capping a model line that dates back to 1978. Holden parent General Motors announced late in 2014 its intentions to end vehicle manufacturing in Australia.
Test Drive: 2014 Chevrolet SS

Our test Chevrolet SS listed for $45,770 including a $1300 Gas Guzzler Tax and $995 destination charge.
2014 Chevrolet SS
Dates tested: 4/03/2014-4/10/2014
Miles Driven: 142
Fuel Used: 8.8 gallons