Sport Truck Redux: New Rumors About the Holden Ute Heading to the U.S.A.

It’s a poorly kept secret that many Americans are quite fond of the Australian-made and Commodore-derived, Holden Ute, which we recently drove in Queensland. It’s big, brutish and comfortable with a bevy of engine and equipment options to suit virtually any budget or taste - so long as those tastes only extend to, “Big, brutish V6 or V8 engined utes”.
Before the Global Financial Crisis of 2009, the subsequent bankruptcy GM and the disillusion of the Pontiac brand, as many as half of the Holden Commodores built in Australia were destined for the U.S. and the world in the form of the Pontiac G8. A thinly disguised Holden Ute even made a showing at the 2008 New York Auto Show as the Pontiac G8 Sport Truck.

Chevy Spark to Debut as Holden Barina Spark at Sydney Motor Show

GM is gearing up for the Australian launch of the new Chevrolet Spark, which has been on sale in Asia and Europe for some months now. The first step towards its local launch is an appearance at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney next week, before it goes on sale locally as the Holden Barina Spark in late 2010.

Oddly enough, Holden sells the first-gen Chevrolet Aveo as the Holden Barina with a range consisting of three- and five-door hatchbacks and a four-door sedan. The Barina Spark will most likely be slotted in as an affordable entry level model.

The Barina Spark is equipped with a 1.2-liter 4-cylinder petrol engine and a 5-speed manual transmission, with fuel economy said to be around the 5.6lt / 100 km (42 US mpg) mark. Standard equipment will include alloy wheels, fog lamps, six airbags and Electronic Stability Control (ESC).

John Elsworth, Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales at Holden has great confidence in the Barina Spark:

"This is a very style-conscious market and with Barina Spark we have a really fresh and energetic design that breaks the 'cute car' mould. It's fun, fuel efficient and offers class-leading safety features and value for money in the best Holden tradition."

Pricing and detailed specifications will be released at the Sydney Show, which runs from the 15th to the 24th ofOctober. The U.S. launch of the Chevrolet Spark is set for 2012.

By Tristan Hankins

Mazda Teases Interior of All-New BT-50 Compact Pickup Truck

In anticipation of the all-new BT-50's launch that will take place at next week's 2010 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, Mazda has released a second teaser drawing of its compact pickup truck. This time, it's the BT-50's interior design that we get a peek at.

At least from the sketch, the cockpit looks very passenger-car-like featuring a modern design with a wrap-around dashboard layout and a relatively sporty instrument panel with two prominent and deeply set gauges.

Here's what Mazda had to say about the BT-50's cabin: "The interior of the All-New Mazda BT-50 has been designed to complement its athletic and refined exterior design and offers a comfortable and sporty environment to rival Mazda's current passenger car standard."

The Japanese automaker is pitching the new BT-50 not only for what it is - a compact pickup truck, but also as an "active lifestyle vehicle" and a "realistic alternative to the family wagon and 4x4 SUV."

The BT-50 will be joined in Sydney by its Ford sibling, the all-new 2011 Ranger. Both compact trucks are scheduled to go on sale globally (but not in the U.S.) in the second quarter of 2011.

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