General Motors retiring the Holden brand in Australia and New Zealand won’t affect the Chevy Corvette. That may seem like an odd couple, but when Chevy announced the mid-engine Corvette last July, it said there’d be a right-hand-drive version of the American sports car. Well, thankfully, the RHD Corvette is still happening, according to a new report from CarScoops.com.
The publication reached out to GM after the Holden announcement yesterday. Chevrolet Communications Director Kelly Cusinato told the publication that RHD Corvette development would continue. While Australia and New Zealand were RHD markets Chevy operated in, they weren’t the only RHD locales. GM still sells vehicles in other RHD markets, and the Corvette is still part of that strategy. Plans to sell the Corvette in Japan next year are still on track, with Chevy intending to offer the RHD Corvette in the United Kingdom still, too.
Holden up:
It was just yesterday when GM announced it would shutter the Holden brand. The decision came as GM organised its investment priorities. Remaining in Australia and New Zealand was just too costly for the automaker, especially if it wanted to be competitive. While the news is depressing – Holden is an Australian staple – the automaker isn’t disappearing from the continent just yet. It plans to establish an aftersales network that’ll help provide maintenance, warranty work, and services to owners for at least another 10 years.
The discontinuation of Holden will see the automaker cease sales, design, and engineering operations by 2021. However, in its place will be GM Specialty Vehicles that’ll continue to import the automaker’s products, such as the RHD Chevy Corvette and other vehicles that could find sales success in the country without the associated cost of the Holden brand. Automakers are tightening the purse strings, and GM is no different.
Source: CarScoops.com