A Chance to See Holdens, Opels and Global Chevrolets
Canadian Auto Press
General Motors. You know them as the biggest of the Big Three and producer of American brands with household names such as Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick and GMC. These kindly folk also own Hummer, Saab, Saturn and the floundering remnants of Isuzu. As large as this two sentence description paints GM as being big, such doesn't come close to framing the size and the importance of GM to the world's automotive industry. To broaden the North American perspective of what GM is, they have decided to bring a few of their international concept cars to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this month.
Representing General Motors of Australia is the Holden EFIJY Concept, a modern interpretation of a 1953 FJ Holden. Its long, sweeping fibreglass body and deep purple paint reminds us of the CadZZilla, a one-off hotrod designed by Boyd Coddington for Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, but it?s more modern and in many ways even more eye-catching. Under the hood is a supercharged 6.0-litre LS2 V8 engine mated to an automatic gearbox. So far it's been a hit to a certain breed of auto enthusiasts - the hotrod lover. In fact this factory-built special topped Hot Rod Magazine's Best of 2006 list, which means that it?s something special considering manufacturer-designed and built vehicles almost never make the cut.
Two other vehicles on display will be wearing the recognizable golden bowtie motif, but they won?t be anything North America has ever seen before. The Chevrolet T2X Concept, designed by GMDAT, GM?s Korean arm, is a compact two-door crossover vehicle that combines the size of small city car with the height and visibility of an SUV. The other vehicle belongs to Chevrolet of Europe. The Ultra WTCC Concept, which debuted at this year?s Paris show, is a diesel-powered touring race car that previews the next-generation of Chevrolet hatchback. Both of these cars have a prominent new arrowhead shaped grille, which will be seen on an American car for the first time at the same show, the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu that will debut the day following GM's big evening introduction bash.
Another noteworthy car at the show is Opel's three-door Antara GTC Concept, which was previously shown in North America as the Saturn PREVue Concept. GM has shown a modern Opel at the NAIAS before, in the form of the Opel Astra Diesel Hybrid concept.
If you?re one of the lucky ones to be attending this event but aren?t a fan of automobiles, the night should still be good fun and good entertainment. The hosts will include Carmen Electra and Mario Lopez, plus a fashion show that pairs 17 GM vehicles with different celebrities and fashion. Vivica A. Fox, Petra Nemcova and Rachel Zoe will also be present at the January 6th event.
