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TTAC has it on good authority (without independent confirmation) that GM is moving forward with plans to import 30,000 Zeta-platformed Holdens per year from Australia to sell to US police agencies. Our source is not privy to the whys and wherefores. “I’m not sure why they don’t use existing capacity at the Camaro plant in Canada,” our source admits. “I can only assume GM needed to somehow replace the G8 capacity.” By the same token, he “can’t imagine this will make the federal government or taxpayers too happy.” Unless, tin foil hat wearers, the feds already knew, as this G8 invasion was part of the 17,205 “domestic” vehicles ordered under the auspices of the economic stimulus package. US jobs? Nuh-uh.
30 Comments on “Wild Ass Rumor of the Day: GM to Import 30,000 Holden G8 Police Cars...”
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Can we have a comparo of the G8 vs. the charger?
Based on that I read previously, the G8 would win, but in any case, in black livery, both make suitable scary police vehicles.
Why not Chinese Buick cop cars ?
Importing cuz the G8 is probably more suitable as a police cruiser? I’m asking this out of total ignorance.
Assume that it is, then assume they’d prefer it be built here in ‘Murka, then wouldn’t it take a long time (relatively speaking) to gear up a plant here to produce the thing? It’s not as if they can just switch over from building Camaros to G8s during an off day of production.
The bailout just saved or created 50,000 more jobs for Americans Aussies.
grog
GM’s original “plan”: import Aussie Holdens re-badged as Pontiacs WHILE GM prepared to switch over to U.S./Canadian production. ‘Cause, you know, world car and all that.
That’s how it was “sold” to the UAW even before the G8’s predecessor (the ill-fated, suppository-shaped GTO) came ashore.
Hello? That was a 2004 MY vehicle. GM has had FIVE YEARS to sort out U.S. production. This was also before the Camaro. Why wasn’t/isn’t the Canadian pony car built a flexible assembly line?
Of course, like the Saturn Astra, this importation “toe dipping” scenario was pure union-appeasing BS (identified as such on TTAC at the time).
More to the point, the U.S. and Canada are paying to keep GM alive. Why should Australia get the work, even if it DOES take time to re-tool an American factory?
i don’t think there’s more than 1,500 jobs anyway
holden will continue to operate with or without these police cars
i think these are all over the middle east as chevy luminas
Good news for G8 owners and this should make parts easier to find in the future.
Is it too soon for me to look forward to picking up a used ex-cop G8 (especially if a hood without the fake scoops is part of the police package)?
Can we have a comparo of the G8 vs. the charger?
Edmunds has done it. The G8 is faster, stops better, and handles better. It is also cheaper and has better visibility.
A great car from GM.
…but I won’t be allowed to buy one.
Un – f****** – real.
The G8 (aka Holden Commodore) cannot be built at the Camaro plant because they are quite literally, completely different cars though they share the same chassis/structure name.
Holden made the Camaro out of the Commodore for GM but re-engineered the entire thing. Holden could not build the Camaro for GM on their line and GM couldn’t build the Commodore on the Camaro’s line.
Holden depends on exports to keep their operation viable and without the Pontiac G8 export program (and the Chevrolet export program abroad) Holden is done.
So GM trying to convince the US government to buy Pontiac G8s as fleet vehicles is an effort to save Holden’s hide in Australia, as there’s literally nothing else they can do with their excess capacity.
GM was working on a redesigned Impala based on the Camaro that was going to be assembled in Oshawa but abondoned the project well over a year ago.
Good luck to GM and Holden in trying to convince US agencies that they should use US taxpayer money to purchase thousands of cars made in Australia to save Australian jobs when Americans are losing theirs in the same sector.
The 1991-96 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 is regarded as one of the best police cars ever made. Police officers loved these and you can still find them in service almost 13 years after they were discontinued.
GM should rebadge the G8 as a new Caprice 9C1. If this car can be sold at or near the price of the Charger and CVPI, GM should have no trouble meeting their sales goal of 30,000 units per year.
Why does GM refuse to attempt to sell the Commodore at retail as a Buick or Chevrolet (or as a G8 for one more year), yet they are planning this importing of 30000 cars?
If GM can’t manage to sell a great car like the Commodore in the US at retail, where its only big competition comes from Chrysler, how is it going to succeed selling the Volt, Cruze, Equinox, and Lacrosse against established import nameplates?
this isnt a rumor. this is tru.those of us that live in la and the la area might kno that the lapd is the poliece force thats gonna be using thsese as their cop cars
is the fact the Aussies drive on the wrong side of the road going to be an issue?
It flopped so badly at Pontiac we may never see a G8-based car again.
Significant demand for this car USA as shown in the pic.
The G8 would be stellar for this purpose. Perhaps too much so. There’s about a $5K price disparity between the CVPI and a comparable G8 V6, and I’m unaware of any police department flush with cash.
“The bailout just saved or created 50,000 more jobs for Aussies.”
Not really, building 30000 cars a year is probably around 1000 direct labor, incrementally, and maybe 5000 in suppliers etc.
But thanks anyway, you guys caused the GFC, so it is fair enough that you spread the moolah around to fix it. Grins.
Yes, that’s what I’ve heard two years ago at the Toronto Autoshow: G8 will be built in Oshawa along with Camaro. Only first models would be brought from Down Under.
I guess GM is like politicians that’s why they got bailed out. Who wouldn’t help their fellow (cough liar)?
Ford plans on dumping the CVPI after 2011 – it doesn’t fit into their “base everything off of Ford of Europe” plans for their future. They will try to pawn off the Taurus, a front wheel driver, as the next police platform.
Another market Ford is giving away.
The simplest explanation is usually the best one. GM may have contracted to take X-number of Holdens. With the Pontiac shut down they have to get rid of the surplus cars somehow.
Police departments will be much concerned about spare parts availability.
taxman100,
GM makes FWD Impalas as police vehicles, so will Ford. In Europe FWD vehicles were used by cops a long time.
Cops will love these things. Cops, like chimps, have a gene that attracts them to bling. As for spares, the cops won’t care. The feds will probably offer these to the police for peanuts. Exactly how this program is supposed to help GM become a viable company is anyone’s guess.
GM makes FWD Impalas as police vehicles,
And there is a reason why Ford has 80% of the police car market.
There is not ONE limp-wristed appliance from the ‘new’ Ford that can do what the CVPI does every single day.
The new Fords will NOT:
Be as cheap to maintain.
Be as cheap to fix.
Be as cheap to attain.
Be as reliable.
Be as durable.
Be as profitable.
Ford makes more money on the Panthers than any other platform they sell. The D3 platform had been a huge failure since it’s introduction in 2005 spawning 9-10 vehicles in 4 short years…all of which have horrid sales numbers. And with all of the (half-assed) refreshes Ford has come out with in the past 6 mo., nothing will turn a profit…they have sunk way too much into these so-called refreshes…and people are not buying.
GM needs to make thousands of front-drive, four cylinder turbodiesels in America TODAY.
Ford should just steal some of the cheapest-to-implement ideas from the Carbon Motors E7 and make a police interceptor-only car based on the proven CVPI/Panther platform. Let the civilian population make do with front wheel drive “new” Fords and keep what I assume is the police interceptor cash cow going.
I’m sure Ford could whore themselves to various cities for some tax breaks/job training funding/etc to build them there if they wanted to get greedy.
This is interesting. It conflicts with sources down here.
Well lucky you, our engineers and general assembly will allow you will be recipient of a better built machine.
Oh, and I agree, the bling compartment is a big ticket item.
So Ford is intent on making the same mistake that GM did when they pulled themselves out of the RWD body-on-frame market, especially with a platform that was totally paid off and could do nothing but make them money.
That’ll just leave Chrysler…..if they manage to hold on long enough. Carbon Motors just might have the opening they need. Are we seeing the makings of a new 21st Century Checker? (You know the taxi market will want to get on the bandwagon, too).
I’d call it 9C1 Impala. If they make a civilian version they could maybe get to a higher volume.
At 30K, the volume would allow them for assembly, not full manufacturing. Still would leave the Aussies with some business.
The Aussie government also gave money to GM…
@ Jhon Williams… Carbon Motors, AFAIK, is going to take the cars back at the end of their lives for recycling… so no taxi from there.
What is the annual market size for police vehicles? Is it large enough to support its own market niche?
I’d guess not if Ford is abandoning the Panther platform…. although I’ve been hearing that that platform is going about for about the last 15 years now and it keeps showing up every year.