With the demise of Holden production in Australia, the brand’s in-house tuner Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) is looking to expand its business in other markets, and one of those could be the United States. For those unfamiliar with HSV, it’s a builder of V-8-powered sedans, wagons and utes, all based on the Holden Commodore and its derivatives.
But with the next Commodore expected to migrate to a front-wheel-drive platform, HSV is likely to turn its V-8-tuning talents to some of General Motors Company’s [NYSE:GM] other products, such as the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro muscle car and any replacement for the SS sedan--though yet to be confirmed, both are expected to be offered in the Australian market at some point.
Speaking with Motoring (via WorldCarFans), Ryan Walkinshaw, the boss of Walkinshaw Group, which controls HSV, said the same HSV business model could be applied to Chevy products. And if HSV is tuning Chevys, then there’s the possibility of selling them in the U.S. as well.
“We think something like that could work,” Walkinshaw said, when asked about the possibility of a ‘Chevrolet Special Vehicles’ unit operating in the States. “It depends on what products are available--it’s going to depend on the discussions with GM going forward.”
Pictured above is HSV’s latest ClubSport R8 model, which is powered by a 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 rated at 435 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque. The engine is available with either a six-speed manual or automatic and spins the rear wheels only. The company also builds a Commodore-based sedan called the GTS, which is powered by a supercharged 6.2-liter LSA V-8 rated at 580 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque.
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