What could have been: Holden in 2025

It seems like only yesterday, but February marks the five-year anniversary of General Motors’ decision to close Holden. A lot has been said since then, including by us, but that only speaks to the deep-rooted affection that Australians had for the brand.

As I’ve written elsewhere, as hard as it is to accept, I believe GM made the right decision to close Holden and instead focus its Australian operations on the more niche GM Specialty Vehicles, with the Chevrolet Silverado and Corvette, and the Cadillac brand.

This is primarily because GM stopped supporting right-hand drive in a way that was sustainable for Holden, especially after it off-loaded its European Opel/Vauxhall operations too, as it consolidated its operations in North America. But what if GM didn’t do that? What if GM decided to double-down and reinvest in right-hand drive and give Holden a competitive line-up to take the fight to Toyota, Ford, Mazda and the rest?

So, we’ve looked at the options from across the General Motors portfolio and come up with our version of what a 2025 Holden showroom could have looked like.

READ MORE: Top 5 Holden Concept cars

Chevrolet Trax

You’re going to notice a theme across this would-be Holden line-up – SUVs. For any brand to be really competitive in 2025 you need one of two things (or ideally both), a ute and as many SUVs as possible. Take a look at the Toyota range – Yaris Cross, Corolla Cross, CH-R, RAV4, Kluger, Prado and LandCruiser.

So, Holden would need a compact SUV to kick-off the range and the Chevrolet Trax is the ideal candidate. Small and stylish it would give the brand a rival to the Yaris Cross, Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Kona and others.

GMC Terrain

The Chevrolet Equinox was already a member of the Holden range when the brand shuttered, but so was the GMC Acadia. In order to get some continuity across the line-up it would have made sense to introduce the new GMC version of the small SUV, the Terrain. It’s boxy, muscular look would help Holden to stand out in an increasingly competitive but visually dull segment.

Chevrolet Blazer

Again, looking for some design themes across the range, the mid-size Blazer has a clear visual link to the Trax and would therefore be a good option. The Blazer name has a strong history with Chevrolet but not so much in Australia. Instead, the sporty SUV, topped by the Blazer RS variant would appeal to Australians and their love of performance cars.

Holden also could have introduced the Blazer EV as its rival to the Tesla Model Y, giving it a foothold into the electric market, without a major commitment. But if there was interest in electric then Chevrolet has the Equinox EV to expand the range.

GMC Acadia

As we mentioned earlier, the Acadia was already Holden’s seven-seat SUV option at the time of its demise. While the Chevrolet Traverse would arguably make an equally good option, it would have made more sense to stick with the Acadia name.

Again, the muscular design of the GMC range would have appeal to local buyers, and give our version of Holden a fighting chance against the Ford Everest, Toyota Prado and Isuzu MU-X.

Chevrolet Colorado

The Isuzu-based Colorado was a staple of Holden’s line-up for decades but GM’s decision to stop making it in Thailand was a major trigger in Holden’s end.

The now-US-made Colorado wouldn’t be the value-led workhorse like the old model, but given Australia’s current love of premium utes, the Colorado ZR2, Z71 and Trail Boss would have potential to take on the likes of the Ford Ranger Raptor, Toyota HiLux Rogue and Isuzu D-Max Blade.

GMSV

As for the rest of the range, while there are plenty of other models to choose from, like the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban SUVs, Silverado utes and even the Corvette, badging them as a Holdens would be a bridge-too-far.

Instead, GMSV could have sat alongside the Holden showrooms, effectively replacing HSV, with a line-up of the Silverado, Corvette and eventually the GMC Yukon; as it offers today. It makes sense as the eighth-generation ‘Vette was well and truly on Holden’s future agenda before its demise. Chevrolet always planned for it to be factory produced in right-hand drive as part of its global expansion for its homegrown supercar; just not the rest of its line-up.

As for the obvious missing piece – the Commodore – whether GM would have kept Opel or not, time had run out for Holden’s most famous nameplate. The final, imported version to wear the badge was simply not up to scratch with its locally-made predecessors and buyers saw through it immediately. And now, as we see the demise of the Mazda6 and the overall sedan market in general, there’s simply no space for four-doors anymore and instead Holden would have been better placed sticking to SUVs and utes.

What do you think of our take on Holden 2025 – Would you like to have seen it? Or was General Motors right to switch to its more niche GMSV offerings?