Cruze Hatchback

Following the Australian market launch of the locally made and subtly refreshed Cruze Series II Sedan in March, GM’s Holden division announced today that it has began testing the five-door hatchback version of the subcompact model to fine tune the car before its introduction later this year. Holden also released two new photos of the Cruze hatch, which was designed by the firm’s Port Melbourne design studio.

General Motors previewed the Cruze hatch as a thinly disguised concept car with Chevy’s bowtie logo in early 2010, while the production model made its world premiere at this year’s Geneva Salon. As with the sedan model, the only visible styling differences with Chevrolet’s version of the Cruze hatch concern the front grille and bumper designs.

Holden is still keeping mum on the technical details, but it’s safe to assume that the hatchback’s engine range will mirror that of the Cruze II sedan. One of the cars pictured in the official photographs is equipped with a diesel engine, probably the same 2.0-liter turbo diesel with 161HP and 360 Nm of peak torque offered in the update four-door Cruze.

Other engine choices are likely to include a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline unit and a 1.8-liter naturally aspirated gasoline unit, both delivering 138-horsepower. A hotted up model with the 'SS' moniker sporting Opel's 180HP 1.6-liter Turbo is also said to be in the cards for the future.

The new Holden Cruze hatch will be manufactured at GM’s Port Elizabeth plant in Adelaide, with the first examples expected to reach showrooms in the fourth quarter of the year.

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Holden Statesman HQ Fans [All five of us] Rejoice; First Ever Scale Model Released by Trax

I'm pretty sure most of you outside Australia are wondering a) what the heck a Statesman HQ is and b) why should you care that there's a die-cast model. Well, let me try to provide answers for these two questions:

A) The Statesman HQ was a luxury long-wheelbase model for the masses produced by GM's Holden from 1971 through 1974, and B) Apparently, most readers need not care but for the other four viewers I was referring to in the title, as far as I know, this is the first time that a scale model of the specific car has been built. For more history on the Statesman and details on the scale model, hit the jump.

Now, if you ask why the fixation with the HQ, that's because the original Statesman de Ville is the first car I recall my father owning. I assume every petrol head will have a similar memory [and obsession...] from their childhood.

Memories aside, the first-ever Statesman was based on Holden's HQ series of 1971 boasting more a dramatic look with a unique twin-headlamp fascia and subtle tail fins as well as a longer wheelbase.

However, it was never referred to as a Holden as GM marketed it as a separate marque even adding exclusive Cadillac-esque badges. The same goes for the HQ's successors, the HJ, HX, HZ and WB Statesmans, all of which were heavily based on the first model. The Commodore-based Statesmans from 1990 and up until September when GM's Australian subsidiary ditched the name altogether, were marketed as Holdens.

Powertrain options in the day included 202 c.i. (3.3-liter) and 253 c.i. (4.2-liter) six-cylinder and 308 c.i. (5.0-liter) and 350 c.i. (5.7-liter) V8 engines with the oh-so glorious three-speed Trimatic and 400 Turbohydramatic automatic transmissions delivering ponies to the rear wheels.

Interestingly, the Statesman HQ was also offered as the Chevrolet Constantia in South Africa (Chevrolet 350 in other markets) and even as the Isuzu Statesman De Ville in Japan.

As far as the scale model is concerned, it is made by Trax which offers two 1:43 variants in the Opal Series, one finished in glacier white with a black vinyl roof and black interior, the other in a nutmeg metallic shade with a saddle vinyl roof and matching interior. Trax said it will produce 2,000 examples of each model, with pricing set at AUD$59,95 a piece. And yes, my order has already been placed...

Link: Trax

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