The 1000th Ute will be exported to South Africa in 2008 from GM Holden in Australia. This marks the fifth year of export to South Africa for GM Holden. Badged a Holden VE Ute in Australia and a Chevrolet Lumina Ute in South Africa, it’s an incredible vehicle that combines sports car performance and handling with functional load carrying capability.
A true niche product, the Ute is described as having “tremendous appeal amongst an exclusive group of buyers that work and play hard and enjoy an active lifestyle” by GM South Africa Marketing Manager Des Fenner at the recent launch in Sabie.
With rear wheel drive and 270kW from a 6.0 litre V8 engine, the Ute has established itself in the market as a versatile vehicle capable of being a practical workhorse as well as a recreational sports car. The Lumina SS sedan shares the same performance specifications but is more family orientated in design and space.
