Holden Ute

Holden Ute
Overview
Manufacturer	Holden
Also called	Chevrolet Lumina Pontiac G8 Sport Truck
Production	2000–2017
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupe utility
Related	Holden Commodore Holden Crewman Holden One Tonner HSV Maloo
Chronology
Predecessor	Holden Commodore utility
Successor	Holden Colorado

The Holden Ute was a coupe utility built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors, since 2000. Before then, Holden had marketed their Commodore-based utility models under the Holden Utility (VG) and Holden Commodore utility (VP, VR, VS) names,^[1][2] although the term “Holden Ute” was also used in their official marketing literature.^[3][4] The Holden Ute name is often used for earlier Holden Utility models (which were produced from 1951 to 1984) as the word "ute" is a colloquial term used commonly in Australia for a utility vehicle. Holden's performance division, an independent company called HSV assembles a high-performance version called the Maloo. Between 2003 and 2007, Holden built a stretched, crew cab version of the Ute with four doors and seating for five, called the Holden Crewman and between 2003 and 2005 a cab-chassis version known as the Holden One Tonner.

The VX Commodore-based Ute launched with a locally built 3.8-litre Ecotec V6 engine of Buick design. A 5.7-litre Generation III V8 engine option was also available, but this was replaced by the 6.0-litre Generation 4 in 2006, and updated to the L98 specification later on that year. In 2004, Holden replaced the venerable V6 with a 3.6-litre Alloytec unit.

The Australian-assembled Ute was to be sold in the United States as the Pontiac G8 ST starting in 2009 alongside the four-door Commodore-based G8 sedan.^[5] However, due to GM's company-wide model review, a result of the 2008 global financial crisis, such plans were shelved on 6 January 2009. Exports of the G8 sedan remain unaffected.^[6] Sales of the Ute in South Africa as the Chevrolet Lumina SS commenced during 2006/2007 and in Middle East in 2009/2010, making it the first full-size Chevrolet coupé utility ever since the 1987 discontinuation of the El Camino (even though this Lumina was never sold in the USA).