Holden, along with Ford, BMW and Mitsubishi, had one of the largest exhibits at this year's Melbourne Auto Show. The standouts from Holden's site included the new 300kW HSV Senator, of which only 30 will be built. A prototype ECOmmodore vehicle, designed in conjunction with the CSIRO, turned many heads with its hybrid electric/petrol engine using 50 per cent less fuel than a convential family car and still providing similar power to a 3.8-litre V6. The new VU Maloo R8 ute, which should be sitting on showroom floors by April, attracted plenty of attention, too. But the most noise came from a concept ute design, of all things. Codenamed the Utester, Holden's latest foray into the future provided an interesting insight towards the company's intentions. Who says a ute can't be made for sports/touring? As you can see from the design, this ute isn't for lugging around welding equipment or dirt bikes. For starters, the remote-release, split-folding tonneau cover has twin molded aero forms that one would normally see on a convertible sportscar. The project was undertaken by a younger crew of Holden designers who gave the Utester a unique look, with hints of urban toughness and sporty undertones. The angular twin exhaust system, neatly tucked away into the exaggerated bodykit, adds plenty of menace. We're just a bit upset they didn't fire up the ute at the show - stereophonic V8 goodness would have been music to our ears... The bright yellow colour is a bit of a shock to the system at first, but it grows on you. This colour, coupled with the jet black accents around the cabin and the smoked black removable roof, add plenty of contrast to the picture. Sitting on huge 19" chromed alloy wheels, the Utester is an imposing sight. Continuing the impactful theme, the interior has been decked out with yellow and black leather complete with baseball-style stitching. A funky dash/instrument panel gives you all the information you need and an Alpine entertainment system, with LCD monitor, rounds out the features list nicely. As is to be expected, the Utester uses Holden's favoured 5.7-litre Gen-III V8 engine. This gives the rear-wheel drive concept car a tasty 225kW of power at 5,200rpm. A six-speed manual gearbox will get you up to speed in no time, but four large Harrop disc brakes will slow the ute down safely and quickly with the inclusion of ABS. Independent rear suspension (as per stock VU utes) adds to drivability and cornering response. Even better, Holden has tuned the suspension for a sportier, lower ride with less body roll. As design head honcho for the project, Michael Simcoe, says: "It was an attention-grabber from the start, not least because we could see it had the practical potential to become a niche production vehicle. "While this model is one-off show special, there's a reasonable chance that the Utester could appear in Holden dealer showrooms, pending the result of a feasibility study currently underway." The new Holden Utester. Freak of nature or the best thing in the auto industry since programmed fuel-injection? You be the judge. Either way, we hope this beast makes it to market and we'll be following the progress of the Utester very closely. Kudos to Holden for doing something a little different. Encore! |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Holden UTEster is a concept car from Holden, launched in 2001, and is considered to be an evolution of Holden's VU Ute SS. The UTEster uses a 5.7 litre Gen III V8 engine, mated to a 6 speed manual. It rides on 19 inch wheels and 4 wheel disc brakes. The UTEster's exterior is painted Marque Yellow with Jet Black highlights. The wheels are finished in Titan Silver and the interior uses black leather with yellow baseball stitching. The UTEster's interior is equally as individual as the exterior. The bold black and yellow theme continues, repeated in the seat trim , Anthracite leather edged in yellow leather baseball stitching, the contoured yellow bulkhead wall, high-gloss center console and door trims highlighted by yellow armrests and storage pockets. The UTEster's instrument panel and steering wheel are finished in Anthracite leather and the controls and instrumentation feature satin finish Titan Silver detailing. Luxury custom-fitted extras include an Alpine entertainment system with DVD/VCD/CD, LCD monitor, remote control, 12" sub-woofer, eight additional speakers and flip-down storage between the seats. Brake, clutch and accelerator pedals are machined aluminium. The decklid of the UTEster is a unique design. The decklid is a split-fold design, with remote release. The front section is used to accommodate the removable glass roof, while the rear section is used like a traditional ute. Performance specs
Design features
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 March 2001, at the Melbourne International Motor Show:Holden unveiled a show-stunner, the unique UTEster sports coupe concept. As the name implies, it's a vivid evolution of the Holden Ute theme, created by young designers and loaded with urban cool. Finished in bright Marque Yellow with contrasting Jet Black accents, the UTEster has a removable glass roof, a rear window that slides out of sight and a tonneau cover with twin aero forms that echo traditional sports car styling cues. Everything about the Holden UTEster, from its 19" alloy wheels five-spoke, in satin finish Titan Silver to its smoke tinted roof, split twin exhausts and custom-designed cabin,excites the eye. Like the Sandman panel van that was such a crowd-puller at the 2000 Sydney Motor Show premiere, the UTEster began life as a series of sketches penned by a member of Holden's youthful and talented design team. Inspired by the Roadster and Speedster tags given to other sports-oriented GM models, senior designer Peter Hughes, who led the project, also gave the UTEster its unique name. The UTEster's interior is equally as individual as the exterior. The bold black and yellow theme continues, repeated in the seat trim , Anthracite leather edged in yellow leather baseball stitching, the contoured yellow bulkhead wall, high-gloss centre console and door trims highlighted by yellow armrests and storage pockets. The UTEster's instrument panel and steering wheel are finished in Anthracite leather and the controls and instrumentation feature satin finish Titan Silver detailing. Luxury custom-fitted extras include an Alpine entertainment system with DVD/VCD/CD, LCD monitor, remote control, 12" sub-woofer, eight additional speakers and flip-down storage between the seats. Brake, clutch and accelerator pedals are machined aluminium. Practical matters are not forgotten. The high-gloss, body-coloured aero decklid is a split fold design, lockable and with remote release. The front section, finished in matching yellow, opens to accommodate the UTEster's removable glass roof, and the cargo bed takes a full-length load. Powered by a 5.7 litre GEN III engine matched to 6-speed manual transmission, the UTEster, is an evolution of Holden's VU Ute SS Features and specifications
|