Monaro's last hurrah!

HOLDEN will next month release the final version of its VZ-series Monaro as it continues to work on a business case for designing and building a new-generation coupe.

Dubbed the CV8-Z edition, the VZ-series Monaro will be priced from $60,490 – the same starting point as the current-issue CV8 - and a production run of 1200 Z models is planned.

That will take Monaro build numbers past 40,000 since the coupe was introduced late in 2001. Around 75 per cent of these have been exported overseas.

The CV8-Z will make its presence felt with machined 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, black bonnet scoop accents, modified tail-lights, gunmetal-chrome CV8-Z rear decals and an all-new colour for the Lion brand, a metallic orange it calls Fusion.



The question still be answered is whether Holden will take responsibility for an all-new coupe based on the Zeta platform architecture, which underpins next year’s VE Commodore.

"We want the next-generation Monaro designed and built in Australia – that is our starting position," a Holden spokesman told GoAuto this week.

For now, the decision to end VZ Monaro production applies to Australian and NewZealand markets.

The intentions of Pontiac and other GM affiliates that source the vehicle from Holden are still to be confirmed, however, GM Holden executive director of engineering, Tony Hyde, told GoAuto in May that production of left-hand drive Monaros (rebadged as Pontiac GTOs) would continue for as long as the American brand could justify its business case.

This could possibly extend well into the VE period.

In a statement released on Monday, GM Holden chairman and managing director, Denny Mooney, said the company continued to investigate options for a new-generation coupe with other divisions of General Motors.

"Everyone at Holden is certainly committed to delivering a new generation Monaro in the future but there is still a lot of work to make that happen," he said.

"We’re looking at a number of options to ensure Holden continues to set thestandard when it comes to performance coupes in the future.

"Monaro means too much to Holden to not have another Monaro at some time in the future."