CONFIRMED: GMSV to replace HSV in Australia - New GM brand to focus on US muscle imports

The Corvette and Silverado will be sold locally by General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV).

The news is finally official. HSV is dead. Long live the GMSW.

In today's news, jointly confirmed by GM and Walkinshaw Performance, the HSV brand will be replaced by GMSV (General Motors Specialty Vehicles) from the fourth quarter of this year, and a number of existing Holden and HSV dealerships will be rebranded for the new future. The Chevrolet Silverado and Corvette Stingray will be the new brand's iconic models, although we expect more models to come over time.

“I am proud to announce the launch of GM Specialty Vehicles, which represents an important new investment for GM in Australia,” said GM Holden Interim Chairman and Managing Director Christian Akilina. “This new venture directly adds sales, marketing and aftersales roles to GM's 200-strong presence in Australia and indirectly supports over 150 skilled engineering and manufacturing jobs at our partner in Victoria.

“The initial product line will include the latest Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ, as well as other derivatives including the Silverado 2500 and the impressive mid-engined Corvette, both expected in 2021.”

The move signals the end of the HSV brand in Australia, as a rebranding of the customer aspects of the 33-year-old business is expected while the Walkinshaw Group continues to work on reengineering left-hand drive vehicles for our market.

Led by 20-year GM veteran Joanne Stogiannis, the GMSV brand will now be in charge of the Chevrolet Silverado, while the talented Walkinshaw group will continue to remanufacture left-to-right-hand drive cars in Victoria. The move would, in effect, result in Walkinshaw becoming GMSV's contract partner.

“We are excited to continue our 33-year partnership with GM through their new GMSV venture,” said Ryan Walkinshaw, director of Walkinshaw Automotive Group. “It also means that we can retain a significant number of automotive jobs in Victoria with around 150 direct manufacturing jobs and look forward to growth as we work with GM in this dynamic space.

“We have always enjoyed bringing interesting products to market and we are excited to continue this through our partnership with GMSV.”

The news didn't come as a surprise, as Holden's closure essentially tickled the watch for the brand known as Holden Special Vehicles.

Today's announcement follows GM's decision to trademark a replacement for HSV and a new Australian government logo.