VF ute at The Nürburgring

[Alien DNA]

Heres a link to lap times. Not too sure how recent this table is but the VF is in good company with Skylines, AMG Mercs and Porsche 911 Carreras Even a fraction faster than a 2010 Camaro SS. Not bad for "pick up"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...eife_lap_times

[mauser]

Lets hope the world takes notice... Wouldn't that be nice.

Mauser

[HK1837]

Americans will certainly want them, but remember none of these car companies are listening to their markets. Too much politics, union bs etc involved. VF utes would sell well in the US especially with rear leaf springs optional.

[Innuendo]

Pick-Up! It's a bloody Ute.
Stupid American terms screwing up the Australian language. I heard a footballer calling Nappies, Diapers last night on the footy show. Fair Dinkum!

Mind you, I think I used the term Butt a few post back! Whoops...

[Nocturne]

It's an automatic too....

[mauser]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...t/#more-490631

We’re Not Getting The Holden Ute, But Not For Reasons You’d Expect

By Derek Kreindler on June 3, 2013


"Every so often, the same tired rumor will pop up again, like a particularly resilient pimple that habitually reappears in the same conspicuous spot. Thanks to the incessant hunger for clicks among auto websites, these rumors refuse to die, no matter how asinine they are. How many times have you seen a “BREAKING” or “EXCLUSIVE” story on the next Toyota Supra or some absurd BS fabrication regarding a diesel Mazda MX-5?

The latest round of bollocks concerns the Holden Ute, another car that tickles the fancy of enthusiasts on all sides of the globe, but would be a commercial nightmare if they ever tried to export it to America. One Australian publication is now claiming that a guerilla marketing campaign showing Mark Reuss lapping the Nurburgring in a brand new Ute is part of a ploy to export the Ute to America. Of course, other car blogs have been lathering themselves up into a frenzy over the prospect of a very expensive quasi-pickup that they will not purchase once it gets here.

Holden claims that there will be some kind of major announcement regarding the Ute next month. I’m going to be the first to say it will not be related to any Ute exports. There are two simple reasons here: the US-Australian dollar exchange rate is abominable as far as exports are concerned, and there is likely little to no demand for a very pricey product that is neither fish nor fowl. Who is going to pay $50k for Corvette powered pseudo-pickup wearing a Chevrolet badge. Did we discuss the UAW’s reaction to an Australian built pickup, or the whole “cannibalizing GM’s new ‘lifestyle pickup’ thing “either? Both of those matter, but would require their own articles to really get into.

One thing that is not a factor is the chicken tax. Not long ago, Holden used the chicken tax as an excuse for why it’s been unable to export Utes to America. TTAC commenters soon produced plenty of evidence showing that Australian cars and ”light commercial vehicles” (i.e. pickups and Utes) can be brought to America duty free. So that excuse is out. I feel for Holden though. The Australian domestic car industry is going down the tubes, their signature product is about to become just another boring front-drive appliance and all they want to do is send some good product to world markets.

The problem is nobody wants it. No matter how loud the internet cries out for it."

[Taily]

Maus, I read some of the very misguided (or at a minimum: trolling) comments to that and a few related stories on that website and am left in little doubt as to just how force fed the US public is about how the "big bad rest of the world" is out to get them. There is one person in particular who holds the belief that Australia (who this person classifies as SE Asia) still posseses a 22% import tariff on all inbound vehicles and that our vehicles do not comply with the US SAE weights and measures system so, in his mind, their capacities (towing/carting etc) are being well overstated. I wonder if he understands that the US is one of only a handful of countries that are yet to go metric - unlike the rest of the world, therefore preventing a true global standard of weights and measures? From the outside most obviously not, or at least that is what can be gleaned from his/her misguided ramblings...

It would not surprise me one bit if this US "Chicken Tax" has some basis of truth in it, especially when viewed in context of other export industries trying to either gain a foothold in or regain lost ground in the US after the supposed FTA pineapple we ended-up with along with our dollar being so high for so long due in no small part to some good government policies (I really struggle to say that sometimes but credit does need to go where it is due) and to a very large amount of luck. Goes hand in hand with US government policy of replacing import tariffs with home grown producer subsidies (different way of producing the same effect of a tariff) - a point most obviously lost on their "TTAC Commentators".

The strength of our ecconomy and the (lack of) barriers to imports is one reason we have seen such a flood of imported vehicles and that one of own vehicle manufacturers is now pulling up stumps as they cannot compete. Some might cynically suggest that a FTA really only drops the undies of local producers for what comes next...

I'm not that myopic to miss the significance of our own government handing out $$$ in support of our own car companies or our own standard of living structure either. The big worry in this area to our own jobs is the emerging industrial powerhouse of China (and related industries of the region).

Free Trade - Global Ecconomy - Yeah Right.... Global ecconomy will only work for ALL concerned if we are all trading in and using domestically one currency only.