The new small, front-wheel-drive, four-cylinder vehicle to be built by GM Holden at Elizabeth will be based on General Motors' global Delta small car platform and feature new technologies to increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse emissions.

GM Holden will build an all-new small car in Australia alongside the country's best-selling Commodore range. The second carline will start in the third quarter of 2010 with support from the Federal and South Australian Governments.

The new vehicle will be built as a sedan and hatch at GM Holden's Elizabeth manufacturing facility in South Australia. Design and engineering work will take place at the company's headquarters in Port Melbourne, Victoria.

Start-stop hybrid technology and capacity to run on alternative fuels such as E85, diesel, LPG and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) are all being considered for the vehicle's development.

It will be GM Holden's first locally produced car beyond its current range of larger vehicles since the Asian economic crisis ended Vectra production in 1998.

The global Delta architecture was primarily developed by GM Europe in Russelsheim, Germany for GM markets around the world. Other examples of the architecture will include the next generation Chevrolet Cruze and Opel, Vauxhall and Saturn Astra.

Local design and engineering work on the Australian vehicle will take place at GM Holden's Port Melbourne headquarters in Victoria.

Direct injected petrol and diesel variants of the vehicle will be produced with GM Holden considering a range of alternative fuel or fuel saving technologies including E85, LPG, CNG and start-stop hybrid capability.

Further details about the vehicle including its nameplate, design specifications and pricing will be determined closer to the time of production.

(Source: Holden)