General Motors, once focused on Australia’s new car market with Holden and nothing else, is continuing to expand its lineup of subsidiaries in local showrooms.
After reintroducing Chevrolet in 2018 through Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) and later moving the bowtie brand to the General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) camp in 2020, the US car giant is about to launch both Cadillac and GMC in Australia.
For Cadillac, it marks the first time in more than 60 years on Australian roads. In the case of GMC it’s a fresh start, with the red-badged vehicles only previously showing up on local roads through third-party importers/converters.
The GMC Yukon is the brand’s only vehicle confirmed to go on sale locally, giving it a competitor in the full-size SUV market which has been the realm of Toyota’s LandCruiser – and its Lexus LX twin – and Nissan Patrol.
However, GM’s decision to bring the Yukon to Australia when it’s already spent so much time and effort establishing Chevrolet locally has raised eyebrows, especially when the Chevrolet Suburban is effectively the same vehicle underneath as the Yukon and Silverado pickup.
Speaking to Australian media ahead of the unveiling of the new Yukon, Jess Bala, managing director of GM Australia and New Zealand, said GMC is a better fit with local SUV buyers than Chevrolet.
“When we look at our tech savvy customers, and we wanted to go after the luxury refinement the Yukon offered, that’s why we went down this path,” said Ms Bala.
“You’re right, we’ve done work around Chevrolet and Silverado locally, but for our market and the niche offering that GMSV brings to Australia and New Zealand, that’s why we really feel that the Yukon is the right fit for us.
“We will obviously have a job ahead of us to build that brand, but we think starting with this vehicle here [Yukon] is the perfect way to do that.”
When asked whether Australia could ever see the GMC Sierra – the twin to the Silverado 1500 – in local showrooms, Ms Bala said pickups would be the focus of Chevrolet for now.
“As a team in Australia and New Zealand, we will continue to always evaluate what the right entries are for our market and the GMSV.
“Obviously it gives us the ability to go after the cars we think are best for the market. But for right now, obviously Silverado is doing very well and our plans are going to stay there for the time being.”
GMC Sierra
Sean Poppitt, executive communications director of GMC, weighed in on where the brand sits among its GM siblings.
“We have ambitious global plans for this brand. It’s a brand that seems to resonate really well when we look strategically [for[ which markets we want to grow in and which new markets.
“But we also have markets coming to us and saying, hey, we really think GMC could work here. It’s a brand that’s got a lot of cache, it’s a brand that’s working for people that are kind of in between.
“It’s not quite a luxury brand. That’s certainly where Cadillac plays, but it’s also a little bit above Chevrolet.”
GM hasn’t announced any plans to bring Buick back to Australia, having last produced vehicles here in the late 1940s when Holden made its start as a carmaker.
MORE: 2025 GMC Yukon: Right-hand drive American SUV hits Australian roads
