Holden Acadia spotted on holiday

It’s as Australian as a Vegemite-smeared kangaroo drinking Bundy from a shoe, and it didn’t take long for the locals to spot Holden’s lion badge far from home in middle Tennessee.

To any other road-users, this truck load of large SUVs might look like a normal clutch of GMC Acadias, but car-spotting social media group V.I.S.I.T. noticed they wear the Holden badging and unique face destined for Australian showrooms.

Holden has not yet finalised a local launch date for the model any more specifically than the fourth quarter of this year, but the consignment suggests the Captiva replacement will be rolling on red dirt sooner rather than later.

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The car maker already has a fleet of 16 Acadias doing the rounds on local roads as part of a Captured Test Fleet program, but the vehicles spied in transit on US roads will be among the first delivered to Australian customers.

All Australian Acadias will be produced at GM’s factory in Spring Hill, in the heart of Tennessee whiskey country where the early examples were spotted, before being shipped Down Under.

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When it gets here, the Australian-fettled Acadia will be the first vehicle offered locally that has been pinched from the GMC pool, and is a continuation of the company’s pledge to exploit General Motors’ global portfolio – including all brands – after production of the locally-built Commodore ceased in 2017.

The fresh Acadia has the potential to significantly boost volume for Holden, stepping into the seven-seat large SUV segment against the likes of Ford’s Everest and the Toyota Kluger.

The ageing Captiva is long in the tooth but continues to attract a respectable audience with almost 3400 sold to the end of July this year, and its replacement will be expected to improve on that performance if it is to earn its keep.

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