Holden WM Statesman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Holden WM Statesman | |
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| Manufacturer | Holden |
| Parent company | General Motors |
| Also called | Chevrolet Caprice Buick Park Avenue Daewoo L4X Holden WM Caprice |
| Production | 2006–present |
| Assembly | Elizabeth, South Australia, Australia |
| Predecessor | Holden WL Statesman |
| Class | Full-size car |
| Body style(s) | 4-door sedan |
| Platform | GM Zeta platform |
| Engine(s) | 3.6 L High Output Alloytec V6 6.0 L Generation 4 Alloy V8 |
| Transmission(s) | 5-speed GM 5L40E automatic 6-speed GM 6L80E automatic |
| Wheelbase | 3009 mm (118.5 in) |
| Length | 5160 mm (203.1 in) |
| Width | 1899 mm (74.8 in) |
| Height | 1480 mm (58.3 in) |
| Curb weight | 1891 kg (4169 lb) |
| Related | Bitter Vero Holden VE Commodore |
- For a complete overview of all Statesman models see: Holden Statesman.
The Holden WM Statesman and Caprice are a line of full size luxury cars produced by the General Motors Australian subsidiary, Holden since September 2006. The range debuted alongside the VE Commodore on July 16, 2006 at the Melbourne Convention Centre. With the Statesman's export plans, it was felt that its launch should be simultaneous with that of the Commodore, rather than months later, as had been the choice. The WM has two main rivals, the Ford Fairlane and the Chrysler 300.[1] Holden are already exporting the WM to the Middle East as the Chevrolet Caprice. Sales of the WM Statesman in South Korea, where it will be sold as the Daewoo L4X, will commence at the end of 2008.
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[edit] Development and design
The WM Statesman was a $190 million investment, in combination with the $1.03 billion VE Commodore program.[2] The WM will continue to supply cars to senior Federal and State politicians, government officials, businesspeople and private buyers in Australia and overseas.[3]
[edit] Exterior design
The WM Statesman features the same bodyshell as the WM Caprice, but the Caprice possesses a sportier character than the more conservative Statesman. Less chrome is incorporated outside compared to the Statesman. Visually the boot may look smaller from the outside but it is considerably larger inside compared to the VE. The front windscreen and the front doors are the only parts of the Caprice (visually) that are the same as the VE, like previous times the rear doors were not taken of the commodore. Instead the rear doors were made longer to ensure that it would be easier to get in and out of the car.
Points of differentiation to the Statesman for the Caprice include sports suspension, larger 18 inch alloy wheels although 20 inch wheels come as an option and dual rear seat LCD screens (with DVD player), Bi-Xenon headlamps also come as standard as well as rear LED brake lights. Unlike the Commodore the Caprice receives a full size spare alloy wheel as standard.
[edit] Interior design
Compared to the previous generation, more sporting trim highlights are used in the cabin and the centre dash incorporates real aluminium. The already considerable rear leg-room has been increased over previous models. Tri-zone climate control systems feature for the first time that can regulate the car's temperature at three separate places inside the cabin. Themes for the specialist interior design team were comfort, sophistication, harmony, luxury and attention to detail. The extroverted instrument pad features a wide binnacle, unique chrome-ringed instrument cluster and integrated centre stack with a high resolution colour screen, zoned audio and climate controls and satin chrome detailing. [4]
[edit] Engine and mechanics
The Caprice comes standard with a 6.0 litre L98 V8 engine producing 270 kilowatts (362 hp) coupled to the GM 6L80E six-speed automatic transmission as featured on sports Commodore variants. A cheaper 195 kilowatt (261 hp) 3.6 litre Alloytec V6 is available as an option for the Caprice, but is standard on the Statesman.[2] The semi-sports suspension is stiffened compared to the Statesman, Holden refer to the more sporting suspension as "FE1.5", sitting halfway between their standard suspension tune and the "FE2" suspension tune of their sports models.
| Engine | Power | Torque |
|---|---|---|
| 3.6 L V6 | 195 kW (262 hp) | 340 N·m (250 ft·lbf) @ 2600 rpm[2] |
| 6.0 L V8 | 270 kW (362 hp) | 530 N·m (390 ft·lbf) @ 4400 rpm[2] |
[edit] Safety
In the safety aspect the Statesman comes with Electronic Stability Control, traction control, ABS brakes, EBD, BAS and a tyre pressure monitoring system as standard Front, side and curtain airbags come as standard which is another incentive to improve the Caprice's safety equipment, this also contributed to the fact the that the Caprice’s safety rating surpass that off its main rival, the LTD.[1]Development commenced with the largest virtual crash modelling program Holden has ever undertaken. Emphasis was placed on considering the range of impact scenarios that occur in real world accident situations and differing occupant criteria. Safety technologies were benchmarked alongside with the world’s leading luxury brands and major engineering programs delivered a stiffer body structure and vastly increased usage of advanced strength steels. Multiple load corridor strategies for frontal, side and rear impacts improve passenger compartment integrity. They are complemented by an improved multipoint airbag sensing system and an adaptive restraint system which includes dual stage front airbags, thorax side impact airbags, curtain airbags and front seat active head restraints as standard equipment. Structurally optimised crush zones absorb crash energy and other occupant protection features include a steering column ride-down mechanism and breakaway brake pedal.[4]
[edit] Exports
Shanghai GM announced that a WM Statesman derived Buick Park Avenue will be manufactured for the Chinese market, utilising Australian-built versions of the GM High Feature engine. The Park Avenue replaces the Buick Royaum; a rebadged version of the WL Statesman.[5] This announcement came only days after a multi-million dollar deal was made to market the WM Statesman in South Korea as the Daewoo L4X (now officially called the Daewoo Veritas).[6] Sales of the L4X will begin in late 2008.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Newton, Bruce (2006-12-20). New car road test. Fairfax Media. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
- ^ a b c d Pleffer, Ashlee (2006-08-31). Quick spin: Holden WM models. News.com.au. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
- ^ Holden WM Caprice & Statesman Revealed. HSPN Global News (2006-07-16). Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ a b Alina, Simona (2006-12-09). 2007 Holden WM Caprice. Top speed. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
- ^ Dornin, Tim (2007-04-11). Holden to export engines to China. Fairfax Media. Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
- ^ Sinclair, Mike. Holdens to Korea -- it's official. ninemsn. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
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