Holden SSX

Unlike the current production Commodore, the SSX features a 4 wheel drive powertrain and a hatchback rear. This unusual configuration for a large, conservative car is a sign that Holden is looking to innovate with a new type of niche that may herald its next generation of cars.

The exterior design by Max Wolff differs most from the donor car with its deep front valance and new rear lamps (reminiscent of those on the Opel Speedster) and the subtle integration of the rear hatch, which maintains a similar profile to the saloon it is based on. Just as the conceptual design of a 5 metre 4-wheel-drive hatch moves on from production Commodores, so the aesthetic moves on from rounded forms of the Commodore to a sharper design language evident in the distinct wheel arch blisters and more linear lamp graphics.

In Europe GM brands such as Opel and Saab with the Signum and 9X are showing how premium products might adopt a more practical configuration to the saloon car without becoming traditional estates. With the SSX Design Concept, Holden has been less radical than its European cousins, but it is showing a realistic product concept that also offers an alternative to the ubiquitous saloon car configuration and is a useful tool to test the Australian markets reaction to such a concept. And as the biggest concept car programme undertaken by the Holden brand, the SSX is also an effective demonstration of an increasingly strong in-house design capability.