First examples of Holden's answer to the Fiesta ST arrive Down Under

[LeadFoot81]

"GM Holden is ready to take on Ford’s new Fiesta ST with a turbocharged Barina hot hatch that will go on sale in November.

Motoring.com.au spotted the first shipment of new Barina Turbo models arriving at Holden’s Melbourne HQ today, and our sources have confirmed a local launch is just two months away.

The Barina Turbo will be a direct competitor for hot light-size hatchbacks like Ford’s new Fiesta ST, which was launched here last week priced from just $25,990, as well as Peugeot’s almost-as-new 208 GTi (from $29,990), Skoda’s Fabia RS and Volkswagen’s benchmark Polo GTI (both from $27,990).

Unlike all those turbocharged front-wheel drive models, however, the Korean-built Barina Turbo will benefit from local chassis tuning by Australian engineers at Holden, which is believed to have undertaken significant, ride, handling and steering upgrades."

http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2013...rbo-here-38702



I'm not a fan of the Chevrolet Sonic/Holden Barina's styling in general, but visually it's not different enough IMO. It will be interesting to read the head to head comparisons however. Holden's Aussie-tinkered Cruze still can't quite match Ford's global (Thai sourced in Oz) Focus.