As a follow up to my recent post about the export variants of the Adelaide -built Holden Commodore and Caprice, it is fantastic to hear today that the Commodore will be making its way back to the United States as a Police vehicle.
Adelaide Now reported that orders can now being taken from US police forces to purchase the purpose built Chevrolet Caprice, based on the Holden Statesman. They state that Holden is hoping to sell 20,000 of these cars in America.
The vehicle will feature a 6.0L V8, a long wheel base providing room for a safety barrier and specially designed, heavy duty seats to accommodate equipment belts. Plus it looks a heck of a lot better than the old Ford Crown Victoria’s that most police are still using.
Again, this is more great news for the northern suburbs of Adelaide as Holden ramps up for the release of the new Cruze and Commodore, diversifying the business and helping to secure the future of the region and the Australian automotive industry.
Have a look at the 2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV website for full details about the car and some great pictures.
This week has seen a number of announcements that have been good news for Adelaide’s northern suburbs. It’s a fantastic time to be living in this part of town.
The first story is the announcement by Holden that a second shift would be introduced later in the year at the Elizabeth production plant. After 18 months of reduced production on a single shift, the time has come to ramp back up. I think this announcement was inevitable, given the expected launch of the Australian-built Holden Cruze in the new year and the next generation of the VE Commodore being just around the corner. It’s fantastic to see Holden taking steps to build vehicles that people want to buy – fuel efficient yet spacious and sporty looking large cars for the modern family, and now, diesel small cars for the eco-Aussie. Not only will this mean more hours for current Holden employees, but there will be many new jobs created in businesses that support Holden, as well as the local retail businesses who will benefit for the increased spending by locals in the automotive industry.
The University of South Australia also announced this week the opening of a new college in 2011 in order to increase the talent of the South Australian workforce. UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Hoj says the purpose of the College is to provide extra pathways into university and develop the talent and skills of more South Australians to underpin the depth, capacity and energy of the workforce. The college will play a lead role in the management of the new Maths and Science Centre at Mawson Lakes campus.
News from the Premier’s Office this week included the announcement of a $24 million upgrade to roads in the Edinburgh and Salisbury area. As most northerners would be aware of by now, significant infrastructure work has been taking place at RAAF Edinburgh in preparation for the Army’s 7RAR Battalion arriving early 2011. This will see over 1200 new military staff based at Edinburgh. Combined with ramp up at Holden and the increase in activity at automotive and defence support businesses in Edinburgh Parks, the already stressed roads in the area will really struggle with the increase in traffic. This announce details many upgrades between RAAF Edinburgh and Salisbury Highway which will greatly improve the flow of traffic around the base and Holden. I imagine the next few months will be a bit chaotic around Holden and the base, but it will be worth a bit of pain for the long term gain.
It’s all a great indication that we’re heading into a boom time in the north. Let’s all make the most of it.
If you feel like getting some fresh air this weekend, why not head to the Little Para Trails for a bit of exercise and explore this lovely area. The Salisbury Council have a great Little Para Trails Brochure on their website detailing historical points of interest right from the west of Port Wakefield Road at Bolivar, through Paralowie and Salisbury, right up to the site of the old water wheel in the hills to the east of Main North Road.
Download the brochure, grab your mountain bike or put the dog on a leash, and hit the trails. It’s beautiful this time of year!
With autumn starting to set in, today felt like a great day to dust off the old mountain bike and to go for a nice long ride up the Little Para Trails. Starting in my home suburb of Paralowie, I ventured to the western edge to get on the trail at Port Wakefield Road. The fresh breeze and a few spots of rain made the ride all the more pleasant – nothing like the smell of wet eucalyptus. There was even a bit of water in the river after the rain we’ve had over the last few days.
I’ve recently purchased a Flip Ultra digital video camera, and I also got myself a cheap bicycle mount on ebay so a ride on the trail would be a great chance to see how well it performs before taking the bike into the hills. Unfortunately, it performed terribly – the camera was good but the mount didn’t support it very well, and after about 20 minutes, the whole thing fell apart! A Flip Mino might have been better as it is a bit smaller and lighter. The video footage goes as far as the golf course near the northern edge of Paralowie, but I continued cycling to the Old Spot Hotel on Main North Road because it was so pleasant.
Here’s some of the video. If you can get past the shaking from the lousy mount, you’ll see that the Para ride is beautiful, especially in this fresh weather. Enjoy!
As a follow up to my recent post about the export variants of the Adelaide -built Holden Commodore and Caprice, it is fantastic to hear today that the Commodore will be making its way back to the United States as a Police vehicle.
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