A pair of Holdens holding centre stage at next week’s Fieldays are at least five months off from availability – and one, a Colorado sitting in HSV SportsCat territory, might not be a long-term stayer.

ONE is seeking permanent residency but the other appears to be on a time-limited visitor’s visa – that’s the word out of Holden about the vehicles it will give pride of place to at Fieldays next week.

In addition to bringing in an example of the Acadia, the crucial large-sized Chevrolet-sourced seven-seater out of America whose implementation completes Holden’s sports utility wagon line up here, Holden New Zealand is also showing a special edition Colorado utility that – unlike Acadia – might be a short-term stayer.

Both will be on display at the Holden stand at the Mystery Creek, Waikato, event starting on June 13 and running to the 16th.

The Xtreme is modelled on a show truck with the same name that Holden here brought across from Australia to display at the 2016 show. The production model has been based off the Z71 and is not quite as outrageous as the concept.

The model is not coming on sale until October at the earliest, which means its release might well not only time closely to the launch schedule for Acadia - which will sit above the Trax, Captiva, Equinox and Trailblazer – but also with the Ford Ranger Raptor, which is also being displayed next week.

While pricing for Acadia will be revealed closer to launch, the local distributor has decided to position its uber ute at $79,990 - $13k above the donor and also slap bang in the middle of the territory claimed by Holden Special vehicles for its own Colorado derivative, the SportsCat.

The entry HSV is a $73,990 proposition while the SportsCat Plus, which upgrades equipment, is $80,990.

The SportsCat has the same 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder as factory Colorados, with identical outputs, meaning 147kW of power and either 440Nm or 500Nm of torque in manual and automatic guise.

New vehicle distributors recognize the rural showcase as the event that has single greatest influence on annual ute volumes, so unsurprisingly Holden NZ has said it will take orders for Xtreme now.

However, those seeking the rig as a potential collectible should be aware that while the Auckland operation has acknowledged this is a special – rather than permanent – edition, it is unable to say how many will be available or for what time frame.

All that brand spokesman Ed Finn could offer was that the variant was “not necessarily an ongoing part of the lineup.”

However, he added: “We anticipate there will be significant interest in this offering and would strongly encourage Fieldays attendees to place an order to ensure they’re amongst the first to get behind the wheel when the model arrives in dealerships in early Q4.”

Holden has sidestepped from making comment about why it is adding another Colorado variant, however market interest in high-end diesel doublecabs is running hot.

Marc Warr, Holden New Zealand national marketing manager, says the Xtreme was created because the concept received widespread adulation at Fieldays 2016 “so we challenged ourselves to develop a vehicle which could to replicate the appeal of the original.”

Key features include winch bar and winch wire harness kit, 18-inch black alloy wheels shod with all-terrain tyres, a black extended sports bar, black tubular side steps, rear step, soft tonneau cover, tow bar, Colorado decal on tailgate and a black roof tray. 

Go to a SportsCat and you get a sports suspension, a 30mm wider wheel track, increased ride height, 18x10-inch wheels, bodykit, restyled front fascia, tubular side steps and red-stitch highlights throughout the interior. In pure straight-from-factory fitout, a ‘Plus’ also has AP Racing brakes and a rear de-coupling anti-roll bar. Neither are available to the Colorado.

Said Warr: “The Xtreme is no longer just a show concept, it’s a fully functional ‘real McCoy’ four-wheel drive and we expect people to put it to the test in a variety of day-to-day on and off-road situations.”

Holden says the ute and the Acadia further reinforce Holden’s ongoing product renaissance.