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Its main competitors are the (to be discontinued) Ford LTD and the successful Chrysler 300C . The Caprice is also the basis for the Federal Government's fleet of Armoured Limousines , outfitted by Tenix . 1971- INTRODUCTION OF THE STATESMAN The Statesman was introduced by General Motors Holden's as a new prestige brand in 1971, based on the new HQ Holden series. It replaced a previous prestige model- the Holden Brougham but was marketed as a separate brand rather than as a Holden. Statesman had an extended wheelbase - 114 inches - 3 inches longer than the regular Holden range. The extra length was behind the rear door to allow for additional rear seat legroom. The Statesman was intended as a rival for Ford Australia 's successful Fairlane (introduced in 1967) which had created a new category of Australian made prestige car. The Fairlane was derived from the Australian Falcon , with an extended wheelbase and different front and rear styling to differentiate the car's appearance. At the time, this category of vehicle was very profitable, as the sales price was significantly higher than the base car from which the prestige model was derived, while the additional cost of production was moderate. The Brougham (introduced in 1968) was Holden's initial response to Fairlane. It was a Holden Premier with an extended rear end, providing a larger luggage compartment. Despite gaining a following, Brougham was never seen as a serious challenge to the Fairlane. The HQ Series Statesman was offered in two models - Custom and De Ville . 1974 - INTRODUCTION OF THE STATESMAN CAPRICE The Caprice was introduced in 1974, as the new top line model in the facelifted Statesman HJ series. It was a more luxurious version of the Statesman de Ville, with a distinctive radiator grille, Cadillac style front bumper overriders and a bonnet ornament borrowed from the Chevrolet Caprice . The interior was significantly more lavish. Once again, the Caprice was General Motors Holden's response to a new Ford car. In 1973, Ford had upped the ante in the Australian prestige car stakes when they unveiled the LTD . This was a Fairlane which had the wheelbase extended again - to 121 inches - making it the only Australian car which fitted into the US ''full size'' category. The LTD was a significant success for Ford, both in terms of sales and profits, as well as making a statement regarding their prowess as a manufacturer. Caprice was conceived to respond to this new challenge from Ford. While it retained the Statesman de Ville's wheelbase, it matched the LTD in luxury and features. The Statesman Caprice did not succeed as a challenger to LTD, but it was successful in developing a new market category, for a premium level prestige car, with a higher level of specification. Ford acknowledged this in 1976, when they responded to Caprice by introducing the Fairlane Marquis , which was aimed directly at Caprice as a highly specified version of the Fairlane. The Statesman de Ville and Caprice were supplemented in 1979-1980 by an intermediate model- the SL/E. In 1980, a new facelifted model-the WB was released, and this continued until 1984, when production of the WB series of vehicles ceased. The WB Caprice was a re-designed, very well equipped and luxurious model compared with the earlier vehicles and is still popular today with many. See Holden Statesman for further details. VQ TO WL HOLDEN CAPRICE See Also: Holden VQ Statesman The Caprice was re-introduced in 1990, over a year after the launch of the Holden Commodore VN range on which it was based. The extended wheelbase VQ series came in two separate models, the "Holden Statesman" and the "Holden Caprice". Previous to this, the Caprice had been marketed as the "Statesman Caprice", the top model in the Statesman range. Now built on the station wagon chassis, the Caprice is approximately 12 centremeters longer than the standard models Holden’s model designation at the time had the LWB models known as the VQ in the VN Series. For the following VR & VS models the Caprice did not have its own specific designation, being known as the VR Caprice & VS Caprice respectively. With the release of the WH series Caprice in 1999 Holden returned to a stand alone model designation. Subsequent models, the WK of 2003 & the WL of 2004 have continued the policy of differing designations for the normal ( Holden Commodore , Berlina, Calais etc) and LWB (Statesman, Caprice) models. Since release the Caprice has followed the Statesman release dates and designations. The Caprice has also been the ‘donor car’ for the HSV Grange since the WK model. Caprice is Holden’s top level and most luxurious car, with nearly all features as standard, with usually a very small number of options. For instance, the main options in the VS were a choice of engine, factory sunroof, Self Leveling Suspension, LSD, and a HSV provided 185kW upgrade for the V8. Since 1990 these models have been available with engines such as 3.8 V6, 3.8 Supercharged V6, 5.0 V8, 5.7 (Gen III) V8 and currently, 6.0 (GEN IV) V8 engines. Caprice (and Statesman) is quite popular in country areas due to their size, power, levels of comfort, towing proficiency and ablility to traverse the large distances required in relative ease. They are also popular as company and government vehicles, one being commonly used for the Prime Minister of Australia. Known for many years as a car that had been marketed towards the more mature age customer, Holden are now trying to broaden its appeal (along with the Calais, the SWB equivalent) to a younger demographic by providing slightly sportier styling and suspension. WM CAPRICE See Also: Holden WM Caprice In 2006 an all-new next generation Caprice went into production, based on the Holden VE Commodore . For the first time, the Caprice was launched within the same year as its donor Commodore model. EXTERNAL LINKS
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