The lion show has a new main attraction
Extracted article by Joshua Dowling, The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday August 23 2002, www.drive.com.au

Stand by for the all-paw Commodore. All-wheel-drive technology, on which premium brands such as Audi and Subaru have built their reputations, will be available soon on Australia's best-selling car.

The flagship Monaro, Calais and SS models are expected to have optional AWD within 18 months, according to company insiders, as the maker tries to take its brand upmarket and maintain a comfortable lead over what should by then be a revitalised Ford.

Holden has been working secretly on the project for more than three years. Last week the news was accidentally leaked amid US speculation that the Pontiac version of the export Monaro could be AWD.

It is understood the $480 million invested to develop the Cross8 off-roader (a four-wheel-drive ute that also will spawn a Subaru Outback-style Commodore wagon) has made AWD possible and affordable for road-going Holdens.

The maker will continue to build rear-drive Commodores but reserve AWD for premium variants.

News of an all-wheel Commodore has caught the local car industry by surprise. Contacted by Drive this week, Ford Australia president Geoff Polites said Ford had no plans to build an AWD Falcon, even though it was developing an off-road wagon based on the Falcon's underpinnings.