National Fieldays near Hamilton might be New Zealand's biggest agricultural event, but it's also rapidly turning into a default motor-show for light commercials.
Distributors have always been keen to display their latest utes to a receptive audience, and there are always some very sharp deals on offer. But things have gone up a notch for 2016 with the display of a genuine concept vehicle and a major new-model launch for Fieldays, which runs June 15-18.
The Holden Colorado Xtreme is essentially a pumped-up, pimped-out version of the updated Colorado production model due for launch here in September. It was designed and built by Holden in Australia, and unveiled at the Bangkok Motor Show in March. It has since travelled to Spain for a General Motors product conference and is now passing through NZ on its way back to Australia.
So, bragging rights for Holden NZ: Fieldays will be the first time the Xtreme has been shown in the Southern Hemisphere. It hasn't even done the rounds in Australia.
READ MORE: * Holden teases next-gen Colorado in Bangkok * New Holden Colorado goes American
It's also the first time the vehicle has been displayed as a Holden. In Bangkok and Spain it wore Chevrolet badging, as does the production Colorado in those markets.
The badge-engineering for Down Under was actually carried out at Holden NZ headquarters in Auckland and includes a new grille, a reskin of the tailgate graphic (which now carries a very subtle black-on-black Holden logo) and a new steering wheel.
The one-off car, which Holden NZ managing director Kristian Aquilina describes as the "most expensive Holden we've ever had here", is present for the wow-factor and brand-building value.
But the Xtreme is also based on the new-generation Colorado, which was revealed in Chevrolet form back in April. So many elements, especially the classy new interior, show you what the new Holden ute will look like.
Note the more car-like dashboard architecture and the addition of new technology such as an eight-inch touch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Back in 2012 when the current Colorado was launched, Holden executives admitted that the engineering and refinement of new-generation utes like the Ford Ranger had caught them by surprise. The new Colorado is the company's attempt at a serious catch-up.
"The Colorado will retain the features it's famous for, including a class-leading 500Nm of torque, 3.5-tonne towing and off-road capability, says Aquilina.
"But it will be a far more refined vehicle and offer an extended range of accessories that are fully integrated into the vehicle and backed by Holden."
Holden claims the Xtreme accessory package "inspired" similar products for the forthcoming production model, but of course the more likely scenario is that things have worked the other way around. The updated Colorado was signed off a long time ago and the accessories already designed, so the Xtreme's job is simply to preview them.
Indeed, features like the sports bar and side steps have already been pictured on production Chevrolet versions of the Colorado in Thailand and the United States.
Meanwhile, Fieldays is also the launch venue for American truck brand Ram in NZ, made by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). A range of Ram pickup tricks is being offered here by Ateco Automotive, the Kiwi distributor for FCA.
The Ram trucks arrive via Australia, where they are converted to right-hand drive by American Special Vehicles (ASV), a joint venture between Ateco's Australian division and the Walkinshaw Automotive Group. The converted vehicles are covered by a three-year, 100,000km warranty.
Formerly associated with the Dodge brand, Ram was relaunched as a standalone truck division in 2009.
The Ram 2500 and 3500 models are built around a bigger-is-better philosophy: the core engine is a 6.7-litre Cummins turbo-diesel producing 1084Nm of torque and the vehicles are capable of towing over six tonnes. They are marketed as workhorses rather than lifestyle vehicles - at least in the US, although the appeal of a genuine American truck with new-vehicle warranty and support may dictate otherwise in NZ.
The six-speed automatic transmission includes driver-adaptive shifting and three multiple clutch packs.
Both models have three-link front suspension. The 2500 rides on five-link coils at the rear, while the more muscular 3500 has Hotchkiss leaf-springs on the back.
The Ram trucks are 4WD with a low-range transfer that FCA claims is suitable for rock-crawling and the most challenging terrain, with shift-on-the-fly and three operating ranges.
The cabin features leather seats, heated and ventilated in the front with 10-way power adjustment for the driver and six way adjustment for the front passenger.
There's a heated, leather bound steering wheel with integrated audio controls, dual-zone climate control, tinted windows, a 20mm touchscreen display, nine-speaker sound system with subwoofer, ports for mobile devices and a media hub.
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