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Captiva lives on, this time as an electric SUV

Captiva lives on, this time as an electric SUV

Perth Now06-05-2025
While the Holden Captiva left the new car scene in 2018, the nameplate has soldiered on overseas, and is now entering its third generation.
Whereas the original Captiva was developed by GM Korea, and sold by a variety of brands, including Daewoo, Chevrolet, Opel, and Holden, subsequent generations were engineered by SAIC-GM-Wuling, a joint venture between the General and MG's parent company, which makes and markets vehicles under the Baojun and Wuling marques.
The second-generation Chevrolet Captiva is sold primarily in Latin America, the Middle East, and south-east Asia, and is a rebadged version of the Baojun 530. As an interesting aside, the 530 is also sold as the MG Hector in India.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Wuling Starlight S Credit: CarExpert
For the third iteration of the Captiva, which was announced a week or so ago by GM Brazil, the company is affixing bow tie badges to the Wuling Starlight S.
Chevrolet Brazil has been pretty quiet regarding the new Captiva EV's specifications and overall design, only releasing a video and a few photos of the car coming off a cargo ship.
Compared to the Starlight S, the new Captiva EV has a unique front bumper with a fake grille linking together the driving light eyebrows, as well as a larger lower air intake surround. At the rear, the Chevrolet's only points of difference seem to be its badges. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
Inside the cabin there's a 8.8-inch instrumentation display, as well as a 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment unit in the centre of the dashboard.
The Wuling Starlight S has a 150kW electric motor driving the front wheels, and is fed by a 60kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. Driving range, as estimated by the generous CLTC standard, is said to be 510km.
In China the Starlight S is also offered as a 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid with either 9.5kWh or 20.5kWh battery packs, which allow for between 60 and 130km of emissions-free driving. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
Measuring 4745mm long, 1890mm wide, 1685mm tall, and riding on a 2800mm wheelbase, the Captiva EV is around 100mm longer, 40mm wider, and 35mm lower than the Captiva that still graces Australian roads.
While the Holden Captiva was available in both five- and seven-seat variants, the Captiva EV seats a maximum of five people.
The Captiva EV is built in China, and has so far been confirmed for Latin America. The more affordable petrol-powered second-generation Captiva will continue to be alongside its electric cousin. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Supplied Credit: CarExpert
Unlike many other brands, which have revived old names, or created sub-brands and unique naming schemes for their EVs, Chevrolet applies the same names for both its internal combustion (ICE) and electric cars, even if the ICE and EV models are completely distinct in terms of styling and underpinnings.
It has so far employed this parallel naming structure to the Blazer, Equinox, Silverado, and, now, the Captiva too.
MORE: Everything Chevrolet
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