All-New Barina Sedan Stretches the Appeal of Holden's Small Car Star

VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – Feb 2, 2012: Holden’s Barina has been boosted by the introduction of an all-new sedan variant to sit alongside the existing hatch model, expanding the appeal of the popular small car.

The Barina sedan mirrors its hatch sibling in boasting strong, sporty Holden design language, must-have technology and five-star safety, all wrapped in a city-friendly light car package.

Both the Barina 4-door sedan and the 5-door hatch deliver excellent ride and handling characteristics, sporty and sophisticated design, as well as roominess and an impressive list of standard features.

Holden’s Executive Director for Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, John Elsworth, said the Barina sedan will be an excellent addition to the range.

"The Barina hatch has been a great success for Holden since it launched in November last year, recording very strong sales,” Mr Elsworth said.

“Now the addition of the sedan variant adds a new dimension of practicality and flexibility to the Barina range. Offering 502 litres of boot space, while maintaining the excellent driving characteristics, style and standard equipment of the hatch, I'm sure the sedan will continue to build on the Barina's popularity."

With sporty and contemporary styling, the Barina sedan is not merely a stretched version of the hatch. The painstaking design process has delivered a number of characteristics that contribute to a more upscale and sleek presence than many 4-door vehicles in this category.

Its short, compact deck lid is matched to the car's overall proportions, while the taillamps on the Barina sedan carry a dual-element lens, with white and red highlights. The result is a more upscale aesthetic expected of a sedan.

The extra practicality of the sedan is highlighted by the spacious boot, offering a storage capacity of 502 litres which is among the best in the segment.

Like the hatch, Barina sedan features a level of standard equipment that is rare in the light car segment, including Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, USB input and iPod connectivity, steering wheel controls, cruise control and ‘follow me home’ headlights, as well as clever interior storage options.

Boasting the same lively 85 kW, 1.6-litre DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine as the hatch, the Barina sedan has one of the largest engines in the segment and blends spirited performance with competitive fuel economy. Barina sedan is equipped with a standard 5-speed manual or optional 6-speed automatic transmission with Active Select.

Barina sedan shares impressive safety credentials with its Barina hatch, Commodore and Cruze siblings, receiving the maximum five-star safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

Safety features on the all-new Barina sedan include driver, front passenger, front side and curtain airbags, dual front seatbelt pretensioners, front seatbelt reminders, Electronic Stability Control, a collapsible pedal release system and head restraints for all seats.

Holden Barina sedan is launching with an RRP of just $500 more than the equivalent hatch and is on sale now.