The Australian-assembled Ute was to be sold in the United States as the Pontiac G8 ST starting in 2009 alongside the four-door Commodore-based G8 sedan.

[citation needed] The third generation Holden-based ute was slightly more refined than previous models, however still retained the full length floorpan, although gained the station wagon's wheelbase.

Although, as a result, these utes are highly restricted in states such as Victoria, for P-Plate drivers, although not surpassing legal power to weight limitations by a fair margin.

The Ute employs the same interior as the Commodore, while also picking up the VX's upgraded equipment lists and re-styled exterior design.

The range received a minor refresh with the VX Series 2 models 12 months later, with the major upgrade being an additional 5 kW (7 hp) to Holden's Generation 3 V8's.

Every SS 50 was identical in terms of color schemes, all 500 units were released with a black exterior and a partial leather interior that contained plenty of "hyper yellow" accents.

The Cross 8 received bolstered wheelarches, raised ride height as well as additional equipment, with the sole drivetrain being the recently upgraded Gen.3 V8 connected to a 4-speed automatic.

One-Tonners were available with the following specifications: To make room in the factory for the upcoming VE Commodore, production of the One Tonner ceased in December 2005.

The new Generation 4 V8's contained an additional 10 kW (13 hp) compared to their predecessors (the ute's had previously received an addition 15 kW (20 hp) of power, inline with the VZ Sedan range), but were missing two key features compared to their American counterparts: both Displacement on Demand and variable valve timing had been removed.

The Alloytec 175 also lost 3 kW (4 hp) of power due tweaks made to meet Euro III standards.'

By December of the same year, the Crewman and all AWD variants of the ute were gone from showrooms after Holden ceased production, whilst the curtain was brought down on the One-Tonner range once again after poor sales results.

2007 saw the launch of Holden's eagerly anticipated VE Ute range, unveiled to the media in August, with showroom sales began later in the month.