2018 Holden Commodore spied testing

Under this heavy and ugly disguise is the 2018 Holden Commodore that will come to us from Germany.

The Holden Commodore of the future has been spied on public roads for the first time ever -- but you won’t recognise it.

Under this heavy disguise is the next generation Insignia, a large sedan sold by General Motors’ European division Opel.

Although Holden has not confirmed it, well-placed sources have told News Corp Australia this is the car that will replace the locally made Commodore when production at Elizabeth ends in late 2017.

The 2018 car to be imported from Germany will wear a Commodore badge even though it will be front-wheel drive (not rear-wheel drive) with four-cylinder or V6 power -- and there will be no V8 for the first time since the original Commodore went on sale in 1978.

The spy photos were first published on the car scoop website worldcarfans.com.

The car is heavily cloaked because General Motors is trying to hide the car’s appearance until much closer to its showroom arrival.

It is rare for a prototype car to be spotted in public three years ahead of its debut.

The photos reveal enough however to confirm the new Commodore will be lower and sleeker than ever, taking on a coupe-like appearance similar to the Audi A7.

Early design proposals by Holden in Australia mirrored the Audi A7 design.

Holden has refused to comment on the photos or the speculation that the next Commodore model will come from Germany.

However, Holden has said on the record that one-third of its future line-up will come from Europe.

The spy pics have appeared just days before Holden is due to unveil the last ever locally made Commodore at a special event in Port Melbourne on Sunday.