Holden predicts Commodore production boost

Holden believes the new Commodore which goes on sale next month will revive flagging sales -- and has planned an increase in production -- but the company stopped short of predicting if it will ever again be the nation’s top seller.

Holden boss Mike Devereux revealed that Holden will boost production at its Elizabeth car factory in the second half of this year, but would not reveal volumes. It is the first time Holden has indicated it expects to stop the Commodore’s sales slide, currently its lowest running rate in the model’s 35-year history.

“We definitely have an uptick in VF Commodore production factored into our plans going forward,” Devereux said today. “We do believe we will sell more VF Commodores than we [did] sell VE Commodores.”

The export program to the US will also help boost output at Elizabeth, with an early forecast of 12,000 annual sales in North America alone, almost double Holden’s total vehicle exports last year.

Devereux did not specify which year of VE Commodore sales he expected the VF Commodore to top. At its peak, Holden sold 57,000 VE Commodores in its first full year on sale, before falling gradually to 40,600 in 2011 ahead of a sharp drop to 30,500 last year.

If Holden could get the VF Commodore sales back into the 40,000 bracket, it has a chance at reclaiming its top-seller status. The Mazda3 won last year’s tally with about 44,000 sales, but is likely to be closer to 40,000 this year with a new model around the corner.

“We have a forecast … around what we think we’re going to build in Adelaide that includes our Chevy SS exports, our Middle East exports and our domestic production. But at this point we plan to keep [production volumes] confidential,” Devereux said.

The turnaround in sales of the Holden Cruze small car -- following its price cut and extra equipment last month -- is also expected to boost production at Elizabeth, the car maker said. But it still predicts an annual output of “between 70,000 and 80,000” cars this year.

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling