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Holden VF Commodore a V8 Supercar tip

Race teams are pushing for an early go-ahead from Holden headquarters.

The updated bodywork developed to refresh and revitalise the struggling star is already locked for customer deliveries by May 2013, but could be fast-tracked onto noses and tail of the Holden heroes for the start of next year's touring car season in March.

Race teams are pushing for an early go-ahead from Holden headquarters at Fishermans Bend to save them building two sets of bodywork for the new Car of the Future regulations that come into force for V8 Supercar racing early next year.

"Why would we build one body for the start of the year and then have to change it two or three months later?", one of Holden's pit lane leaders asks Carsguide.

But an early switch could work against Holden's carefully-crafter sales plans, creating a buyer strike during the runout of the current VE as shoppers wait for the updated model.

The VF will look significantly different, with major changes to the front and rear ends of the bodywork although nothing is likely to change in the central glasshouse. That means the undersized external rear-vision mirrors are expected to continue their unpopular run.

But there will be major improvements to comfort and cabin quality, as well as the overall refinement of the car, even though Holden is still stonewalling on its work.

"You'll have to wait and see," is the only answer from Holden's spokesperson, Emily Perry, to a string of Carsguide questions. But there is an even bigger question mark over the VF Commodore, with rumours from the USA that a re-badged Holden cold be sold there as the Chevrolet SS.

General Motors chiefs admit that they will have an all-new car as their racing star in the 2013 Nascar racing series and the company has registered SS as the badge.

But Chevrolet insiders are downplaying any chance of an Aussie-led invasion of the stock car series - which is second only to Formula One as a worldwide motorsport drawcard - pointing to the strength of the Australian dollar as a major negative for any potential export program.

Holden's existing push for police car sales with a specially-adapted long-wheelbase Caprice has been hit very hard by the car's price, even though it is a favourite with police forces trialing it against rivals from Ford and Chrysler. Holden refuses to talk numbers, but the cop car program has resulted in less than one-tenth of the original sales target. 

Even so, the Commodore worked well in the 'states as the Pontiac G8 until the brand was closed when General Motors went into bankruptcy protection and a Chevrolet SS would be likely to have the support of the two top executives in the USA - Mark Reuss and Alan Batey - who where the president and sales chief at Holden before being promoted to big jobs across the Pacific.