Heavy hitters hail Holden

Simcoe led from the front on styling of the new Holden before winning promotion to his current job with GM design in Detroit.

Walkinshaw is tapped into the performance end of the VE envelope through Holden Special Vehicles and the V8 Supercar racing program he directs.

Simcoe was happy to watch as his successor, Tony Stolfo, and the rest of the Holden design team talked journalists through the car's development and received the praise they deserve.

He was just as happy to talk about the latest developments at Elfin, reported on Page 52, and the new-age sportscars he designed for the company.

But he was happiest talking about his growing collection of classic cars, which now runs to an Aston Martin and a couple of rare Lancias.

Simcoe, a big wheel at GM these days, can talk about almost anything, from the reason there are no cupholders in the latest Astra to the latest generation of style-driven new models.

He can't be specific but gives strong hints that GM has finally realised the only way out of its current crisis is to build cars that people really want. That means cars with emotional design, such as the VE Commodore.

There has been a lot of talk since the first VE previews about fuel economy, and it was good to hear, finally, that the car is about line-ball with the outgoing VZ.

Some models are slightly up and some are slightly down.

But the bottom line is still good if you remember the VE is bigger and heavier and has a much larger front area.

The results will not be enough for some, and Toyota is sure to slam the economy message as it takes its all-new Camry four -- and the V6 Aurion in September -- up against the VE.

But it is important to remember that all the crucial decisions, including weight and economy targets, were made long before the current fuel crisis.

Simcoe says it is important for people to give the VE a chance, to test drive it and feel the changes.

But Walkinshaw, who never holds back on something important, cannot help being blunt.

"You have to get behind this car, not just for Australia, but for the world," Walkinshaw says.

"This car deserves to go overseas and to be a success in Australia.

"But I'm worried about some of the reaction.

"In the 1980s it was a bit of sport to poke fun at the British motor industry. And now we don't have one . . ."