Holden Commodore 2001 News

What have been the most significant Australian cars since January 1, 2000 so far? With the first 25 years of the 21st century now out of the way, we rate the 10 most important models that left their mark, or came into their own afterwards.

Toyota HiLux tops the list of Australia’s most stolen cars

Holden has confirmed the imported car that will replace the Australian-made Commodore will inherit the iconic badge – even though it is widely speculated to be a front-wheel-drive car like a Toyota Camry, not a rear-wheel-drive car like every Commodore since 1978 and all homegrown Holden sedans dating back to the original in 1948.The decision has divided diehard Holden fans who believe the Commodore badge should be retired gracefully, just as Ford will assign the Falcon badge to the history books when it reaches the end of the production line next year.Holden says it interviewed 110 people and "70 per cent" voted in favour of keeping the Commodore badge once the Holden factory in Elizabeth falls silent in late 2017, ending 39 years of Commodore production, comfortably outlasting the iconic Kingwood badge which was dropped after 16 years.We will continue with the Commodore nameplateMarketing experts say a minimum of 1000 people need to be surveyed to get an accurate sample, but Holden says the study of 110 people were "in-depth customer focus groups conducted over a couple of hours to drill right down, not just a phone call"."We will continue with the Commodore nameplate," said the head of General Motors' international operations Stefan Jacoby."Commodore is very much embedded into Holden, it's part of the Holden history, it's part of what Australian customers want to have and we listened to our customers."Mr Jacoby said Holden is already testing the new model at its top secret test track in Lang Lang on the south-eastern outskirts of Melbourne. Holden is yet to confirm which engines will power the next Commodore but insiders have confirmed the vehicle will be available with four-cylinder and V6 power globally and there will be no V8.Holden said it is prepared for a possible backlashMr Jacoby also defended the mooted switch to front-wheel-drive."I'm coming from a front-wheel drive group – the VW-Audi Group – with this company we don't believe there is a true disadvantage between a front-wheel drive … towards a rear-wheel drive."Holden said it is prepared for a possible backlash but believes it has made the right move."We know the decision to retain or retire the Commodore nameplate will stir passionate responses among Holden fans and customers," said Holden sales director Peter Keley."That's why we'll ensure the next-generation car drives like a Commodore should. The vehicle will be tuned and honed by Holden engineers and technicians … ensuring it performs in Australian conditions and to Australian expectations."The next 'Commodore' will be the new version of the Opel Insignia, a German sedan that is also sold in the US and China as a Buick, but Holden will have input into design and engineering."Right now, our vehicle performance team is helping shape the next-generation Commodore for Australian customers," said Mr Keley.Once the 2018 version arrives it means the Holden Commodore will have come full circle; the original 1978 model shared its DNA with the Opel family and fleet sedan of the time.Retaining the Commodore nameplate is the right decision for HoldenHolden engineers modified the vehicle to suit Australian conditions. Over the next 30 years the Commodore shared less Opel DNA and eventually became a bespoke Australian design.But Holden insists the 2018 Commodore will find favour among local buyers."The next-generation large car we have selected from GM's global portfolio is worthy of the iconic Commodore nameplate," said Mr Keley."When it arrives in 2018, our new large car will honour Commodore's heritage and support a long and successful future for Holden in Australia.""Customers have confirmed that retaining the Commodore nameplate is the right decision for Holden."Have your say on our Facebook page: Should Holden call the imported front-wheel-drive sedan a Commodore? 

Holden Commodore recalled because the LPG system may cut out or catch fire.

The move has come as as it became increasingly clear that it does not make financial sense for the company or the country. But did Holden and its factory workers deserve the public bollocking they’ve received from the Federal Government over the past week?Holden’s crime was to build a factory in what was once the semi-rural outskirts of Adelaide in 1963, that 50 years later would be suffocated by low-cost labour from our Asian neighbours.At its peak, Holden employed more than 20,000 workers across seven manufacturing facilities. Now there is just one car assembly line and 1760 workers.Policies from both sides of government over the past half a century have helped shape the economic headwind that Holden drove into: a wealthy nation with a strong currency, high wages and among the lowest import tariffs in the automotive world.Holden, against this stark backdrop, came to the government for assistance, just as it always has done, in much the same way farmers get a helping hand in times of drought.The difference, however, is that the future of Australian manufacturing remains bleak because the economic fundamentals are unlikely to change anytime soon.When Ford announced in May that it would close its Australian factories in 2016, Holden privately wondered why Ford didn’t even give the government the opportunity to help.It has since emerged that even doubling the government assistance to Ford would not have been enough to save it.But because Holden feels that its brand image is so closely linked to manufacturing -- even if most of the cars in Holden showrooms today come from South Korea and Thailand -- it decided to raise its hand, Oliver Twist-style, and utter "please, sir, can we have some more?".Given recent events, however, Holden is probably reconsidering that decision.The one good call the Federal Government has made in the middle of this Holden sledging campaign is to announce that it will buy bomb-proof BMWs for its politicians instead of hand-built Holdens that can barely withstand a hand-grenade.Holden was criticised for not pitching for the business. But Holden knows that the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have specialist divisions that can deliver better equipped armoured cars for less money -- a fitting analogy for the rest of the car industry in fact.For example, the Cruze is the cheapest locally-made Holden in 20 years. But its sales have been dented by better equipped and cheaper cars from Japan -- buoyed by a currency that has been artificially devalued by the Japanese government.So where did it all go wrong for Holden?Holden should have cut its production costs sooner than it did (three months ago it got workers to agree to a three-year wage freeze if the new deal goes ahead).But Holden cannot be accused of not reacting quickly enough to the changing tastes of Australian car buyers.It got the Cruze small car into the Elizabeth factory and built it alongside the Commodore in less than two years, in the height of the Global Financial Crisis, when normally such efforts can take up to five years.No-one wants to take responsibility for Holden's manufacturing shutdown. In the end, Holden was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Official statement from HoldenAs part of its ongoing actions to decisively address the performance of its global operations, General Motors today announced it would transition to a national sales company in Australia and New Zealand. The company also said it would discontinue vehicle and engine manufacturing and significantly reduce its engineering operations in Australia by the end of 2017.“We are completely dedicated to strengthening our global operations while meeting the needs of our customers,” said GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. “The decision to end manufacturing in Australia reflects the perfect storm of negative influences the automotive industry faces in the country, including the sustained strength of the Australian dollar, high cost of production, small domestic market and arguably the most competitive and fragmented auto market in the world.”As a result of the company’s actions, approximately 2,900 positions will be impacted over the next four years. This will comprise 1,600 from the Elizabeth vehicle manufacturing plant and approximately 1,300 from Holden’s Victorian workforce.Holden will continue to have a significant presence in Australia beyond 2017, comprising a national sales company, a national parts distribution centre and a global design studio.GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mike Devereux said an important priority over the next four years would be to ensure the best possible transition for workers in South Australia and Victoria.“This has been a difficult decision given Holden’s long and proud history of building vehicles in Australia,” said Devereux. “We are dedicated to working with our teams, unions and the local communities, along with the federal and state governments, to support our people.”The sale and service of Holden vehicles will be unaffected by this announcement and will continue through the extensive network of Holden dealers across Australia and New Zealand. Warranty terms and spare parts availability will remain unchanged.“GM remains committed to the automotive industry in Australia and New Zealand. We recognize the need for change and understand the government’s point of view. Moving forward, our business model will change significantly however, GM Holden will remain an integral part of its communities and an important employer both directly and through our dealers,” Devereux said.Since 2001, the Australian dollar has risen from US$0.50 to as high as US$1.10 and from as low as 47 to as high as 79 on the Trade Weighted Index. The Australian automotive industry is heavily trade exposed. The appreciation of the currency alone means that at the Australian dollar’s peak, making things in Australia was 65 percent more expensive compared to just a decade earlier.With the decision to discontinue vehicle and engine manufacturing in Australia by the end of 2017, GM expects to record pre-tax charges of $400 million to $600 million in the fourth quarter of 2013. The charges would consist of approximately $300 million to $500 million for non-cash asset impairment charges including property, plant and equipment and approximately $100 million for cash payment of exit-related costs including certain employee severance related costs. Additional charges are expected to be incurred through 2017 for incremental future cash payments of employee severance once negotiations of the amount are completed with the employees’ union. The asset impairment charges will be considered special for EBIT-adjusted reporting purposes. Holden milestones1948Prime Minister Ben Chifley unveils the first Holden car, declares “she’s a beauty”. More than 18,000 orders are held before the 48-215 “FX” Holden goes on sale. Some customers sell their place in the queue for £100.1954One in three cars on the road is a Holden.1958One in two cars on the road is a Holden.1960The first export of left-hand-drive Holden vehicles begins with a small shipment of cars to Hawaii.19621 millionth Holden sold (EJ Special sedan, Oct 1962).1964Holden employee numbers peak at 23,914 across seven facilities in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia.19692 millionth Holden sold (HK Kingswood, March 1969).19743 millionth Holden sold (HQ Kingswood, June 1974).1978Holden celebrates 25 years of continuous sales leadership.19814 millionth Holden sold (VC Commodore, June 1981).19905 millionth Holden sold (VN Calais, August 1990, more than twice as many as any other Australian built car at the time).1991Japanese car-maker Toyota beats Holden and Ford to market leadership for the first time in Australia.20016 millionth Holden sold (VX Commodore SS, June 2001).2002The last year Holden led the Australian new-car market.2004Holden produces 165,000 vehicles (the most in its modern era), almost matches the 1963 peak of 166,274. Factory worker numbers in 2004: 7350.2005Holden’s biggest export year: 60,518 cars were shipped, mostly to the US and the Middle East.20087 millionth Holden sold (VE Commodore LPG, Aug 2008).2011After 15 years as Australia’s favourite car, Holden Commodore sales are overtaken by the Mazda3 from Japan. Automotive historians say it is the first time since WWI an imported car has led the new-car market.2013Toyota Corolla on track to become Australia’s top-selling car for the first time.Only five out of 100 new cars sold in Australia is a locally-made Holden.Holden is overtaken in some months by Mazda, Hyundai and Nissan.After several redundancies and a three-year wage freeze, Holden factory worker numbers fall to 1760.Despite a record new-car market, Australian vehicle production falls to its lowest levels since 1958.Holden is on track to export just 14,000 of the 84,000 cars it will make locally.

A decision on Holden's future is a mere pen-stroke, email or phone call away -- and it could now happen before Christmas after the Federal Government increased its pressure on the iconic car-maker.News Corp Australia understands the global CEO of General Motors, Dan Akerson, based at the company's headquarters in Detroit, has the sole discretion to sign away Holden's manufacturing operations and with it the jobs of 1760 factory workers.Contrary to earlier reports -- and protocols at other companies -- the Holden decision does not need to go to the General Motors board, which meets monthly.Mr Akerson is a $12 million-a-year man who served as an officer on a US naval destroyer in the 1970s.  In just three years he has developed a reputation in Detroit as not being afraid to make tough calls, such as shutting factories or axing entire brands, such as Pontiac and Hummer and the sale of Swedish icon Saab.A self-confessed "non-car guy", Mr Akerson has helped reshape General Motors globally since it came out of bankruptcy, driven the company to record profits and, as of yesterday, finished repaying the $50 billion loan from the US Government, which sold its remaining shares in GM.In a recent interview with USA Today, when asked about the secrets to his success and the transformation of General Motors, Mr Akerson said: "You can't live in a crisis mode … fundamentally I've got to run a business that's gonna turn profits."Holden has lost $432 million over the past five years and the company openly admits it loses money on each car it builds locally. Mr Akerson speaks about "fortress balance sheets" and taking emotion out of decisions by being able to "define reality"."That was necessary in this industry and in General Motors," he told USA Today. "Once you define reality you have to provide a vision."With pressure from the Federal Government reaching new heights after the Treasurer Joe Hockey said of Holden in Question Time "either you're here, or you're not", General Motors is increasingly being left with no option but to shut the car-making factory that Queen Elizabeth II visited in its opening year, in 1963.It is possible an announcement by Holden could come on or before December 20 -- the last day of work for Holden factory employees before the scheduled summer shutdown, and the same day the preliminary report by the Productivity Commission is due to be released.An early announcement would alleviate the uncertainty being felt by Holden factory workers and minimise the potential damage being done to the company's brand image.When asked yesterday if Holden felt pressured by the Federal Government to announce a shutdown sooner rather than later, Holden boss Mike Devereux said: "Everything that could have been asked of me has been asked of me (at the Productivity Commission hearing). No decision has been made by General Motors."When asked by News Corp Australia if an announcement would be made before or after Christmas, Mr Devereux and Holden representatives declined to answer.A formal decision to shut the Elizabeth car making factory is believed to be a formality given the hardline stance of the Federal Government to not increase taxpayer funding to the industry, and Holden's request for more assistance.Central to the debate over the Holden shutdown is the definition of the word "decision". In car industry terms, executives may have made up their minds on an outcome, but a "decision" is a more formal process.It took Ford more than 300 meetings and seven years to arrive at its decision to shut its Australian factories, and Mitsubishi was questioned for four years before its eventual shutdown, the Federal Government is trying to force Holden to announce its bad news within months.When Ford announced the 2016 shutdown its Australian factories, the decision was made at board level and included input from executive chairman William Clay Ford Jr, and Edsel Ford, both great-grandsons of Henry Ford. It then took several days for the announcement to be made to Ford workers on the factory floor.When asked by the Productivity Commission how much extra money Holden had asked from the Federal Government, Mr Devereux said the government had the figures and would not disclose them publicly.Carsguide understands Holden had asked for an average of $150 million per year -- the annual figures fluctuate to match the progress of vehicle development.In March 2012 Holden agreed to invest $1 billion in two new cars to be built from 2016 to 2022, in return for $275 million in taxpayer assistance -- $215 million from the Federal Government, $50 million from the SA Government and an estimated $10 from the Victorian Government.However after Ford announced in May this year that it was closing its factories in 2016, Holden has asked for an increase in taxpayer support because, it says, market conditions have "changed significantly" since the original deal was signed.Holden milestones1948Prime Minister Ben Chifley unveils the first Holden car, declares “she’s a beauty”. More than 18,000 orders are held before the 48-215 “FX” Holden goes on sale. Some customers sell their place in the queue for £100.1954One in three cars on the road is a Holden.1958One in two cars on the road is a Holden.1960The first export of left-hand-drive Holden vehicles begins with a small shipment of cars to Hawaii.19621 millionth Holden sold (EJ Special sedan, Oct 1962).1964Holden employee numbers peak at 23,914 across seven facilities in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia.19692 millionth Holden sold (HK Kingswood, March 1969).19743 millionth Holden sold (HQ Kingswood, June 1974).1978Holden celebrates 25 years of continuous sales leadership.19814 millionth Holden sold (VC Commodore, June 1981).19905 millionth Holden sold (VN Calais, August 1990, more than twice as many as any other Australian built car at the time).1991Japanese car-maker Toyota beats Holden and Ford to market leadership for the first time in Australia.20016 millionth Holden sold (VX Commodore SS, June 2001).2002The last year Holden led the Australian new-car market.2004Holden produces 165,000 vehicles (the most in its modern era), almost matches the 1963 peak of 166,274. Factory worker numbers in 2004: 7350.2005Holden’s biggest export year: 60,518 cars were shipped, mostly to the US and the Middle East.20087 millionth Holden sold (VE Commodore LPG, Aug 2008).2011After 15 years as Australia’s favourite car, Holden Commodore sales are overtaken by the Mazda3 from Japan. Automotive historians say it is the first time since WWI an imported car has led the new-car market.2013Toyota Corolla on track to become Australia’s top-selling car for the first time.Only five out of 100 new cars sold in Australia is a locally-made Holden.Holden is overtaken in some months by Mazda, Hyundai and Nissan.After several redundancies and a three-year wage freeze, Holden factory worker numbers fall to 1760.Despite a record new-car market, Australian vehicle production falls to its lowest levels since 1958.Holden is on track to export just 14,000 of the 84,000 cars it will make locally.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling _______________________________________ 

One swallow doesn't make a summer, as one bumper month for Commodore does not mean it's basking in sales sunshine. With 3315 buyers last month, the Commodore recorded its best month since September 2011 and came third in the sales table. It's a surprisingly good result against a headwind of a 3.1 per cent decline in the market overall, as the expected rebound from a change of government failed to show. At least so far. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries believes changes to the fringe-benefits tax announced by Labor in July are still confusing potential buyers, despite being overturned by the Coalition. That suggests the market can recover from its stall. The problem is, Commodore will need an extended heatwave to reverse the chill, much less give Holden a chance of retaining a viable manufacturing operation. Since 2002, Commodore demand has slid by two-thirds. The decision to add the Cruze small car to the Adelaide plant was an admission that two models were needed to generate the volume that used to come from one. The assumption is this will mean producing 65,000 cars a year after 2016, all for domestic consumption. This is a climbdown from Holden's previous position that annual output of 90,000-100,000 was needed to keep Adelaide viable. Neither target is a money-making proposition and with increasing fragmentation of the market, a more realistic target would be two cars in the top five. Even the low goal is wildly optimistic. Cruze has failed to excite the market, peaking in its debut year as a local then tumbling 14 per cent last year and another 16 per cent this year. Commodore sales are down 14 per cent this year and last month's result needs some context -- as recently as 2011, it would have been one of the worst months, not the best. Between them, they will be lucky to achieve 60,000 this year. Exports -- let's be generous and assume 15,000 -- will keep this year's production total respectable. Now subtract exports and swap the Commodore with the Malibu, its scheduled replacement in 2016, and a car that has been ignored by buyers since its introduction as an import in June. If Commodore and Cruze can't cut it, then Malibu and Cruze are destined for the deep-freeze.  

The Holden V8 is set to disappear from showrooms for the first time since 1968, and the new Commodore — if it gets built — will be a front-wheel-drive car with about as much pizzazz as a Toyota Camry. The confidential SA Government report into Holden’s manufacturing future — leaked to the Adelaide Advertiser — makes grim reading for Holden fans. It says the company is not likely to have a rear-wheel-drive car — and therefore a V8 — beyond 2016, or 2018 at a stretch. "The true impact of not retaining this offering is not clear. However GMH is likely to experience some sales erosion sand migration to other brands," said the report prepared by University of Adelaide Professor Goran Roos for the SA Government. When the Falcon and its performance models bow out in 2016, Ford will import the Mustang coupe from the US to appeal to the enthusiast market. "The next gen model mix also excludes the ute variant," the report said, confirming a News Corp Australia exclusive from a fortnight ago. If Holden keeps making cars in Australia from 2016 to 2022 it will be the first time since the first ever Holden — the 1948 48-215 "FX" — that its flagship model will be front-wheel-drive. The front-wheel-drive car that Holden says it will call the "Commodore" will be made with mostly imported parts, the report says, putting further pressure on local parts suppliers. That in turn is expected to force Toyota Australia’s hand with a factory closure in 2017, a year after Holden and when the Camry model cycle is due to come to an end. This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling  

Chevrolet drivers Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart were on track to score a one-two-finish after dominating the last 20 laps of a 75-lap, 300km race – until Stewart slipped to fourth place on the final lap. Instead, Harvick held off two hard-charging Ford drivers Greg Biffle and Joey Logano to take out the preliminary, non-championship warm-up race to the 2013 series. Harvick’s narrow win will come as a relief to the 16 Chevrolet teams who hadn’t raced the Commodore Nascar until tonight – and bodes well for the season opener and biggest Nascar round of the year, next weekend’s Daytona 500. Harvick won the Daytona 500 in 2007 but finished eighth in last year’s championship. Stewart is a three-times Nascar champion but has never won the Daytona 500. Chevrolet is the most successful car maker in Nascar, with 702 race victories to its credit, more than any other manufacturer. It will line up against teams from Ford and Toyota for this year’s series after Dodge withdrew from the sport. Meanwhile, the new Holden Commodore V8 Supercar was fastest in the category’s pre-season test sessions at Sydney’s Eastern Creek yesterday. Jason Bright, driving for Brad Jones Racing, upset the big budget teams by outpacing former champions Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes and the Holden Racing Team pairing of Garth Tander and James Courtney. Rick Kelly was the fastest Nissan Altima driver, with the fifth best time, David Reynolds was the fastest Ford driver in eighth and the highest placed Mercedes driver Maro Engel was 14th quickest. This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling  

The Holden Commodore is not dead – but it may never be the same again. The boss of Holden threw a smoke grenade during a secret preview of the new Commodore inside the company’s top-secret design bunker this afternoon – by claiming the Commodore name will continue beyond the 2016 horizon of the new model. Australian and New Zealand journalists had been invited to see the new Commodore – the first in seven years – before the public unveiling on Sunday and its showroom arrival in June. The event was just about to wrap up when in his closing remarks Holden boss Mike Devereux said: “A lot of folks have been speculating about whether this is the last Commodore … well I can categorically tell you we have already begun working on the Commodore that comes after this one.” After the speech, Devereux told the frazzled media scrum: “This will run through to the end of 2016. After that time we are going to be putting two global architectures into the plant, one of them will underpin the next Commodore.” To make sure he wasn’t misunderstood, Devereux repeated: “There is another Commodore coming after this one. We’re going to build it in Adelaide on a architecture.” Until this point, Holden had not revealed the second car to be built alongside the Cruze through to 2022 in return for $275 million in Federal Government funding. Devereux’s statement was news to other senior Holden executives and staff in attendance, who watched-on gob-smacked that the attention had shifted from the new car just months away from showrooms and onto the next model that is still three years away. Devereux’s comments were likely designed to reverse the perception that the 2013 Commodore is the last – after he told journalists in Detroit the Commodore would be phased out in 2016. But the reality is that what Devereux has called “the next Commodore” will not be a Commodore as Australians have grown to know it over the past 35 years, 15 of them as the nation’s top-seller. News Limited understands the second vehicle to be built alongside the Cruze will be a front-drive car, similar in size to the Toyota Camry and to be sold in other countries as a Buick. “You can ask me twenty times about the next , maybe three years from now we’ll have that conversation,” Devereux said before he was shut down by his public affairs minder, Matt Hobbs,  formerly of the crisis-riddled Tiger Airways. Devereux’s bombshell took the attention away from the new Commodore that has been seven years in the making and is less than 48 hours away from being unveiled on Sunday morning. The new Commodore promises to the best yet but the boss of Holden Mike Devereux stopped short of declaring whether or not it would ever again be Australia’s top-selling car. “We’re back, better than ever, it’s game on,” he said earlier, before adding: “The time for any one vehicle … to sell one tenth the cars in any country is an illogical assumption to make.” At its peak 15 years ago Holden sold more than 94,000 Commodores, last year it sold 30,000 – in an all-time record market. This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling