Holden Commodore 2006 News

General Motors product chief Bob Lutz confirmed the high-performance Commodore SS, the sporty V8 version of Australia's favourite sedan, would sell as the Pontiac G8 in the US, with the export car due to be unveiled at the Chicago motor show next month."We're seriously planning to import a lot of Commodore SSs in the guise of Pontiac G8s," Mr Lutz said at the Detroit motor show yesterday. "It's such a logical thing to do."The export drive comes at a critical time for the nation's vehicle industry, which has been hit by a sales slump as consumers, mindful of higher petrol prices, shift to smaller imported cars.This has forced three of the four big local manufacturers - Mitsubishi, Ford and Holden - to cut jobs in response to tougher market conditions and search for cheaper parts overseas.Mr Lutz, a prime mover behind the Monaro export scheme, said GM's global strategy now required every model to be feasible for any market. He said the flipside for Australia would be an increasing variety of vehicles imported from the US, including the new Camaro.He refused to say when Commodore shipments would begin, but the February unveiling in Chicago suggests work is well advanced.The Monaro sold beyond expectations in Australia but failed to reach sales forecasts in the US, where it was criticised as being too bland to resurrect the famous Pontiac GTO muscle car.Exchange rates, with the rising Australian dollar, were another problem. "With the GTO we made a mistake because we passed on the deterioration in profitability that we took through the appreciation of the Australian dollar," Mr Lutz said.However, the Monaro had helped change thinking at the car giant."While the GTO program may not have fulfilled all our hopes and dreams in terms of volume and profitability, it did break the ice on global programs," he said. "It got everybody in North America understanding that the engineering groups in the other regions can do excellent vehicles for the North American market."

After a dramatic Middle East debut at the Bahrain International Circuit, Kelly has held onto a seven-point championship lead despite crashing in the second race.Before the crash he appeared to have one hand on the trophy with a 90 point buffer.Ford's Jason Bright emerged King of the Desert after an entertaining three days of racing, claiming his first individual round win at Ford Performance Racing, while Holden's Todd Kelly and Garth Tander completed the round podium.But while the battle up front was enthralling, all the focus was on former three-time series champion Lowndes and his pursuit of 23-year-old Kelly.The wheels appeared to fall off Kelly's title drive when James Courtney's Falcon blocked his path and he was ploughed into from behind, then banished to the rear of the grid for the final heat.With only a 14-point lead heading into the final race, Kelly was expected to end the round ranked second but the HSV Dealer driver produced one of the best drives of the year to burst through the field from 28th and finish fifth, maintaining a slender title lead.The result means Kelly now has 3068 points with Lowndes' fourth place for the round moving him to 3061 while Ford's Mark Winterbottom fell out of contention after gearbox drama today, back on 2792 points.Lowndes said the battle for the title now resembled his memorable and emotional Bathurst win in October when he and Kelly duelled all the way to the line.Lowndes turned dup the heat on Kelly by saying the youngster would cop all sorts of pressure over the coming weeks as Holden had not won the series title for four years."It all hinges on him," said Lowndes."I have been around long enough to not worry about (the pressure), whether Rick has I don't know."He has a strong car but we believe we can do it."We'll see what happens and see what the weather does."Kelly said he won't have any trouble coping with the pressure and anticipation of the finale, saying he had plenty of pressure to perform in today's final race and delivered in spades."I want it more than anything. I showed that with the way I drove in that last race," said Kelly."We know we can't just sail into the sunset and it won't be easy."He will be very difficult to beat down there. He was strong there last year but our car is very good this year."It is going to be a fair dinkum battle."Lowndes said a series win this year would be the best of his career and finally put the seal on his famous move to Ford in 2001 when he left Holden for a $1 million per season deal.Already this year Lowndes has delivered Ford a Bathurst win, their first in eight years, and another series crown would fit comfortably in his trophy cabinet."I think to win would be pretty memorable and one of the better (titles) I have won," he said."The whole reason I moved to Ford is to do what I hope to do at Phillip Island and win the championship."It has taken longer than I have wanted. But we have won Bathurst for the first time for Ford and now I hope I can do the same for the championship."AAP

Kelly, who has a narrow 73-point series lead, arrived yesterday with only time to grab some sleep before today's practice session. The actual races are tomorrow and Saturday.Both his main rivals, Craig Lowndes and Mark Winterbottom — and indeed most of the field — had arrived days earlier to acclimatise.As Kelly tried to get some rest yesterday after an 18-hour flight via Singapore, rival drivers were trying to sneak some experience at the new $33million track in the middle of the Bahrain desert.Many walked the 3.6km circuit earlier this week, and offered a variety of opinions.One, experienced Ford driver Brad Jones, reckoned the course designed for F1 racing would favour the leading V8 Supercar teams.Holdens Jason Richards disagreed, suggesting the opportunity was ripe for a surprise or two in the Top 10.The rugged Paul Morris promised a better show than the F1 for the Bahrain fans experiencing V8s for the first time and predicted some of the drivers who hadn't featured much all year would relish the chance to get stuck in at the Bahrain circuit.

Holden young gun Kelly assumed the lead of the V8 title race at the Tasmanian round earlier this month and heading into the penultimate round in the Middle East, the 23-year-old said he won't be resting on his 73-point lead over Ford champion Lowndes.Kelly said the fact HSV Dealer teammate Garth Tander, and older brother Todd Kelly, had already done a few laps around the Bahrain International Circuit as part of the Formula One grand prix earlier this year would put the Commodores at an advantage."One of the strong points of our team is how we get together and nut out a track," Kelly said."We have been doing our homework and Garth has given us some idea of what to expect."I reckon it will probably take the other drivers about two laps to get back on par with Garth and myself. That's how long it normally takes to dial in to a new track."The only real advantage that Garth and I might have is that we can word up our engineers on how to set the car up for the first session."Even though Kelly has yet to win a V8 round this season he said he won't risk the best shot of his short career at claiming the coveted series trophy in the selfish pursuit of a round win."We've just got to do what we've done all year - be consistent and make sure we don't do anything silly," he said."There are still 660-odd points up for grabs so it's a long way from the end."The championship remains our priority. Our second priority is to win the Manufacturer's Championship with the other Holden teams, and then the Teams' Championship for the Toll HSV Dealer Team."I'd like to think we can not just keep our championship lead, but extend it."Holdens dominated last year's first big offshore venture of the V8s, running in the top four places in Shanghai.But Tander, winner of the most recent round in Tasmania, said the Middle East is nothing like the Asian circuit although he still expects Commodore's to get the places sorted ahead of Ford."Bahrain should suit our cars better as it is more like a traditional circuit in several corners," he said.The Bahrain Desert 400 will have a practice session on Thursday.Qualifying, top 10 shootout and a 100km first race take place on Friday with two 140km races on Saturday.AAP

According to research and statistics, it seems they are making pretty sensible buying decisions.In a national survey of young drivers, 93 per cent rated value for money as an important factor when buying a car, followed by safety and security (85 per cent).More than half (52 per cent) of the 1053 drivers aged 18-25 years polled in the Just Car Insurance survey rated environmental friendliness as a key factor.Items such as brand, colour and how the vehicle looks to others rated lower on the scale.It comes as no surprise that the most popular car for young drivers is the Holden Commodore.Except for a couple of months this year and last year during high petrol prices, the Commodore has also been the biggest-selling car over the past 10 years.That very fact means there are a lot out there and that reduces second-hand prices, making them more affordable and attractive to first-car buyers.Commodores make up about 8 per cent of the 32,000 vehicles registered for road service under the RACQ's free2go youth membership program.Second favourite is also no surprise. The Toyota Corolla, which was the car that pipped the Commodore for sales and is consistently the second-highest seller, accounts for 6.25 per cent for free2go members.Next were the Ford Laser at 5 per cent and Hyundai Excel at 4.75 per cent.The financial realities of first car ownership is reflected in the average ages of those vehicles: an average 12.1 years old for the Commodore, 14.8 years for the Corolla, 15.7 for the Laser and 9.2 for the Excel.The average age of the top 40 models driven by free2go members is 12.4 years, with the Toyota Corona — number 20 on the list — soldiering on at an average 21.4 years.The free2go program offers free RACQ membership for three years to all Queensland residents from the age of 17 or school year 12.Roadside assistance on any vehicle being driven by a free2go member is included in the first year. In the second and third years, members can opt to nominate a vehicle for road service at half the full RACQ membership fee; or simply maintain access to all other standard RACQ services at no charge.While sensible factors are top-rating among young people in the Just Car Insurance survey, car image still plays a major role with 27 per cent believing you can tell what somebody is like by the car they drive.The poll also found 30 per cent saying they are more likely to take notice of somebody who has an expensive car.However, 38 per cent claim the look of the car doesn't matter — it only needs to get them from A to B.Sex appeal is also important with 18 per cent more attracted to someone who drives a nice car and 40 per cent claiming a nice car helps attract the opposite sex.Some of the results differed between the sexes and overall the guys were more interested in vehicle style and the impression it gives: 57 per cent rated how it looks to others as important versus 40 per cent young women; 91 per cent of women were more interested in safety and security compared with 79 per cent of men.Contrary to the perception that youth drive modified vehicles, 72 per cent drive standard vehicles without modifications.Almost two-thirds (62 per cent) believe young drivers are unfairly criticised for their driving.

The award, presented by a worldwide jury of motoring journalists, is judged according to styling, performance, handling, comfort, value, safety and environmental responsibility.To be eligible, a new car must be available in a minimum of five countries on at least two continents.The Commodore is sold in Australia and exported to countries including New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Yemen, Lebanon, Oman, Fiji and South Africa.Holden chairman and managing director Denny Mooney said the nomination reinforced the VE Commodore's status as a truly global car."It is especially significant given our aim was to compete against some of the most expensive and most carefully crafted cars around the world," Mr Mooney said."Careful consideration of global expectations and potential markets was always at the forefront of the design and engineering of VE Commodore."Other cars in the final list include models from Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Citroen, Jeep, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo and Honda.AAP

Car-makers from all over the world flock to the NT for its combination of unrestricted roads and hot weather, but many will abandon their testing programs when the 130km/h speed limit comes into effect from January.Holden, Toyota and Ford Performance Vehicles will cease or prune their NT testing programs, and sportscar specialist Porsche is expected to relocate to South Africa.Territory businesses say accommodation, transport and security services will suffer."From our point of view speed limits will have a huge effect on the testing business and our members stand to lose millions," NT chamber of commerce chief executive Chris Young said.The testing season from October to April coincides with the low point for tourist numbers, Mr Young said, and the regulation would cost $6 million to $9 million a year in lost revenue."There can be up to 15 engineering teams testing out between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek during the summer and the wet," he said. "When they arrive they need accommodation for up to 20 people in each team, warehouse facilities, rental cars and secure car transporters."They provide very welcome business at a time when the wet season in the Top End and the summer in the centre keeps most of the tourists away."Central Australian Tourism Industry Association general manager Craig Catchlove said the limit could cost businesses in Alice Springs alone about $1 million over the summer."We don't believe the speed limit will reduce the number of tourist accidents, but we do think it will have a significant economic impact," he said. "Our best estimate is about $1 million, which is significant in a place the size of Alice Springs."Porsche spokesman Paul Ellis said the German maker had used the Territory's roads for more than 20 years, but management was evaluating the change and future testing in the NT was unlikely."We would comply with all regulations and if driving faster than 130km/h was prohibited we wouldn't do it," he said. South Africa was favourite to pick up the business.Toyota manager of vehicle evaluation Mina Rezk said high-speed testing might now be conducted in the Middle East."A major market for Camry is the Gulf region which is a high-speed, high temperature environment," he said. "One requirement in testing Camry was to maintain high speeds in high temperatures with the airconditioning on, to put a full load on the cooling system. We will not be able to do that as we used to, but we have to respect the law."Mr Rezk said the company would still use the Territory for dust and off-road testing.Ford Performance Vehicles spokesman Steve Colquhoun said FPV would be "impacted by the NT Government's decision" and would "reassess our test procedures".Holden spokeswoman Maya Donevska said Territory highways had been invaluable for high-speed hot weather testing the new VE Commodore, but the company would look elsewhere. "Holden will explore alternative locations for testing, and in the interim will use the proving ground facility at Lang Lang."Mercedes-Benz spokesman David McCarthy said the NT had made Australia attractive for testing and local buyers had benefited. "When German engineers came to the Northern Territory they left with an understanding of Australian conditions," he said.Ford spokesman Andrew Ellis said the company's recent decision to expand its testing facilities in Victoria meant it could minimise the effect of the speed limit.A new laboratory at Ford's Victorian testing ground could replicate conditions ranging from -40C to +55C and generate wind speeds up to 250km/h, he said."The new environmental facility will go online sometime next year, eliminating the need to travel to the NT for high-speed hot weather testing."

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation was deep in discussions with the organisers of the European GT3 Championship — contested by race versions of cars such as the Dodge Viper, Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911 and Lamborghini Gallardo — but the class will not race at the Australian Grand Prix in 2007.It is understood the bid to bring the GT3 racers to Australia was on track until late last week.Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive Tim Bamford said the company was involved in discussions with European GT3 series organiser Stephane Ratel."Up to the last minute we are considering options and making decisions, so the reality is there is lots of things that we think about," Bamford said.He said the fact the GT3 championship would not run at the Grand Prix did not detract from the event."I think that really it is a matter of making sure we have got the best possible package of entertainment and we are confident that with Formula One and four days of on-track action ... that is what we have got," he said.The main support races for the Grand Prix will include the Porsche Carrera Cup, Formula Three and the celebrity race, with Aussie Racers and V8 utes joining the line-up next year.Race organisers are keen to fill the void that will be left by the absence of the V8 Supercars, which will be missing from next year's Formula One festival for the first time.Many fans looked forward to the V8 Supercar races at Albert Park, even though the races did not carry championship points, because it was often the first chance to see the Ford and Holden race cars, with some drivers making their debuts for new teams at the track.Asked if having the V8 utes race at Albert Park would appeal to V8 fans, Bamford suggested the Formula Ones were already doing so."You know what, we have got V8s at the Grand Prix? We have the best, the loudest, the most exciting V8s in the world — Formula One," he said.Australian Mark Webber said the V8 Supercar class was a great category, but added the Grand Prix would draw a good crowd without it."The event is big enough and strong enough, it is an F1 event, that is the main drawcard," Webber said.While it is still unclear whether or not the loss of the V8 Supercars would hurt the Melbourne Grand Prix, it is worth noting the support card still outshines that of many Formula One races held overseas.

Tander outpaced his rivals to take today's two races and clinch his second consecutive Symmons Plains round by just one point from Ford's Jason Bright.However it was his Commodore compatriot who left the big winner - Kelly overhauled series pacesetter Craig Lowndes in race one and two races later left the track with a 73-point lead in the championship.While most drivers were avoiding off-track incidents and bits of shattered track signage, Tander drove aggressively and flawlessly while Kelly was mindful of protecting his lead. And he said that would be the team tactic for the remaining two rounds - in Bahrain, which will debut on the calendar this year, and the season-closing round at Phillip Island."We left Bathurst 100 points off the lead and that was quite a bit, we knew it was going to be a challenge to get them back," Kelly said."Now that we've done that we need to go back to the approach we took at the start of the year which was to be a little conservative out there and aim to finish in the top five and hopefully in the top three."Two rounds doesn't seem like a long way to go in a 13-round championship but it is - there's a lot of points up for grabs and anything could happen."Kelly is unconcerned he could take out the championship without winning a round - he's more concentrated on being able to "hold myself back" when a win was in sight and maintain team strategy.Kelly said he was confident of doing well in Bahrain, comparing it to the Shanghai round last year, which was another unknown quantity."If we just stick to our guns and what we know works with our cars we should have a reasonably good round," he said. Lowndes, meanwhile, is confident he can make up the deficit in the championship and regain top spot."There's six races and still 600 points so I don't think 70 points is really that much difference," Lowndes said."We actually thought this weekend wasn't going to be a good one for us anyway - if you look at last year's results we were fourth, behind both Garth and Rick so we probably didn't expect to go much better in the sense of speed."I think though we attacked pretty well this weekend and we'll do the same at Bahrain and the same at Phillip Island, we've just got to qualify better and stay out of trouble,'' he said.Tander, who took his second win of the year and his sixth overall, described his victory as one of the toughest he had achieved."The conditions today changed every lap and there was that much dirt and junk on the tack the conditions were changing on every corner," Tander said."I was getting a warning (on the team radio) on every corner I reckon about dirt and junk and cars going off and bits of signs going off."But it was a great effort by the guys because there was a warning there for me at every corner so it wasn't a surprise."It was a lot tougher this year but probably a lot sweeter as well."AAP

A CarsGuide investigation of ACCC and manufacturer recall records revealed significant national recalls