Holden Commodore 2008 News

The Colorado light commercial range will be launched with a choice of petrol or diesel engines, 4x4 or 4x2 models, and numerous body styles such as single cab, space cab and crew cab.The Rodeo name has been dropped because it belongs to Isuzu with which Holden no longer has any ties.Isuzu is taking the name back and releasing a Rodeo in Australia under its global name of D-Max.Meanwhile, Holden has released 60th Anniversary Special Editions of the run-out Rodeo LT and LX 4x4s with $3000 worth of extras and price reductions up to $8000.LX 4x4 Crew Cab Pick Up, LX V6, petrol and TD (auto and manual) get a chrome sports bar, side steps, towbar package, Bluetooth connectivity for compatible mobile phones and special 60th anniversary badge.The LT 4x4 Crew Cab Pick Up, LT V6 petrol and TD (auto and manual) get chrome sports bar, side steps, rear park sensors, Bluetooth connectivity for compatible mobile phones and badging.The 4x4 Crew Cab Pick Up LX V6 petrol manual now costs $32,990 compared with its previous price of $39,690, while the diesel is $33,990 down from $41,990.The 4x4 Crew Cab Pick Up LT V6 petrol manual is $39,490 down from $43,990 and the diesel is down from $46,990 to $41,490.Add $2000 for auto and $1000 for ABS.Holden has also unveiled its VE Ute 60th Anniversary Special Edition at the recent National 4x4 Show in Brisbane.It arrives this month with more than $2000 worth of extras above the standard SV6 ute, including leather-faced seats, alloy foot pedals, Onyx leather seat trim, Bluetooth, sports steering wheel, six-disc MP3/CD player, anniversary floor mats and badge.Prices are $36,990 for the manual and $37,990 for the auto, which is $1000 above the SV6 ute. 

Most of the country's popular makes have shed sales during April.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' monthly market bulletin, to be released tomorrow, will reveal a 7.7 per cent contraction on March sales.More vehicles have been sold this year to date than last year, but the 84,296 new cars and trucks sold in April is almost 7000 sales down on March.This reverse follows record results for January and February this year and in 2007, when more than a million cars sold for the first time in a calendar year.“We're seeing the impact of all the interest-rate hikes, the continuing surge in fuel prices and the huge slump in consumer confidence,” AMP economist Shane Oliver said.“Car sales have held up pretty well, but all those factors are starting to catch up.“People can put off a decision to buy a car, but they can't put off rent or food or health.”The worst news is for local car-makers. Holden sold 650 fewer Commodores in April than in March. The company's mainstay car is 5000 units down for the year to date, compared with the same period in 2007.The one-time market leader was outsold by Toyota's Corolla, with 3722 of the imported four-cylinder compacts sold during April compared with the Commodore's 3325 sales.Toyota also lost sales, but extended its market lead. With almost 21,000 sales, it sold more than twice as many vehicles of all models as second-placed Holden.Toyota's Yaris, Camry, Aurion and HiLux models, as well as the Corolla, were among the 10 most popular models.Ford, whose new Falcon goes on sale soon, was third, with 8246 sales — its worst result.Mazda was next with 6749, then Mitsubishi on 5014.Ford and Holden's fortunes rely on large V6s, which continue to decline in popularity.The only Ford- or Holden-badged cars to improve sales during March were the Focus andthe Astra, both made in Europe and fitted with economical, four-cylinder petrol or diesel engines.Each of the top five makes lost about 1000 sales in April, but sales remain ahead of the corresponding period last year.A total of 347,749 new vehicles were sold to April 30, compared with 330,682 during the first four months of 2007.New-car sales had been forecast to pass the million mark again this year, but Mr Oliver said this was now unlikely.“Big-ticket discretionary items will be sacrificed, whether it's flat-screen TVs or cars,” he said.“The only thing that will help is tax cuts, but I would say they will be swamped by all these other factors.” VEHICLES SOLD IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS...........................March .... AprilToyota ............ 21,669 ... 20,842Holden ............ 11,203 ... 10,193Ford ............... 9206 ...... 8246Mazda ............ 7565 ...... 6749Mitsubishi ....... 6177 ...... 5014Other makes ... 35,465 ... 33,252Total new passenger vehicle sales of all makes........................ March .... April........................ 91,285 ... 84,296 (-7.7 %) 

The chance to save $450 a year on fuel bills and help save the planet could be enough to lure Sydney drivers to test a new fuel-saving system.Technology company Mtech Australia is looking for owners of a wide range of cars to take part in a three-month test of the company's ceramic fuel-saving technology.Using nano-technology, Mtech claims to be able to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 15 per cent and greenhouse-gas emission by as much as 23 per cent — as well as boosting power.“We already have qualified independent test results proving Mtech Fuel Saver's credentials, and today we want Australians to step up to the plate and commit to reducing their carbon emissions and fuel consumption in their vehicles,” Mtech chief executive David Bignold says.According to Mtech literature, the system works by encouraging the fuel molecules to break down from clusters to single molecules.The result is a change in the properties of the fuel, allowing better atomisation of the fuel before delivery to the combustion chamber.This, in turn, improves volumetric efficiency and improves fuel efficiency.Mtech claims the system will work on petrol, diesel and LPG-fuelled vehicles, with a range of results depending on the age of the car and the condition of the car's engine.“We know that different vehicles and models have varying results in carbon emissions and fuel consumption, and now we want to prove that Mtech Fuel Saver gets results regardless of the vehicle type,” Bignold says.For the public test, the company is seeking models as diverse as the Toyota Prius, Mercedes-Benz A200, Ford Territory, Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and many others.“With the average family sedan consuming more than 1400 litres of fuel each year and emitting four tonnes of carbon, participants can save up to $450 per year,” Bignold says.The greater the fuel usage, the greater the saving, Bignold says.He claims a family spending $130 a week on fuel could cut their annual bill by around $1000, while a company with a $3000-a-week fuel bill would be in line for savings of more than $23,000.Ten years of study on the system has been ratified by Associate Professor Dr Peter Dingle, from Murdoch University, in a paper published last November.“The statistics and research are compelling,” Professor Dingle says.“There are more than 14 million registered vehicles travelling over two billion kilometres a year in Australia.“This rate is growing and, as it does, so do the pollutants that result.“This (the claimed 23 per cent emission reduction) could equate to a possible saving of around 25 million tonnes of CO2 a year if applied to the Australian fleet.”Anyone interested in registering for the public test can click here for details.  Applications close on April 25.Carsguide would like to know what you think about Mtech's latest nano-technology? is 23 percent enough to help you pay your bills? 

The financial company went into voluntary administration last week as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission launched an investigation into its actions.Company director Anthony Blumberg is a passionate motor-racing supporter and has invested millions of dollars into the sport both locally and internationally.Kelly's HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore was one of 12 cars to carry Opes Prime sponsorship.In addition to the Championship Series V8 Supercar, the company also backed Marcus Zukanovic's Development Series entry, a Porsche in the Carrera Cup, a Formula Ford and an entry in the Renault V6 Asia series.Blumberg also bought five Formula Three cars and sponsored the local championship. He also invested in the Conquest Racing Indycar team in America.HSVDT said it was unaffected by the company's problems, but was likely to ditch its Opes Prime branding before the next round of the series.“Opes Prime is up to date with its contractual sponsorship obligations to the HSV Dealer Team at this time,” the HSVDT statement said.“The HSV Dealer Team will compete at the next round of the V8 Supercar Championship in Hamilton, New Zealand, and subsequent rounds for the remainder of 2008. The team is examining its contractual obligations to continue to display Opes Prime branding.”It is believed HSVDT's deal was the only sponsorship arranged officially through the company. The rest of the deals were done personally by Blumberg.The Australian Formula Three Series also issued a statement, saying everything would continue as normal despite Opes Prime's significant involvement in the championship. Blumberg reportedly spent $120,000 on the series' annual prize fund.

Last year, new vehicles recorded an Australian average of 226.1g of CO2 emissions for every kilometre they travelled.That's down on the 2006 figure of 230.3g, and during the past five years the industry has achieved a reduction of more than 10 per cent in average emissions.By comparison, a Toyota Corolla produces 175g/km and a Holden Commodore 260g/km.In Europe, where strict emissions controls have been in place for longer than Australia, emissions levels have remained almost unchanged.Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKellar said the motoring industry was on track to meet its self-imposed target of 222g/km by 2010.Meanwhile, fuel economy has improved from an average of 10 litres per 100km in 2002 to about 8.8 litre/100km last year, heading toward the FCAI's voluntary 2010 target of 6.7 litre/100km.“These figures demonstrate that the industry is continuing to implement new technology to lower the impact passenger cars have on the environment,” Mr McKellar said.However, Mr McKellar said further improvements would rely on improved fuel quality with lower sulphur content, which was not yet available.The FCAI pointed out that passenger cars accounted for less than 8 per cent of Australia's total carbon emissions, which is about half of the emissions from agriculture.RACQ manager technical services Steve Spalding said that for motorists to reduce their emissions, they should reduce their fuel consumption.“We would suggest motorists buy the smallest car that will still do the job you need and then look for the most fuel efficient car within that category,” he said.He said the FCAI fuel and CO2 figures were reached under test conditions and not real-world driving. He added that if motorists wanted to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, they should also drive and maintain their vehicle correctly. 

But the Australasian New Car Assessment Program results show that more can be done to improve occupant protection in the popular commercial vehicles.The VE Commodore Ute, which is exported to New Zealand and South Africa, has a range of standard safety features, including anti-lock brakes, electronic brake distribution and electronic stability control.GM Holden spokesman John Lindsay said it was introducing stability control as standard on all Australian-built cars.“The recent addition of six airbags as standard on our Commodore sedan range is a further illustration of our commitment to passenger safety in our vehicles,” he said.The VE Ute also beat the Japanese Mazda BT50 4x4 and Nissan Navara D40 4x4, which rated three stars, while the Indian Mahindra Pik-up rated only two stars under ANCAP's sister program, EuroNCAP.The Commodore Ute, which was voted most popular car in the 2007 Carsguide Car of the Year awards, was yesterday announced as a finalist in the Australian International Design Awards automotive section along with the Audi TT and R8, VW Eos and Honda Civic Type R. The winner will be announced on May 30.ANCAP chairman Lauchlan McIntosh said the trend toward improved safety showed that utility vehicles could earn five-star ratings in the near future.“Manufacturers are building key safety technologies as standard features in many of their models — and while some utes are definitely safer than they were five years ago, more needs to be done,” he said.In a recent EuroNCAP test, the Navara was declared an “unacceptably high” risk for fatal head or neck injuries in a front-on collision.Other complaints were “the Navara's passenger compartment became unstable” and “the airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners were triggered late in the impact”.After an airbag software upgrade, the vehicle scored three stars.Nissan Australia is contacting customers to take Navaras back for an upgrade to the airbag software.The Ford Ranger, which shares the Mazda BT50 platform, is also expected to gain three stars.Other EuroNCAP ratings for vehicles sold in Australia are the new Fiat 500 fitted with ESC, the Volvo V70 and Peugeot 308 with ESC and knee airbag, which scored five stars, and four stars for the Fiat 500 without ESC, the Peugeot 308 without ESC or knee airbag and the BMW X3. 

With fewer selling days this month because of Easter, and some dealers reporting a drop in buyer interest last weekend, March may be the first month to show that the brakes have been applied to car sales when the figures are released at the end of next week.This year began at the same hectic pace it finished 2007, with January and February both record months and growth still running hot at 7.2 per cent.“But Easter takes a bit of steam out of it,” said Tony Robinson of fleet risk management company Sureplan.“March and April will be a litmus test of what impact the interest rate increases have had on private buyers.”The Westpac-Melbourne Institute measure of consumer sentiment for March fell to its lowest in seven years and the time-to-buy-a-car index slumped by 22.5 per cent — its worst drop in more than a decade.Mr Robinson said segments already suffering would be hardest hit. “The large car is under siege and there's a slight drying up on the larger commercial vehicles, especially among fleets.”The Ford Falcon is in run-out mode ahead of the new FG model going on sale next month, and wagon sales are missing from the Holden Commodore figures as it waits for the VE Sportwagon to join the line-up.It is a mixed picture. With buyers shunning large sedans for SUVs, the category is running 23 per cent up year-to-date.Mr Robinson said most importers were reporting a strong start to the year, fleet orders were not drying up and it was too early to be writing off 2008.“We're still going to have a strong year, but we'll see some levelling off or even a marginal drop in sales.”BMW spokesman Toni Andreevski said Easter was typically quiet “but overall for March we'll be up on last year.” 

As interest rates bite and with it consumer belt-tightening, some analysts predict a slowdown this year.But the first two months of the year showed strong gains over the same period last year.Light-car sales rose 2236, or 22.5 per cent, and the small-car segment rose 1645, or 8.6 per cent, over February last year, according to the latest VFACTs industry sales figures.The off-roader, or SUV market, grew by 3365 vehicles, or 22.6 per cent.These gains were partially countered by declines in the large-car segment, down 2488 or 19.9 per cent, and medium-car segment, down 383 or 5.1 per cent.Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKeller says the runout of key models has affected volumes in the large and medium segments.The arrival of the new FG Falcon in May and expanding Holden Commodore line-up with its Sportwagon will help turn around sales figures in coming months, he says.Toyota was the top-selling brand in February with 20,703 sales, or 23 per cent of the market, ahead of Holden with 12,386 sales, 13.8 per cent, and Ford with 9405 sales, 10.5 per cent.For the year so far, Toyota leads Holden by 15,916 sales and remains market leader with a 22.4 per cent market share.Holden has a 13.1 per cent overall market share and Ford is third at 9.9 per cent.Among the light and small-car stars were the Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Getz, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla and Yaris, Honda Civic and Mitsubishi Lancer.Holden was large-car leader, selling 4313 VE Commodores, followed by Ford with 2520 Falcons and Toyota with 1855 Aurions.The announcement of the end of Mitsubishi 380 production affected February sales, the company sold only 471 380 V6s.Melbourne-based industry analyst Tony Robinson, of SurePlan, believes new-car demand will soften late in the year.There is usually a six to nine-month lag between spiking interest rates and its impact on buyer patterns, he says.But he is confident the market will still go close to one million sales this year. What's sellingTop 10 makes1 Toyota 20,7032 Holden 12,2363 Ford 94054 Mazda 70225 Honda 48006 Mitsubishi 54237 Nissan 51008 Subaru 33719 Hyundai 401010 Volkswagen 2883 Top 10 models 1 Holden Commodore 43132 Toyota Corolla 41913 Toyota HiLux 33254 Mazda3 28255 Ford Falcon 25206 Toyota Yaris 22807 Toyota Aurion 18558 Toyota Camry 17239 Mitsubishi Lancer 168210 Honda Civic 1665 

Surrounded by hybrid and fuel cell cars of every type and size the stars of the annual Big Apple motorfest remain the muscle cars.

Will Davison grew up dreaming of Formula One and hearing about the successes of his grandfather Lex, who won the Australian Grand Prix in the 1950s.The third-generation racer never made it to F1, but it didn't seem to matter a bit when he broke through for his first V8 Supercar win at Eastern Creek yesterday.Davison led Dick Johnson's team back from the edge with a racy, mature and professional performance as he racked up a win, a second and a sixth to take top spot in his Jim Beam Falcon from Mark Winterbottom and Garth Tander.He made the big breakthrough when he won the second of three heats, but then had to battle immense pressure and a hobbled car to take the DJR team's first win since 2001.“I didn't cry but I was completely stunned inside when I went over the line,” Davison said. “The last race was tough. I was just hanging on. To beat these guys is just fantastic.”He admitted he still owes a bundle from his failed attempt on Formula One — believed to be more than $500,000 — but was not thinking about the past as he looked to a bright future.Winterbottom should have been closer at Eastern Creek, but blundered in qualifying and did not have quite enough to challenge for the overall win.“We didn't do enough on Saturday and we paid for it,” he said. “But I'm still on the podium.”Defending champion Garth Tander also made it to the podium after a mixed weekend, which netted pole position and a win, before a major setback.“We made some changes for the second heat and the car was not that flash,” Tander said.“We also saved our best tyres for the last race and that hurt us."“We had to fight through.”Even so, he rebounded from a disaster at the season opener in Adelaide to move up to eighth in the championship standings.The series is still led by Jamie Whincup, who was fifth in Sydney after a clean sweep at the Clipsal 500 with his Vodafone Falcon.The top 10 in Sydney included Rick Kelly, who stayed out of trouble on the way to fourth, and old sparring partners Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife.The next event for V8 Supercar teams is the AGP, when they will race three times, before the championship resumes at Hamilton in New Zealand from April 18-20.The top ten Championship points (after two of 14 championship rounds)1. Jamie Whincup (Ford)...........5402. Rick Kelly (Holden)................4323. Lee Holdsworth (Holden).....4264. Mark Winterbottom (Ford).3825. Will Davison (Ford).................3566. Craig Lowndes (Ford)...........3397. Greg Murphy (Holden)..........3308. Garth Tander (Holden).........3269. Mark Skaife (Holden)............32210. Todd Kelly (Holden).............308