Holden Commodore 2009 News

Despite new entrants coming into the market, the preference for hybrid vehicles has fallen 74 per cent among private buyers this year, according to the latest VFACTS industry figures on fuel and buyer

Company chairman and managing director, Mark Reuss, said the yesterday local operation was one of three "vital subsidiaries in the Asia-Pacific" and a key part of the "new GM" empire.GM-Holden is bolstered by its close association with GM-Daewoo and Shanghai GM in China, two areas of GM's old empire that continue to grow.After months of speculation over its local operations, a clearly relieved Reuss, was upbeat about the future as GM filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday.“We are safe, we are part of the new GM," he said.Reuss said no more jobs would be lost in Australia ‘right now’."This is an opportunity for the parent company to restructuring and create the `new GM', of which Holden is a vital part of."Reuss said GM-Holden was cashflow positive and "we're on the verge of turning a profit here this last month, even in a down business".He said Holden had been operating as a "stand-alone" business here and created its own luck.As part of the "new GM" the company will now more aggressively seek new export markets for its cars after the axeing of the Commodore-based Pontiac G8 export program to North America and downturn in Middle East business.Reuss said GM-Holden had a viable, sustainable business here in the long term despite continuing concern by some analysts of how a smaller, leaner General Motors would impact the local company when it traded out of bankruptcy protection.GM expects to move out of bankruptcy protection in 60 to 90 days.Reuss said 50 per cent of GM-Holden's business was export.Of that percent 85 per cent were cars shipped to the United States.With GM-Holden confirmed as one of the ‘good GM’ corporate entities, Reuss reaffirmed the move to actively seeking new markets for locally built Holdens, including possibly the Commodore and Statesman.An export hatch version of Holden's new Cruze four-cylinder could also be on the cards when local manufacturing starts in Adelaide early next year.Reuss was reluctant to talk about specific markets but confirmed the company is "going to recoup our export losses with new programs". GM-Holden had expected to export 30,000 Pontiac G8s to the US when the deal was announced in 2007.However, sales fell well short of forecasts. At the end of last year only half of the 24,000 exported cars were sold. Over the past 18 months Holden has reduced its workforce and production capacity in response to the downturn in car sales.GM-Holden current builds 310 cars a day at its Elizabeth plant in Adelaide, about 66,000 vehicles a year, which will increase when the new small car comes on line. The factory has a capacity of about 100,000 vehicles a year. Apart from that there are another 2500 V6 engines out of Melbourne that will be allocated to Mexico to go in the Cadillac SRX.

As the country moves into recession mode, official VFACTS car sales figures are tipped to show a 3 per cent reversal of the depressed car sales market.GM-Holden managing director and chairman, Mark Reuss, said yesterday sales were being bolstered by Federal Government's small business tax incentive.“Some of the tax relief for small business is beginning to take hold,” he said.“So you'll see the market off around 17 per cent rather than 20 per cent.”Reuss also said that Holden dealer confidence was up but demand for large sedans, including the Commodore, has softened as buyers opt for smaller, more economical four cylinder cars.Up until April, the overall local market had slumped 20 per cent on the back of the global financial crisis and shift away from large cars.In year to date terms about 340,000 vehicles have been sold this year.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries is forecasting a total market of around 855,000 sales this year.  

It will continue normal operations in Australia and New Zealand and does not expect changes to its business after GM announced it has taken court action in the US to launch a competitive New GM, citing debts of $215.8 billion. However, the company has not come out of the GM crisis unscathed.It has cut Commodore production in half and lost a lucrative export deal to the United States when GM axed the Pontiac brand.GM-Holden chairman and managing director, Mark Reuss, said "operations are unchanged in Australia and New Zealand and we expect it to remain that way"."GM has clearly stated that all of its businesses in the Asia Pacific region, and that includes Holden, continue normal operations and are not directly impacted by this process in the US. No operations outside the US are included in the court filing or court supervised process."Holden is a subsidiary of GM but we are a corporate entity in our own right, an independent company under Australian law."Beyond that, GM has indicated that Holden will be an important part of the New GM. We intend to maintain our focus on Holden product programs and activities."That means technology improvements to our best selling Commodore range, launching the all-new Holden Cruze this month, and the introduction of our locally-built fuel efficient, four cylinder small car next year."We continue to run full operations at Elizabeth and Port Melbourne, producing cars for our 300-strong independent dealer network. We don’t anticipate this decision will have any direct impact on Holdens workforce, dealers, or suppliers. Holden customer warranties are not affected and we continue to deliver the sales and service experience that our customers expect."We wouldn’t normally issue statements to highlight nothing has changed, but we appreciate that customers will naturally ask questions about this sort of announcement from the US."GM president and CEO, Fritz Henderson, said early this morning that the bankruptcy protection filings in the US would have "no impact" on GM-Holden's operations. He said the New GM plan was "an exceptional opportunity to reinvent the company".In a globally televised speech early this morning Henderson said his promise, and that of GM, was to "to deliver a business that can create value and create a future … Do it once and do it permanently," he said.GM-Holden's Reuss said Holden would remain informed of developments in the US, a process which had been determined to reinvent the company."The process being used in the US is unlike Australian and New Zealand law. It is a fast, court supervised process that permits the sale of selected assets to a new entity," Reuss said."Unlike court-controlled processes in many other countries, US chapter 11 allows GM to deal with the financial issues that have built up over many years and for New GM to emerge as a healthier business, better able to deal with the challenges of today and tomorrow. It does not mean ceasing to trade."The New GM is expected to emerge from bankruptcy protection within 60 to 90 days. GM-Holden is consider the jewel in the crown of the GM empire but it has suffered speculation that it, along with other assets like Hummer, Saturn, Pontiac, Saab and Opel, would be sold off. The decision to build the Cruise small car is believed to have been instrumental in saving the local operations.GM has previously indicated it is negotiating with prospective buyers for the Saab and Hummer brands. GM is working closely with dealers, including those in Australia and New Zealand, to continue delivering vehicles and maintaining aftersales and servicing requirements.GM Group vice president and president of GM Asia Pacific, Nick Reilly, said: "We believe this step which was taken with the support of the US Government is the most efficient and effective means for New GM to emerge with substantially less debt and lower operating costs, and with our operations positioned for long-term success."

GM Holden will be shipping at least 2500 2.8-litre versions of its Australian-made Alloytec V6 engine to the Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico where the 2010 SRX is manufactured."I guess that means there will be a little bit of Aussie heart in those Cadillacs," GM Holden Australia boss Mark Reuss says.The fillip for Holden's export aspirations couldn't have come at a better time as the company is still reeling from a disastrous six months at the hands of the global financial crisis.So far this year plans to sell a Pontiac version of the VE Ute to the United States were canned, then Pontiac itself fell over the in GM global restructure taking with it more than 30,000 potential Commodore-based G8 exports.And to top it off sales of the VE into the Middle-East have also taken a hit as economic reality bites. "When you lose that sort of percentage (around 70 per cent) of half of your production it is always going to hurt," Reuss conceded at the recent launch of the Cruze small car.However, the news of the Cadillac order is just the sort of pick-me-up the local manufacturer needs. "It (the engine plant) won a GM global quality award and on the back of that came the order for 2500 of the engines for Cadillac," Reuss says. "That is pretty pleasing."There is no indication whether more orders will be forthcoming but that is a distinct possibility. Reuss says that following meetings in Detroit he is comfortable that the action plan for GM Holden will give the company the best chance of coming out the other end of the global restructuring as a working entity."We feel very good about what we have done here and where we are in the future (of General Motors)," Reuss says. "There are no guarantees in any of this. None at all ... and we have treated it that way from day one."However, he says he believes that the Holden operation and its historic position in the Australian market makes the company far more attractive to GM as an internal asset rather than as one to be auctioned off."I think it has huge value internally (to GM). Holden is a very powerful tool as a product and branding standpoint ... I would say if anything this (situation) has focussed our business on what we need to do to be a good company in Australia first and anything we do outside that as an exporter is a great thing but to have any entity fully dependent on export markets in this world we are dealing with today is probably not the right business model."Reuss says that the company has not run a survival scenario that does not include Commodore. "That is not something we have studied. We are still the best selling car here and we think the things we are going to do to Commodore over the next few years maybe makes us potentially the only game in town. Some of our competitors have revealed some questions about future business plans on their products ... and I am overjoyed (with that)."

It copped the chop this week when General Motors decided Pontiac, Hummer and Saab had to be sacrificed as part of a survival plan that is going to cost 20,000 jobs, 4000 dealerships and a couple of production lines.The last of the Aussie-made G8 sedans and utes will go to America some time next year, perhaps even earlier. Pontiac will be gone by December 2010.There is still a chance the Holden Commodore could continue as a major export for Australia.Whispers around Fishermans Bend point to a plan to keep the G8 program running by switching the Pontiac badge for a Chevrolet one. The ute would look great as a born-again El Camino.Even Industry Minister Senator Kim Carr can see the potential, but he is a man with rare vision on the motoring front.“There will be a place for Australian-made cars in the American market, whatever the badge. The Government is working closely with the industry to open new export opportunities,” he said this week.The G8 decision is a tough one but it was the only direct hit on GM Holden. White-collar layoffs are still likely as the company is “right-sized” for its future in the contracted GM world.And that proves Holden is doing a top job, as a company and as an international asset.Designers from Fishermans Bend do work for Europe, Asia and the US. Local engineers created the Chevrolet Camaro from the VE Commodore (it became a huge hit in America) and work on global projects and cars from South Korea.The list of Aussie exports runs from GM China boss Kevin Wale to ace designer Mike Simcoe in Detroit, sales chief Megan Stooke at Hummer and even a lawyer in India. There are dozens of them.It will take a while for Holden to adjust to the Pontiac decision but the best news on the production front is new boss Mark Reuss has fast-tracked the compact Cruze for the Adelaide factory.It is capable of taking up a lot of the slack from the second half of next year and is almost certain to go overseas as a new export star in Asia and South Africa.

The superstar stunt and speed driver for Top Gear television made a flying visit to Australia last month and put his skills to the test when he jumped into Garth Tander's V8 Supercar.He was an instant convert to the Holden Racing Team, running hot laps during an open test at Winton in Victoria."Having been chewed up and spat out the other side at Winton, I feel a great respect for the cars and the way the drivers race them," says The Stig.Except . . .The driver in the racer red Commodore at Winton was officially only Ben Collins, a one-time Formula Three hotshot in Britain.And his words of praise, published in motorsport bible Autosport, were reported under Collins' name.But everyone in the motor world knows Collins was outed on January 19 as The Stig by the Daily Telegraph newspaper in England. It reported his work on the top rating television show in a move which lead to the apparent 'death' of The White Stig at the end of the current series of Top Gear."We can only say that Garth's car was driven by Ben Collins," says a Holden motorsport spokesman.Even, so the Collins-Stig's assessment of the VE racer is full of praise - and respect."The V8 Supercar is unique: if you step in with your own agenda it will bit your ass!," Collins says.And the final assessment?"V8s are, indeed, 'Super' racing cars. Not just for the competitors but the spectators too."

In Australia the SS badge is synonymous with factory built performance Holdens, but it's roots were founded in Holdens parent company General Motors.The SS (Super Sport) was introduced to the American Chev Impala range in 1961 and it is credited as the first factory built muscle car. The reputation of the Impala SS quickly grew and the model became a sales success.GM marketing saw the kudos attached to the SS badge and it was subsequently introduced to other models across the range, the most successful being the Camaro.General Motors Holden introduced the SS badge to the Australia market with the HQ Kingswood and built a limit number of SS specials between 1971 and 1973. These were powered by  the 4.2 litre (253 ci, 185 bhp) and all used a four speed manual gearbox.Production of the Commodore SS began in 1982 with the third series, the VH. The VB of 1978-1980 came with optional 4.2 and 5.0 L V8's but no SS version. The single year of production VC saw the introduction of the first Brock Commodore.The VH SS used 4.2 L V8 as standard with three upgrades available 'Stage 1', 'Stage 2' and 'Stage 3' (which used the 5.0 L V8). These were built at Peter Brock's HDT factory. Power for the different Stage VH SS ranged between 100 and 126 kW.The VK  (1984) saw the replacement of the long serving L31 5.0 L V8 with the new LV2 4.9 L. The new engine was 75 kg lighter which greatly helped the Commodore to win Bathurst in 1986. The VK SS was available in upgraded versions through HDT (Holden Dealer Team) dealers as the SS Group 3 and  SS Group A , of which only 502 were made.With the VL (1986) came the SS Group A SV. Introduced to meet the Group A racing regulations. It's body kit left many unimpressed. Built by Tom Walkinshaw and his newly formed Holden Special Vehicles, which replaced Peter Brock's HDT. The Walkinshaw SS Group A saw engine output raised to 180 kW and 380 nM of torque.The completely new VN (1988) saw the SS variant released in March '89 with 165 kW as standard. Further ugraded SS variants were produced and available through HSV. This included a new SS Group A version with 215 kW and 411 nM of torque and a ZF 6-speed manual transmissionThe VP (1991) saw the introduction of another SS derivative, the V6. This variant was built in limited numbers primarily to meet requirements for entry into production car series racing.VR and VS versions followed with power remaining at 165 kW.The second major revision to the Commodore range came in 1997 with the VT. Introduced in August 1997 with a completely new body style the VT also saw the introduction of the Gen III Chev 5.7 l V8. The Gen III produced 220 kW and 446 nM of torque.September 2000 brought the VX SS with 225 kW and some very bright colour schemes and introduced colur coded interior trims and instrument fascia.The VY brought another incremental power bump to 245 kW and 465 nM of torque and introduced further refinementVZ continued the trend increasing the power to 260 kW and saw the base SS pass the $50,000 mark.An then came the VE ..... You can find our latest VE articles from the links on the left of this page.The SS Commodore has become an iconic car in Australian motoring history. Along with GT, GTS & GTHO it is a set of letters that motoring enthusiasts hold in great regard. The  SS is car a car for an Australian worker to aspire to and for those that have reached their goals to enjoy ...... with their family. 

The carmaker is working flat-out to boost Falcon sales and bridge the gap to the top-selling Holden Commodore.Under-bonnet tweaking is boosting economy and efficiency of the basic Falcon six to match the pace set by the Toyota Aurion, but the work does not stop there.There will also be an E-Gas XR6 coming later in the year. And ESP stability control will be available on E-Gas models from next month.The latest tweaked Territory, despite very minor body changes, also picks up a major economy boost.The improvement to the Falcon looks minor — just 0.2L/100km improvement — but that is enough to give the family Ford equal top billing with the Aurion in the large car class.Ford says a base-model Falcon XT fitted with the optional six-speed ZF automatic now uses 9.9L/100km, a figure that is a full 0.7 better than a Commodore Omega fitted with the four-speed auto.But there is a catch, as ticking the ZF box will cost an extra $2000 and takes the XT's price up to $40,290 against $39,290 for a base Omega. The six-speed automatic can also be selected on the G6, G6E and XR6 models.The latest changes to the Falcon come as the Broadmeadows battler was outsold 3544-1990 by the Commodore last month, despite the obvious edge from the six-speed self-shifter."The fuel economy program is ongoing. We've improved the efficiency more than 13 per cent since the BA (Falcon)," says Ford's product communications manager, Justin Lacy."Our share in the (large car) segment has actually increased over the past year. Obviously, volume is off, but as a percentage we're up.”The economy effort is a big one, with Ford's president Marin Burela claiming the Falcon now matches a four-cylinder car."Falcon XT continues to outclass its direct competitor on all the key performance measures, delivering 11 per cent more engine power and 20 per cent more torque, while at the same time using almost seven per cent less fuel," Burela says.To achieve the improvements on the inline six, Ford has fitted a new catalytic converter, revised the engine calibration for improved cold-start performance and a improved the calibration of the six-speed transmission.The ESP update on E-Gas models means they will be eligible for a five-star NCAP safety rating, although it has taken 14 months to get the necessary work done. Changes had to be made to calibration of the throttle control and spark retardation for E-gas-powered vehicles.Lacy says having stability control will lift the appeal of E-Gas range."This gives fleets that require stability control the option of considering the Falcons in petrol or E-Gas versions, so it's another competitive advantage," he says.The large-car refresh has also extended to the Territory with the SY Mark II boasting a five per cent improvement in fuel consumption on the five-seat TX and TS rear-wheel drive models. That drops their official consumption to 11.6L/100km, down from 12.2.The upgrade, previewed at the Melbourne Motor Show last month, also brings more standard equipment, with the TX picking up side curtain airbags, cruise control, 17-inch alloy wheels and a colour-coded bumpers, door handles and mirrors, while the TS will also have a reverse parking camera, front fog lamps, leather-wrapped steering wheel, handbrake and gearshift, and a third row seat as standard.Ghia models include an Alpine rear DVD system, side steps, rear privacy glass and 18-inch alloy wheels.

The $500 million plant builds the V6 for the Adelaide-built Commodore as well as GM-Holden's export markets.But the Adelaide production cuts announced yesterday are expected to have a knock-on effect for the engine plant as well as Victorian-based component suppliers."There is no doubt there will be an impact," GM-Holden spokesman, Scott Whiffin, said."But what that will be we don't yet know."We are measuring the situation."The Industry Minister, Senator Carr, said the government would assist individual suppliers and work with unions to help alleviate any problems.He admitted that there were "serious problems with regard to liquidity for a number of firms"."There are also serious issues with workers about job security," he said."We'll talk to individual firms and work with companies and unions to ensure they move through this process as quickly as possible."GM-Holden has already announced that its four cylinder engine production at Fishermens Bend would cease at the end of this year, leaving about 400 workers without jobs.Senator Carr said he remained confident GM-Holden would rebound by 2010, particularly when Holden's new four-cylinder sedan started production later this year.Carr said he was confident that parent General Motors would not pull out of the new four cylinder car production because of its own economic woes."I'm very confident that the plan will proceed," he said.Senator Carr said GM-Holden's decision is "about jobs is about keeping people on the payroll""It's about maintaining capability and ensuring the livelihoods of Australians."Everyone would prefer that these actions were not necessary but they will help preserve long-term employment at Holden."GM-Holden's decision to reduce pay and working hours for its 3150 plant workers at its Elizabeth plant comes as new vehicle sales slumped 17 per cent last month.The VFACTS industry figures show that 75,650 new vehicles were bought last month, down 15,635 vehicles for the same month last year.Despite being the best-selling vehicle last month, Holden Commodore sales were down to 3544 for the month as buyers switch to smaller, fuel-efficient cars.However, despite the change in buyer patterns, GM-Holden chairman, Mark Reuss, said yesterday the company would continue to build its V8 Commodores despite rumours that the engine faced the axe."We're going to keep making V8s," he said.GM-Holden has sold 9188 vehicles this year, down 20 per cent compared to the first three months last year.Commodore sales are down 13 per cent for the year.When the new VE Commodore was launched in 2006 the company expected to sell around 5000 a month.The V6 engine plant was designed to build up to 900 engines a day or 240,000 engines a year.Last year 99,500 V6s were built, of which 28,000 exported.