Holden Commodore 2010 News

The Australian new vehicle market year-to-date is up by 15 per cent over last year's recovering market and could again top the one-million-unit mark.Every brand in the top 10 was up on 2009 sales tallies to the end of August, which recorded 82,122 sales - 12 per cent better than August 2009, an increase of about 340 vehicles per day.The year-to-date 2010 market of 695,666 vehicles is running ahead of the same period in 2009 by 15.2 per cent or 91,823 vehicle sales.Holden's VE Commodore is in runout ahead of the Series II going on sale in and remains the top-selling vehicle in the country.Holden's executive sales and marketing director John Elsworth said the strong Commodore sales - including a big increase in Ute sales last month - suggested continuing Commodore success and Cruze outsold Falcon for the second time this year."The local manufacture of Holden's best sellers is a real boost for local manufacturing in South Australia and our national automotive industry," he said.Toyota remains the clear market leader by more than 50,000 sales and senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said the company's results were due to a number of factors, include strong retail offers in a competitive market."The improving economy, supported by solid business and consumer confidence, was also significant," he said.Passenger car sales increased by 1586 vehicle sales (3.5 per cent) over the same month last year.The Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) market was up by 4543 vehicle sales (32.5 per cent), led by increases of more than 25 per cent last month in all segments except large, which rose 15 per cent in August.The Light Truck Market, increased by 2746 vehicle sales (22.6 per cent) in August, contributing to the segment's eight percent increase over 2009.The Heavy Commercial Vehicle Market slipped by 39 vehicle sales - or 1.7 per cent - over August 2009, but in year-to-date terms heavy trucks are up by four per cent.Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKellar said it was a strong August result with improved private and government fleet sales."The figures show sales to private buyers remain solid (up 20.9 per cent) and there has been a lift in new car purchases by government fleets (up 21.7 per cent)," Mr McKellar said."There is no evidence in the August data to suggest customers were distracted from their normal buying habits due to the election and the current political uncertainty," he said.TOP 20 VEHICLES FOR AUGUST (YTD 2010)  TOP 10 BRANDS FOR AUGUST (YTD 2010)MARKET SEGMENTS AUG  (YTD 2010, +/-)PASSENGER CAR SALES FOR AUGUST  (YTD 2010, +/-)SUV SALES FOR AUGUST  (YTD 2010, +/-) 

They cannot help starting a stoush when their deadliest rival has something important happening.So, in the same week Team Red rips the covers off the Series II version of its VE Commodore the members of Team Blue have news on the Coyote V8 for the latest Ford Performance Vehicles tweak. Except that it's now called Miami...It's classic stuff and a reminder of the importance of cars - and homegrown hero cars - to ordinary Australians.The FPV V8 numbers are impressive and so is news that the engine could actually be re-exported to the USA after the local tweaking that includes a supercharger package from the classy Harrop Engineering. Most people, including Carsguide, expected FPV to take most of the engine upgrade from America but the company has spent $40 million doing the job right on home ground.It's just a pity that the upcoming FPV GT will not have much in the way of visual changes to flag its benchmark performance.Over at Holden, it's a big week with VEII and news of a fresh export program to Brazil, complete with a sales campaign built around motorsport legend - double world champion and Indianapolis 500 winner- Emerson Fittipaldi.We've known for more than a year that Holden's big focus for VEII is what it calls flex-fuel engines, with the ability to run on E85 ethanol fuel. It's the same stuff which has been used by the V8 Supercar racer since the start of last year.Carsguide is not convinced the E85 ability will win too many private buyers to the car, particularly with only a handful of service stations currently pumping the stuff and range limitations for the fuel, but could be a powerful incentive for major fleet buyers.The real change is that a local carmaker is pushing ahead on ethanol, a fuel with serious potential in Australia because it can be made from sugar can off-cuts. Even better, Holden is tapped into a program led by an American company - Coskata - that is working on a process to extract ethanol from rubbish that currently goes into landfill.Holden's E85 push is also giving the oil companies a solid shove on a greener fuel and that's got to be a good thing, too. 

Government, especially, state government, regards us as cash cows to be milked dry with fees, insurance, registration and road infringement system cynically designed not to prevent transgressions, but to profit by them (all the while hypercritically admonishing us to drive "safely").City dwellers, forced to drive for the weeping inadequacy of public transport, spend years of their lives stationary in choking traffic. Their country cousins brave ruined roads, often without as much as a centre line.In NSW (forgive the state-centricity) a multi-billion dollar bureaucracy called the RTA goes so far as to stridently oppose any form of training for young drivers, instead thrusting the onus on unqualified friends or relatives to instil in callow kids.It also bans learners and P-platers from the safest cars known to humanity on the Orwellian premise that anything with forced induction is "high performance" and therefore unsafe. So it is the RTA withholds from the very drivers it says are most vulnerable cars that are – actively and passively – the safest cars yet devised because they are "unsafe"!No, Johnny, you can’t drive a 90kW Golf because that turbo charger makes it a fully sick road rocket, but you can go forth in a VB Commodore... (Hilariously, this inept and decadent cabal are also in charge of road building in the nation’s most populous state...)So it is that we're treated to sights such as I saw earlier this month on the M4, described on its website as a "key piece of transport infrastructure in Western Sydney".There she was: a green P-plater in a 20-year-old Corolla, sticking hard to the right-hand lane – despite the rapid succession of signs telling her to "keep left unless overtaking" – doing no more than 90km/h in a 110 zone, while a rapid succession of vehicles travelling up to the speed limit were forced inside. The last I saw, she was still there.Nice work Dad, or Mum, or cousin Narelle, or whatever clueless acquaintance has tutored her in the ways of the open road.Meanwhile, elsewhere, uniformed and armed tax collectors, as the Highway Patrol have become, were squatting behind a radar keeping the stream of revenue running and the RTA was rolling out the first of a series of mobile speed cameras.If the endless federal election proves anything, it's that the old certainties have disappeared.Politicians from the PM down enjoy their richly-salaried and entitled sinecures at our behest and it’s dawning upon even the most complacent, corpulent party animals – without actually naming the Member for Grayndler –they might have to do a bit work in their electorates.Don't be shy. Don't leave it to a pollster to ask you. Remind your local member that their career depends on your goodwill, that you own a car and you vote.

A 6.5-inch colour touch screen infotainment system is now standard in every Holden Commodore, part of the VE Series II upgrade that also includes flex-fuel V6 and V8 engines for the first time in a locally-made car.  But Holden is making the move without the Statesman, a name that is being dropped in 2010.There are only minor body and cabin changes for the VEII, as GM Holden concentrates its spending on customer benefits and equipment that will give it a showroom advantage. It claims fuel economy improvements up to 12 per cent - on the 6-litre SS-V manual sedan - and CO2 reductions up to 11.5 per cent - on the 3-litre V6 Omega ute.The infotainment system - called Holden-iQ - operates with Bluetooth, wireless, cable and USB connections for music and mobiles and is intended to give the red lion a competitive advantage.The same applies to its flex-fuel, bioethanol engines, although the 3.6-litre V6 will not run on the greener E85 - 85 per cent ethanol, 15 per cent petrol - mix until 2012.GM Holden says E85 will be available from around 100 bio-ethanol service stations nationally in 2011.  It is keeping pricing and final specifications secret until the official press launch of the latest model on September 10, but is teasing today with pictures and some early information.Company chief, Mike Devereaux, denies the update is influenced by the tight financial situation in Australia and at General Motors through the VEII development period.“Our approach to Commodore has been about making a great car even better,” Devereux says.  “It’s about introducing more improvements more often and getting technology into the car that our customers need and want."The only all-new model in the VEII line-up is a V-Series version of the long-wheelbase Caprice, which picks up the same extreme sportiness which has worked so well on SS and Calais V-Series models. The Caprice V picks up a sunroof, full Nappa leather trim, a dual-screen rear DVD system, Bose audio and a three-zone aircon system.“Market research consistently told us that the Caprice nameplate, with its definite sports luxury character, appealed to a far broader customer base,” says Holden's executive director of sales, marketing and aftersales, John Elsworth.Looking across the VEII range, aero work to cut drag - and boost economy - includes extra smooth below the sedan and Sportwagon except Omega, reduced trim height on Omega and Berlina sedan, rear-wheel air deflectors on Omega, Berlina and Calais, a re-designed bootlid and front undertray. Mechanical changes include a clutch on the aircon compressor and an engine idle speed reduction on 3.6-litre engines.Visually, VEII cars get a new frontal treatment, there are new-design alloy wheels from the Berlina upwards, and the dashboard has been smoothed and given more soft-touch plastic with a new centre console surround and new controls for the aircon."Our customers have been telling us they want to see our models refreshed with greater  functionality from Omega to Caprice," says Deveraux.“We have listened and responded in a way that continues to position Commodore as the smart choice for Australian motorists.”

Marcos Ambrose improved 22 positions in his latest Sprint Cup start in the USA, finishing 15th after starting 37th at the high-speed Michigan International Speedway. His Toyota Camry faded again at the end of the race, after he ran as high as fifth, as Kevin Harvick won the Nascar round for Chevrolet.Ben Barker is the new leader in the Australian Formula 3 championship after two wins from three starts on the Shannons Nationals program at Morgan Park in Queensland last weekend. At the same event,Matt Kingsley stretched his advantage in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge with his ninth straight win, while James Sera cut Darren Hossack's points lead in the Australian Sports Sedan championship after his rival blew an engine in his Audi and failed to score.The new-look Holden Commodore, the VEII, will hit the track at Phillip Island at the end of September. The body changes on the new model - which are relatively minor - will be reflected in the V8 Supercsr to be raced by the Holden Racing Team, TeamVodafone and Paul Morris Motorsport.A hospital visit has put Jason Crump back on track in the World Speedway Championship. The Australia flat-track racer had a damaged arm repaired three weeks ago and bounced back with second place at his latest event, the Scandinavian Speedway Grand Prix in Sweden.Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki took a hard-fought second place in the Asia Cross-Country Rally in Thailand after a massive struggle against rivals and the weather.The Isuzu D-Max crew were denied a final shot at victory because of flooding on the course but are still happy with the result as they prepare for the Australian Safari in Western Australia from September 17 and then the Dakar Rally in Argentina and Chile in January, 2011.A lack of support and time has forced the postponement of the CAMS CARnival event planning for the first week of October. The Euchua-Moama based event, intended as a celebration of all areas of motorsport and motoring, will now be run in the second half of 2011.

I might not be racing a car, but I'm racing around doing a lot of PR as are most of the drivers.  And the teams are also playing catch up on work, plus catch-up on a well-deserved break.Our workshop has plenty of work to do building a brand new race car for Skaifey and me for Phillip Island in September and Bathurst in October.  The benefit of this break is that we can also rotate our staff through some holidays to catch up with some well-deserved rest because they worked right through Christmas last year to get our new Holdens built.  So we basically have a skeleton crew on all the time at our Banyo headquarters.Mark is really excited about the new race car.  We both have to get comfortable in the car which is difficult for him and me because he has longer legs and a shorter torso than me.So getting the seat, steering wheel and pedals in a comfortable position for both of us will end up as a bit of a compromise.  I will have to stretch a bit more to the pedals, but I'll be closer to wheel.We drove together for HRT in 1999 and had a two-stage steering column we could push or pull about an inch, which is something our team is looking at.  Obviously you can't change the seat which is anchored down, so our legs will be a bit compromised for space, but we've got away with it in the past.Speaking of car-building, it's good to see V8 Supercars has now started building two prototypes to iron out any problems before the teams start building their race cars.  It's definitely a good concept and will make racing cheaper.However, with the chassis and components identical and only different Ford and Commodore shells, there is some skepticism among the fans about retaining that all-important Ford-Holden rivalry.  The teams will also have a challenge coming to terms with some of the technical issues such as the 100kg lighter weight and independent rear end.I hear they are thinking of staying with the spool diff, but having a custom housing so we can swap in a Detroit Locker or Salisbury. Interesting to hear that we may get those options for varying circuits and conditions.Our team, along with FPR, HRT and SBR have been testing various diffs to get the feel of where they work and where they don't, how they hook up and how they change the feel of the car.  Either has its pros and cons. It doesn't matter to me which one they go with.We've given our feedback and now it's up to the category to make their decision.  The idea is to allow more passing, particularly for drivers to dive down the inside into a corner and still have enough turn to be able to avoid running into the side of the car they are passing.All drivers are scared of that because you don't want to gain a place only to cop a points penalty through contact.  The other reason for the possible change of diff is to minimise the amount of damage our cars are doing to the tracks.The initial cost of all the car of the future changes will be huge, but in the long term it will be cheaper on running costs.  It should also make it safer with bigger wheels and brakes, and lighter cars.I was surprised and delighted at the weekend to see that Valentino Rossi has made a comeback to MotoGP just weeks after breaking his leg.  The sport really needs a charismatic rider like him and it was almost a fairytale comeback with a fourth place, denied of a podium by our very own Casey Stoner.No doubt he would have had the best doctors, best prep and best recovery, but it still takes an enormous  amount of personal courage and talent to come back so quickly after the biggest accident of his career and then to perform so well.  What a star.I'll also see a few F1 stars when my wife, Nat, and I fly to Europe for the Spanish GP in August.  However, I'm a little disappointed because I have to fly home before the Sunday race for a rookie day and test day the next week.  It would have been nice to see Mark Webber win another race, but at least we will be there for the practice and qualifying.

AUDI has drawn level with Ferrari on the all-time winners' list with   its success in the Le Mans 24-hour sports car classic last weekend.  The German brand's ninth victory was a 1-2-3 sweep - led by the 'youngster' car driven by Timo Bernhard, Mike Rockenfeller and Romain Dumas - helped by engine failures which sidelined all four Peugeot 908 coupes capable of upsetting the latest diesel-powered R15. Porsche is still the all-time champion at Le Mans.DAVID Fellows and Bark Bergamin took full advantage the speed in their twin-turbo Toyota Jimco Buggy to win the Fink Desert Race last weekend. Brad Gallard and Scott Modistach, driving a Chevy Trophy Truck, were second ahead of Daniel Auricht and Garry Connelly in a V8 -  powered Jimco Buggy.MARCOS Ambrose finally got something good from in Nascar season with 15th place in the Sprint Cup race at Michigan last weekend. He had an early spin but recovered for a solid result, although he is still only 30th in the championship standings and looking for better in the upcoming road-course races.JAMIE Whincup has a brand-new VE Commodore to take into battle against the similar all-new Holdens of Garth Tander and Will Davison of the Holden Racing Team this weekend in Darwin. The only major changes to the TeamVodafone racer are a seat moved further inboard to improve driver protection and some weight reduction which allows the team to run more ballast.SEBASTIAN Ogier has been promoted to the frontline of Citroen's effort in the World Rally Championship following his victory in the New Zealand Rally. The French youngster has been promoted into the official team alongside seven-time champion Sebastian Loeb for the gravel rallies through the rest of the 2010 series, although Spaniard Dani Sordo - who has been dropped - will return to the squad for bitumen events.AUSTRALIAN officials will make the difference again in a new Formula One race in a deal between CAMS and the organisers of the upcoming Korean Grand Prix in October. CAMS has won a three-year deal - similar to ones previously for the Malaysian and Singapore GPs - to supply training, organisational and operation support for the Korean crew.

Australians Will Power and Ryan Briscoe had a tough time in the   classic Indianapolis 500 last weekend, although Power battled with eventual race winner Dario Franchitti in the early laps from second on   the starting grid and came home eighth. Briscoe, his Penske Racing team mate, crashed on cold tyres after a pitstop and was classified   24th after starting fourth.Garth Tander and Will Davison have all-new Holden Commodores for the next round of the V8 Supercar championship in Darwin. The new cars are   chassis numbers WR012 and WR013, replacing the Holden Racing Team Commodores which have run for more than three years, and Davison's is his first new car since coming into the championship.Sebastian Loeb is finally under threat in the World Rally Championship after being beaten by his Citroen junior protege Sebastian Ogier in the Portugal Rally last weekend. Ogier is the standout youngster in the championship and, after threatening to unseat Loeb in New Zealand last month, finally delivered a 7.9-second win in Portugal in an identical Citroen C4, with the third of the French factory cars in third with Dani Sordo driving.The deal for the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island has just been extended until 2016, with future options which could see the race at the Victorian track until 2026. The Australian GP Corporation confirmed the extension as it named truck company Iveco as naming rights sponsor for the MotoGP races in 2010 and 2011.Porsche driver David Wall dominated the third round of the Australian GT Championship last weekend at Eastern Creek, qualifying second and winning both mini-endurance events relatively easily. Mark Eddy had his best finish yet in his exotic Audi R8, finishing second ahead of Tony Quinn in a Mosler, after twin one-hour events at the Sydney track.FORMER V8 Supercar racer Darren Hossack was the big winner in the Sports Sedan feature event on the Shannons Nationals' program at Mallala in South Australia last weekend, driving from the rear of the field for one memorable win as he swept three starts in his V8 Audi.  Series leader Matt Kingsley was the winner in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and Ben Barker emerged as a serious Formula 3 title contender after beating young New Zealand ace Mitch Evans.

Last month a record 89,218 new-vehicle sales were reported up a solid 18.3 per cent on the 74,441 of May last year. The previous best May was in 2008, before the global financial crisis, with 8,640.It means 422,446 new-vehicle sales this year nationally, a good 20 per cent growth (or 70,000 more sales) on the first five months of last year.  The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, which released its Vfacts figures yesterday, now projects total sales of more than 1 million this calendar year.David Buttner, sales and marketing boss for Toyota which remains most popular brand in Australia predicts 1 million sales now will be easily passed in the financial year about to end.  In the 11 months of this financial year, the tally reads 904,551 vehicles. The final four weeks of ‘end of financial year sales’ have begun, and in each of the past three June totals, 100,000 has been achieved.Mr Buttner pointed out one in five new vehicles sold in Australia was now a Toyota.  FCAI head, Andrew McKellar said the SUV segment with 29 per cent growth on May last year and passenger cars, up 19 per cent, were leaders."But all segments increased during the month, demonstrating a genuine recovery in the marketplace," he said.  He said private buyers were returning in large numbers, taking over the momentum provided by business buyers this year.  Holden achieved its fifth consecutive month of growth, 24 per cent up on May last year.The Commodore with 3899 sales last month regained its top place while Toyota's HiLux, the April leader, was back to second place on 3665. It means Commodore remains in front in sales so far this year in its fight to be Australia's favourite car again in 2010.Falcon has third place for May and Mazda3 outsold rival Toyota Corolla while Holden Cruze imported at present but to be built in Adelaide from next year is in sixth place.  Mitsubishi is celebrating after its Lancer doubled sales of May last year to leap into the top-cars list.  Vehicles selling more than 1500 last month (with year-to-date in brackets):1. Holden Commodore 3899 (18,428)2. Toyota HiLux 3665 (17,287)3. Ford Falcon 3258 (13,349)4. Mazda3 2901 (16,155)5. Toyota Corolla 2796 (14,933)6. Holden Cruze 2484 (11,416)'7. Hyundai i30 2385 (13,588)8. Mitsubishi Lancer 2368 (10,129)9. Nissan Navara 1972 (8731)10. Toyota Camry 1966 (9088)11. Hyundai Getz 1957 (9629)12, Subaru Impreza 1597 (5253)13. Toyota Prado 1575 (7488)14. Mitsubishi Triton 1552 (6524)

A Mustang is a wild brumby in the USA but also one of the all-time best muscle cars; the LandCruiser does just what the name says, even if the land is the worst of the Australian outback; and the Enzo is a tribute to the man who founded the world's best-know supercar company, Ferrari.But the name game can go badly wrong.  The Nissan Cedric was never going to be a hit in Australia with a name that creates a picture of an aging uncle Arthur in a cardigan, Taurus is tough in the USA but was always going to flop against the Falcon, and the Skoda Roomster has just been dumped after failing to find a home down under.Holden was careful to avoid the VD in its Commodore line, but why did it start with the VB and not the VA? And what about the Statesman, which went well as the WB but was never updated into the WC?  Just this week I was following a Citroen Jumpy delivery fan in Portugal, and wondering if the name was a reflection of the driver's behaviour or the way it runs on the road.The craziness goes on and on, like the Citroen Picasso people mover which is anything but an oil painting.  Today's showrooms also have cars whose names have more numbers and letters than a cryptic crossword, with just as much meaning. Who really knows the difference between an A7 and a C350?But head back in history and there are some absolute clangers.  Henry Ford named the 1950s Edsel after his son, but is now recorded as one of the biggest flops in blue-oval history.  Japan has given us everything from the Daihatsu Rocky and Rugger to the Honda Ascot and Acty Crawler and on through the Isuzu Big Horn to the Subaru Justy.Nissan created the Tiida name from nothing, even though it claims it has something to do with waves breaking on a beach, and Lexus is even a made-up brand name, in contrast to Mercedes which was named after an early Daimler customer's daughter.  Over in America, the AMC Gremlin was a flop, the Dodge Neon never went up in lights, Plymouth Reliant never lived up to its promise, and the Lincoln Town Car was so big it needed its own postcode.Even some of the names which have worked create more questions than answers about their creation.  The Kia Mentor is more likely to need one, the Honda Jazz is not much of a music machine and the Suzuki Cappucino was too frothy to sell in Australia.Some names also paint a picture because of their history.  Mention Celica and lots of people in Australia think hairdresser.  Ask about the Nissan GT-R and you'll hear about Godzilla.Camry is shorthand for fridge-on-wheels, Kingswood is classic sixties kitsch, and then there is the Goggomobil.  So, what's causing a Rukus today? The Toyota Rukus, for a start.We could also get the Nissan Cube, which is as boxy as its name, although Nissan Australia is also pushing for a return of the Pulsar badge which worked so well before the silly switch to Tiida.  Right now we have the Skoda Superb in Australian showrooms. If that's not a name which creates a serious expectation then we don't know our Falcodores.When Toyota was looking for a new name for a mid-sized car alongside the Camry it thought it had the ideal choice. It settled on Centaur - the mythical man-horse - because it sounded tough.  But no-one at Toyota Australia had taken into account a nasty incident in World War II during the battle for the Pacific.A hospital ship called the Centaur was sailing towards Brisbane when it was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine. The idea of a Toyota Centaur sunk even faster.  The Centaur badges were crushed, all the paperwork was changed and so was the advertising. The Centaur quickly became the Avalon for Australia.  How do we know? Carsguide made the call to Toyota to warn about the problem. Japanese cars have always led the way in the silly-names race.  How about the Mazda Bongy Brawny? No, not the name for an off-road tough SUV, it was the badge on the back of a city delivery van with a 1.3-litre engine.Everyone has heard the story about the Mitsubishi Starion, and whether the company's sales team actually meant to call the turbo coupe the Stallion.  And then there is the Pajero. It's called the Montero in Spain, because Pajero is the word for something usually done alone in private.