Holden Commodore 2011 News

Buying a used car is difficult enough in normal times.

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

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

THE global boss of General Motors, Mary Barra, has thrown a lifeline to Holden's design centre, securing its future and the jobs of 140 car designers once manufacturing comes to an end in 2017 -- and GM's first female CEO is expected to visit the facility within the next 12 months.Mary Barra's senior staff have told Holden executives that the company's design centre in Port Melbourne, which turns 50 this year, will be used to style cars for North America, China, India and the rest of the world.The Holden design facility is one of just 10 studios owned by General Motors globally and has already created the iconic Camaro sold in the US and the Cruze hatch sold internationally as a Chevrolet, among other models not yet on sale.The future of the Holden design centre, which has created every locally-made Holden since the 1966 HD (the Holden's sold before then, including the original 1948 'FX', were designed in the US) was under a cloud in the wake of the factory shutdown announcement."We have support from GM leadership," said former Holden design boss Mike Simcoe, who is now Vice President of GM international design."Mary Barra supports Holden design," said Mr Simcoe, during a rare behind-the-scenes media event at Holden's design centre. "When she was in charge of product development (before she became CEO) she agreed this studio should continue."I can't give you the quote because I can't speak for her, but she was very specific about keeping this place alive." Mr Simcoe said Mary Barra would likely visit Holden but would not speculate when.Mary Barra is currently facing a US senate inquiry into GM's handling of the recall of 4.8 million vehicles said to have a faulty ignition switch, and which is being blamed for accidents that resulted in 13 deaths.Mr Simcoe said it would be some time before a Mary Barra would visit Australia "with her just taking over the company and some of the stuff that's happening over there right now". Mr Simcoe added: "I was unsure about the future (after the manufacturing shutdown announcement). But I can honestly tell the guys who work for me there is no issue."At its peak in the early 2000s, when Holden was developing the VE Commodore, the company hired 250 designers, but has about 140 now working on mostly foreign projects "It's expensive to make things in this country but it's not expensive to design them," said Holden design Richard Ferlazzo.Mr Simcoe said Australia had a wealth of design talent because "we have more car brands on sale in Australia than most other countries, so the people who work here get exposed to more brands, from the cheapest to the dearest".This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Holden factory workers who voted for a three-year wage freeze to try to save the company have been snubbed by the boss of General Motors' international operations, indicating Holden's manufacturing fu

Mazda has surfed the rising wave of small car sales as deftly as 11-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater. It built the right car for the right time, reinventing its successful 323 from the 1990s as a 21st-century compact hero.Two years as Australia's No.1 (and No.2 now in run-out) show its phenomenal attraction. The giant killer, having claimed the sales crown from the legendary Holden Commodore, has always looked good, been finished well and built well, and provided solid value in a class where the long-term winners have been more than just basic transport.It's more desirable than the world's small-car benchmark, Toyota's Corolla, because it's more than just a car and has almost always been bought by real people paying real money. It's not a stripped-down rental runabout or a vanilla fleet car.It has lost its gloss over the past year, as the all-new Hyundai i30 and Corolla have scored hits, helped by the $19,990 price point, but is certain to bounce back in 2014.Digging into the success of the Mazda3 uncovers the long-term strength of Mazda Australia, which has had local CEOs, managers and dealers over three decades. Only Subaru,  also massively over-represented in Australia, has done a similar job.Mazda has never had cheap cars yet the quality and secondhand strength has made them winners even through tough times, including fluctuating currency and a period under the ownership of Ford. The Mazda3 bottom line is simple: it's a car you'd happily recommend to your own family and your closest friends.This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover 

Holden engineers clocked up some 1.3 million development kilometres in the LPG Commodore and produced 78 testing and evaluation prototypes. Holden developed a `raft of local engineering solutions' for the LPG Commodore to improve driveability and to cut running costs. Holden claims the LPG car costs roughly the same to run as a small or medium-sized petrol car. They evaluated liquid and vapour-injection LPG systems opting for vapour injection. According to Holden, vapour injection provides lower fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions compared to liquid, while vapour also uses fuel more efficiently with fewer pumping and parasitic losses. Holden says vapour systems are less mechanically demanding and therefore better suited to the varying grades of LPG fuel found across Australia. Ford, which uses Liquid LPG injection on its LPi Falcon, has a different view. The heart of the LPG Commodore is the 3.6-litre, double overhead cam V6 engine, with four valves per cylinder. This engine has been re-designed to run solely on LPG and therefore has allowed for design optimisation in several key areas. As LPG contains a higher octane rating than petrol, new pistons of an optimised design have been used to raise the compression ratio to 12.2:1 to take full advantage of LPG fuel. A particular highlight of the dedicated LPG Commodore is the new six-speed automatic transmission. Lighter, smarter and more refined, this new transmission boasts sophisticated control software that optimises shift patterns to provide outstanding driveability. It produces 180kW of power and 320Nm of torque. In Omega spec, it records 11.8L/100km on the ADR combined cycle and the LPG range scores 4.5 stars from the Green Vehicle Guide, and exceeds projected Euro 6 exhaust emissions standards. Touring range is around 700km from the 84-litre aluminium tank that resides behind the rear axle to optimise boot space. Dedicated LPG is available across a range of current Commodore sedans, Sportwagons utes and long wheelbase Caprice. The additional cost is $2500 with a Federal Government rebate of $2000 available.

Tim Lee, the Shanghai-based president of GM's international operations was quoted in reports in the business press today, which speculated that the Holden Commodore would be phased out in favour of a ‘global’ car. Lee reportedly said while visiting Melbourne that Holden had been one of the car giant’s strongest sellers in local markets, but that the GM business plan – like that of Ford – was moving towards global platforms. However he said that GM would maintain "full-line capacity in Australia with designing and engineering, building and selling vehicles", according to reports in the Australian Financial Review and other business media. The reports also quote Lee as saying that the "In the body shop the best way to do that is to have flexibility and to build two architectures and platforms. Maybe a mini car and a small car or maybe a small car and a compact car, or maybe a compact car and mid-sized car." "We're going to build a s**t load more great Commodores,” he was quoted as saying.  “It’s still an outstanding motor vehicle and one that we intend to produce for a long time.  But if you look at the motorway here in Melbourne, you see a lot of small cars. You see a lot of more fuel-efficient vehicles on the roads than Commodore.” The comments come after the release of a South Australian report, detailing that Holden's Elizabeth car manufacturing plant alone is worth more than $1.5 billion to the state economy each year and closure would lead to the loss of up to 16,000 jobs. Premier Jay Weatherill released the report last week, after the State Opposition called for a cost-benefit analysis before the handover of more taxpayer money to the company. The study by University of Adelaide Business School head Barry Burgan, dated February 4, was handed to the state Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade, Resources and Energy Department. It does not comment on the merits of further taxpayer backing. Holden is in negotiations with the state and federal governments over a bailout to keep the Elizabeth plant operational beyond 2016 and economists have forecast a $200 million price tag. The Federal Government will contribute the bulk of the funding. Associate Professor Burgan's report finds there are 2700 people directly employed by Holden in Elizabeth. The company purchases $530 million of goods from ``core'' local suppliers, supporting 5610 jobs and prompts extra employment in retail, transport, construction and other manufacturing. But the report says closure at Holden would also lead to some growth in other industries and reduction in worker wages as supply of labour and resources currently invested in auto manufacturing shifted. ``Note that this report does not consider the issues around what is required to underpin the longer term sustainability of the operations at Holden,'' Prof Burgan writes. ``Nor does this analysis consider the full gamut of benefit and cost considerations in terms of policies to mitigate the risks identified.'' Opposition industry spokesman Steven Marshall said the Government had spent taxpayer money to deliver a report backing its political argument. Taxpayer support for car making needed to be based on a full cost-benefit study, he said. Mr Weatherill told the South Australian Parliament the Elizabeth plant had long been ``the cornerstone of our state's industrial strength''.  

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show. Instead, Mazda3 won the 2011 title by just 812 vehicles. Holden boss Mike Devereux admits they could have "done things" to win, but says that is not their goal. "Our goal is to be solidly profitable over the long term," he says. "We need to be a future-proof business.  "If market share comes, it comes from a solid business.  "Our main aims are to take care of our customers and make profits. Market share is just an outcome.  "Mazda3 was number one by just 600 units. Do you really think that at the last minute we couldn't have done something about that! "But we have a long-term plan.  "We are proud to have two of the top-selling cars and they are made in Australia (Commodore and Cruze)."

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show.The company's manufacturing operation in Adelaide and its research base at Fishermans Bend are the target for a renewed commitment from General Motors on one side and both state and federal governments in Australia aimed at taking the company through to at least 2020.High-level talks in Detroit today have yet to produce a concrete deal but there are positive signs that the Federal government will dip into a $3.4 billion fighting fund to produce a co-investment plan to secure two car lines for Holden's factory at Elizabeth."I think we've reached a position where an agreement looks likely," says the South Australian premier, Jay Weatherall.Holden is already committed to the upcoming VF Commodore in 2014 and its compact Cruze through to at least 2016, but the new deal is aimed at locking the company into GM's future global product plans. Holden knows it cannot go alone as it has in the past and the Federal Minister for Industry, Senator Kim Carr, says his government supports any move to protect jobs in the Australian automotive sector."It's strategically vital. The loss of the industry is irretrievable. It will cost a lot more, a lot more, if we don't have an automotive industry in Australia," says Carr."Our approach is about building and maintaining capability in Australia. We are in the business of fighting for jobs. That's what this is all about. Fighting for Australian jobs and fighting for partnerships that take us through the rest of this decade."Carr met with the chairman of GM, Dan Ackerson, yesterday and says a working group has been established to plow through the detail of a new co-investment deal that would secure funding from Detroit and balance it with cash from Canberra.The government has money available from the $3.4 billion Automotive Transformation Fund, under the latest car plan that runs until 2020, to support any commitment from GM."Am I confident there is a way forward for Holden? Yes, I'm confident," says the chairman of GM Holden, Mike Devereux.He will not go into any detail but says Holden wants to continue with two individual models on its production line in South Australia, as well as a continuation of its large portfolio of design and engineering work throughout the GM world."We are working on a long-term sustainable future for this company. We're talking about things that won't become true until late 2016," Devereux says.