Holden Commodore 2013 News

Walkinshaw has just raised the Australian performance bar with the launch of two supercharged W Series packages for the  6.0-litre Holden VF Commodores and 6.2-litre Gen-F HSVs. Both costing $18,990 fitted, the packages are named for their power outputs.The W457 package for the 6.0-litre VF Commodore V8s will deliver 457kW at 5600rpm and 780Nm at 3700rpm -- a massive 187-197kW and 250-253Nm rise,  with the torque peak also arriving 700rpm earlier.The W497 package for LS3 6.2-litre Gen-F HSVs gives you 497kW at 5560rpm and 955Nm at 3690rpm. Again, that's a considerable 157-180kW and 385-405Nm benefit over the standard models: the 317kW/550Nm Clubsport, 325kW/550Nm Maloo and 340kW/570Nm Grange and Senator Signature.Goodies in the packages include a WP230 supercharger package, large high flow injectors, Eaton Twin Vortices 2300 Series (TVS) Gen VI rotors, water to air intercooler package, custom moulded heater hoses, cast aluminium coil covers, unique Walkinshaw Performance injection moulded cold air intake package, heavy duty serpentine belt drive system, 12” long intake runners, custom moulded intercooler hoses, self-contained oil system, full stainless steel exhaust system -- including ceramic coated headers and high flow catalytic converters.You'll also get a full dyno tune from an authorised Walkinshaw Performance Centre, W Series Certificate of Authenticity and Vehicle Identification, and full drive line warranty for the balance of the manufacturer’s new vehicle warranty for eligible vehicles.Walkinshaw Performance general manager Tony Harris described the force-fed kits as the peak of local engineering and design."The W Series has already seen the naturally aspirated W310 and W375 packages which offer terrific performance and value for money that we have developed thanks to the outstanding base vehicles -- the VF SS Commodore and the Gen-F HSV," he said. "Today we take another step with the W457 and W497 packages. These packages represent the pinnacle of Australian automotive design and engineering capabilities."On power figures alone it's impressive, but as we always say; drivability is the number one goal and we believe that these W Series twins are exceedingly well mannered in this key area. That said, it's hard to hide the performance results and these cars are guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of every motoring enthusiast.""Back in 2004, the 297kw VZ ClubSport was rightly heralded as a significant development for HSV. At the time a journalist said it was "ferocious off the line" and that it brought "high-end performance within easier reach of more people". We see these packages offering similar- and yet so much more.”This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincottWatch Walkinshaw's W457 and W497 video here. 

Some say he's the Stig, but he's not. He's the Stig's digital cousin. The Forza Motorsport 5 race game set for release on November 22 will feature a tame racing driver, based on the mystery Top Gear track linchpin.The trailer video shows him putting his driving prowess to work with a Holden Commodore V8 Supercar at Morgan Park race track in Queensland. However while the game Stig's ability draws on the real Stig, some also say the Forza Motorsport 5 one differs in one crucial way -- he's apparently beatable, if you're good enough.“Trying to beat The Stig on track has long been the petrol-fuelled dream of Top Gear fans everywhere and whilst Jeremy and the team did not want to frustrate or embarrass gamers by putting forward the real Stig, they did help us track down a potentially more fallible relative of their tame racing driver,” BBC Top Gear commercial director Duncan Gray said in a statement.Watch the Stig Holden Commodore Forza 5 video here.Forza 5 also features for the first time Australia's best-known circuit, Mount Panorama -- with the game maker saying the Bathurst track was the most-requested additions by fans for years. The Mountain also features in the coming Gran Turismo 6, which will hit the shops on December 6. Watch the Gran Turismo 6 Mount Panorama video here. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Holden is celebrating 35 years of the Commodore with the introduction of a special edition VF Commodore International sedan and Sportwagon, available only for a limited time.Building on the already highly-specified VF range, Commodore International adds additional luxury and sports features including leather appointed seats, 18 inch alloy wheels, blind spot alert and reverse traffic alert. The International badge is fitting for the VF Commodore, which has received critical acclaim as a car that rivals the world's best.Holden's Phil Brook, said the Commodore International added to VFs already exceptional value story. "We wanted to celebrate the anniversary of an icon by introducing even more great value features on the all-new VF Commodore," said Mr Brook. The Holden VF Commodore International is priced at $36,990 (sedan) and $38,990 ( Sportwagon). An LPG option is also available for an additional $2,500.

Adelaide-based wheel manufacturer ROH wants to restart negotiations with Holden to source its high-performance wheels locally once it installs new technology used to secure a lucrative Toyota contract.Last week Carsguide revealed that Holden is airfreighting certain wheels from North America to meet a spike in demand for its most expensive model, the $50,000 Commodore SSV Redline.Holden said ROH could not supply the wheel type it needed but the company says it is about to install new technology that it believes will meet Holden's requirements. "We would be delighted to talk to Holden," said ROH general manager Bill Davidson. "A lot has changed since we last supplied Holden with wheels in 2005."Holden now sources most of its wheels from China, even though ROH is just 25km away from Holden's factory gate. But ROH is hopeful it can meet Holden's needs, at least on selected models, once its new "flow forming" technology is installed by next August."We have had the wheel rims stress tested by the CSIRO and they are a similar strength and weight as a forged wheel rim," said Mr Davidson.Mr Davidson stopped short of demanding that the Federal Government introduce a mandate for car makers to source as many parts as possible from local suppliers, but said: "Supply of Australian-made wheels to Holden would support a whole bunch of suppliers to the wheel industry in Australia. If car companies are getting tax-payer assistance it would be good to see more local content in cars."When asked if Holden would be open to new discussions with ROH, Holden spokesman Sean Poppitt said: "Holden doesn't comment on future product plans".This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

New-car buyers hit the brakes in September and another 1.1 million-plus annual sales record is now under threat. Industry analysts are trying to determine what caused the September slowdown after six of the top 10 brands posted sales slides and the overall market dropped by 2.1 per cent to 92,662 deliveries compared with the same month last year.The last time the Australian new-car market slowed dramatically was in December 2011, when sales fell by 4.8 per cent after floods in Thailand and a catastrophic tsunami in Japan earlier that year severely restricted vehicle production.The weak September result means market growth has slowed to 3.3 per cent year-to-date, with 849,944 deliveries since January, putting another record annual result in doubt.After last year’s all-time high of 1,112,032 sales the new-car market was up by 5 per cent in the first half of this year.Car executives are trying to determine if the market is still experiencing the flow-on effect from the uncertainty caused by sudden changes to Fringe Benefits Tax rules before the Federal election -- or if the election itself did most of the damage.New-car sales dipped in the lead-up to four of the last five Federal elections, industry figures show. "The announcement by the Coalition to return to pre-July FBT arrangements has been welcomed by the industry," said Tony Weber, the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries."We anticipate the market effect of this announcement will see positive growth throughout the rest of the year. Consumers can be confident that the recent FBT issue is now behind us."The September slowdown still came as a surprise given that interest rates fell to a new low and improved car affordability.Sales in the main mining states -- Queensland, West Australia and the Northern Territory -- were down by between 5.5 and 8.2 per cent, but sales of utes were still strong, with three workhorses finishing inside the top 10. The Toyota HiLux was the second-biggest seller in September while the Nissan Navara and Ford Ranger placed seventh and eighth respectively.Meanwhile the Toyota Corolla has developed a clear lead in the race to become Australia’s top-selling car for the first time. The Corolla has now built a gap of 1258 sales -- its largest to date -- ahead of two-times winner, the Mazda3, in the year-to-date tally (Corolla: 32,039, Mazda3: 30,781).The Mazda3 led the market at the start of the year and seemed certain to collect its third win in a row, but the Corolla overtook its fellow Japanese import as Australia’s favourite car in April, June, July and September.In another upset the Volkswagen Golf outsold the locally-made Holden Cruze by one delivery, with the Holden only just managing to stay inside the top 10 after a disappointing month.Holden posted 1851 Cruze deliveries (compared to the Golf’s tally of 1852) which was down 5 per cent on the same month in 2012, and down by 37 per cent compared to September 2011.The Golf’s result was buoyed by $22,990 drive-away promotional pricing but it also shows that Volkswagen appears to have bounced back from the recall controversy earlier this year. Last month’s result was strong for the Volkswagen Golf but still nowhere near its all-time high figure of 3337 sales set in October 2011.The homegrown Falcon and Commodore posted modest sales recoveries, but both were well short of their former glory. Holden again delivered more than 2800 Commodores (up 13 per cent) while Ford shifted 846 Falcons, which was down 28 per cent compared to the same month last year but an increase of 47.6 after the previous month’s all-time low.The reigning champion Mazda3 had a big sales slide in September after the company brought its annual sale forward a month. Toyota is on track to post its 11th year as the top-selling brand with 158,793 sales year to date, ahead of second-placed Holden (81,904). In third place Mazda (78,252) still has a comfortable margin over fourth-placed Hyundai (72,599) and fifth-placed Ford (64,964).Nissan sales continued to slide for the third month in a row but its results of 59,460 so far this year is up by 1.2 per cent after benefitting from strong gains earlier in the year. Nissan Australia is looking for its third boss in less than two years after Bill Peffer announced he was leaving the company.Top 10 brands in September 2013Toyota 17,492 -- up 1.1 per centHolden 9614 -- up 7.4 per centHyundai 8803 -- up 12.6 per centMazda 7615 -- down 24.6 per centFord 7505 -- down 3.3 per centMitsubishi 5993 -- up 3.3 per centNissan 5556 -- down 10.8 per centVolkswagen 4466 -- down 9.8 per centSubaru 2752 -- down 14.3 per centKia 2534 -- down 7.7 per centTop 10 cars in September 2013Toyota Corolla 3443 – up 9.9 per centToyota HiLux 3340 – down 3.9 per centMazda3 3052 – down 28.6 per centHolden Commodore 2865 – up 13.3 per centHyundai i30 2675 – down 14.9 per centToyota Camry 2223 – down 1.9 per centNissan Navara 2275 – up 25.3 per centFord Ranger 2037 – up 13.1 per centVolkswagen Golf 1852 – up 8.1  per centHolden Cruze 1851 – down 5.1 per centSource: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, VFACTS.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Holden is urgently airfreighting wheels from the US to Australia to meet a spike in demand for the new Commodore — even though there is a former wheel supplier just 25km from its factory gate.About 12,000 wheels are being flown 13,000km across the Pacific at an estimated cost of $2.5 million, based on quotes from the airfreight industry, because demand for the most expensive version of the new Commodore is better than expected.It is a temporary measure to try to shorten the three-month waiting list for Holden’s flagship sedan, the $50,000 V8-powered SS-V Redline. The airfreight charges equate to about $833 per car but there will be no extra cost to buyers because Holden will absorb the fee in the selling price.Holden’s factory in the Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth stopped sourcing wheels from ROH in the nearby suburb of Woodville North in 2005, after General Motors switched to global suppliers in China and Taiwan.Ford has been importing wheels from China, Taiwan and India since 2004.Only Toyota’s factory in the Melbourne suburb of Altona, which makes the Camry and Aurion sedans, continues to source all its wheels from Australia’s ROH.“Surely Australian taxpayers’ money should be spent in Australia,” said ROH general manager Bill Davidson.When asked if there should be a minimum local content requirement for Australian-made cars, Mr Davidson said: “It would help the economy if there were more local content in Australian-made cars. Toyota should be applauded for standing by its Australian suppliers and working with them to remain sustainable.”Holden is about to start negotiating with the new Federal Government about further funding to secure future models.The Holden Commodore and Cruze have the least local content among the three Australian car makers. Holden had received a pledge for $275 million from State and Federal Governments in March 2012 but says market conditions have “changed significantly since then”.The first new Commodore in seven years has had a 15 per cent boost in sales in its first two months. It’s a far cry from Holden’s halcyon days in the late 1990s when the market was less competitive and it sold three times as many Commodores.But the former favourite is now well inside the top five sellers list having struggled to stay inside the top 10 earlier this year. “We’re happy with demand for the new Commodore; sales are strong and in line with our internal targets,” said Holden’s executive director of sales and marketing, Philip Brook.“Particularly pleasing is the demand for our high-end models (which) currently account for around 42 per cent of our dealer order bank and we’ve had to airfreight parts in to try and keep up with demand.”At its peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s when ROH supplied Holden, Ford, Toyota and Mitsubishi car factories, the wheel maker employed 470 workers.Today ROH employs 154 workers at its Woodville North facility.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

The Holden Commodore of the future will be less Australian than ever before and threaten more jobs at parts suppliers. Sacked staff have revealed the struggling carmaker last week let go of twice as many workers than was originally reported.Critically, about 50 people from Holden’s purchasing and administration departments in Port Melbourne were secretly sacked last week. This in addition to an estimated 50 designers' and engineers' jobs lost that were already reported by Carsguide.The clean-out of the purchasing department – which buys raw materials and components for locally-made cars – is the clearest sign yet that the 2017 Commodore will be sourced from mostly imported parts.About 50 per cent of the current Holden Commodore is made up of locally-sourced components, compared to 70 per cent for the Ford Falcon and 65 per cent for the Toyota Camry, according to figures supplied by the car makers.But less than half of the parts that make up the new globally-developed 2017 Commodore are now expected to be sourced locally, bringing it closer to the Cruze small car, which has just 30 per cent local content.The chief executive of the Federation of Automotive Product Manufacturers Richard Reilly told News Corp: “There will be an impact on the local supply chain as car makers switch to global (models). If they are buying more parts from overseas it will have a detrimental effect on local parts manufacturers.”The FAPM represents 100 major parts suppliers to all three car makers; the sector employs an estimated 35,000 workers mostly in Victoria and South Australia.Holden is yet to start negotiations with the new Federal Government under Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who in Opposition had pledged to cut $500 million from car industry funding. News Corp understands Holden is pitching for a bigger slice of a smaller pool of funds which, in a bitter twist, would need to be shared among fewer parts suppliers when Holden switches to a globally-developed car.Since being elected Mr Abbott has repeated his earlier pledge to cut industry funding. In his first media conference he told reporters: “We’ll stick with the position that we took to the election.” However Holden and the new Federal Government are likely to disagree over Mr Abbott’s expectations of an export program to boost local production volumes.“We expect the motor industry, in return for … assistance, to provide us with a reasonable indication of how it is going to increase volumes, particularly increase export volumes,” said Mr Abbott. “I want the car industry in this country to have a long-term, viable future – I don’t want it to live from hand to mouth.”But exports are not viable for Holden because, aside from unfavourable exchange rates, the two cars it will make in Australia after 2016 – when the current Commodore bows out – will be made in several other countries, including possible export destinations.Toyota Australia reportedly loses $2500 on every Camry it exports but offsets this loss on the almost 200,000 imported cars it sells locally. Holden recorded its lowest sales in 19 years in 2012, selling a little more than half the cars than did Toyota.Among those sacked by Holden last week was a department tasked with selling off and getting quotes for the sale or scrap of manufacturing tooling. However Holden said the quotes were for tooling for old models and not an indication of any plans to exit Australia.“As part of our normal business practices we have decommissioned some old stamping and press equipment. We will either sell or scrap those machines as per our normal process,” said Holden spokesman Sean Poppitt. Holden has previously gone public about redundancies of this size but instead workers in the affected areas were sent a text message to attend a group meeting at Holden’s Melbourne head office at 9am last Thursday, News Corp has learned.By the end of the day, workers were told in one-on-one exit interviews that they were being made redundant. Sacked workers have told News Corp that colleagues with 10 to 20 years of experience were let go and the purchasing department was among the hardest hit.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

A Bell Park single mother has been stranded after her secondhand car was repossessed because of a previous owner's debts – and because she failed to check the car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) herself. Checking a VIN reveals if any money is still owing on the car, for which the buyer may be liable.Nicole Kirby wants to warn other car buyers to carry out their own VIN checks after she was shown a false one by a private seller in June. Ms Kirby said she saved for six months to buy the Holden Commodore for $3000 from a family who had advertised it on the Geelong Online Sales Facebook page."He showed me a title check on his phone, which said it was clear (of finance plans) and I thought it was all good. I did a roadworthy and transferred it into my name. Then three months later, the repossession guys are at my door," she said.Ms Kirby was told by them an amount of $3000 was owing on the car, and lawyers and police have since told her she cannot fight the repossession. She can launch a civil case against the sellers but she does not know their address to serve the legal documents."It may not sound like much but to a single parent on a pension ... I worked hard to save that," the mother of two said. "The repossession guy was really nice and gave me until the end of the week but I'm still going to be stranded. Public transport near me doesn't go to where I need to go. I could taxi to the shops but it will add up."Ms Kirby said she was concerned others could be stung by the scam, and on a much larger scale. "You can't take anyone's word no matter how trustworthy they seem," she said. "I haven't slept all week I've been so stressed. I've accepted the car's going but I would not want anyone to go through what I've been through."To check a car’s title with a VIN, visit the revs.com.au website for information on the Personal Property Securities Register. 

Holden's car factory should be sold to -- or create an alliance with -- a Chinese company, says the industry expert who drafted the controversial plan that forced Holden, Toyota and Nissan to share their locally-made cars in the 1980s.Dr Nicholas Gruen, an economic policy adviser to two Federal Government ministers and a former head of a Productivity Commission Inquiry also said if Australian car manufacturing were shut down it's "not a catastrophe, it's unfortunate”."At the moment there is no question that the money we are throwing at the (car) industry will simply buy us one more model cycle before they exit the back door like a waiter with their tip,"Dr Gruen told Radio 2GB's Money News show on Wednesday night.He suggested the Australian manufacturing facilities owned by Holden and Ford should be sold to or have an alliance formed with a Chinese company."When you look at the assets of Holden and Ford it's pretty clear they've actually got the wrong owners. The (manufacturing) assets themselves are actually quite valuable,"said Dr Gruen, who is now the CEO of Lateral Economics, a government-lobbying firm."Consider a Chinese company which doesn't have a lot of design capability, many of them can't design a complete car and have no large car even on the drawing boards, this is actually a very good fit for them."Dr Gruen said the Federal Government "should have been saying to the American companies 'we are not going to give you this kind of money unless you can come up with some credible joint venture structure or phased handover which convinces us that this isn't good money after bad'.”Holden declined to comment on Dr Gruen's proposal but it is widely accepted that exports to China are unviable because it has among the cheapest labour and construction costs in the world and General Motors already has a large manufacturing foothold there.It is also difficult to determine what use an Australian factory would be to a Chinese car company given the high local labour costs. Ford Australia also declined to comment but News Corp understands Ford has not lined up a Chinese buyer for its factories in Broadmeadows and Geelong, which will be up for sale by October 2016.When asked what would happen if the new Coalition Government -- which has pledged to cut $500 million from industry funding -- put restrictions on taxpayer assistance, Dr Gruen said: "There is no greater danger other than the danger of them leaving and that's not a catastrophe, it's unfortunate.”Dr Gruen said governments needed to attach more conditions to any future handouts.  "We've already committed to throwing a fair bit of money at this industry for good or for bad, how can we can think about doing it in the most constructive way possible?"said Dr Gruen.Despite being pledged $5.4 billion in taxpayer funding over 10 years the Australian car manufacturing industry is on the brink since Ford announced it would close its factories in October 2016.The parts supply base that typically manufactures components for all three local car makers will need to survive on the outputs of Holden and Toyota once Ford closes. It means the industry will likely need more taxpayer assistance to make fewer parts and vehicles while employing fewer people.The local car industry is being crippled because Australia has high labour costs and a strong currency compared to other car-making countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Low import tariffs, meanwhile, have helped foreign cars crush the sales dominance of the locally-made Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore.Dr Gruen was the architect of the Button Plan, named after the late Labor Senator John Button, the minister for Commerce, Trade and Industry from 1983 to 1993 having been appointed by Prime Minister Bob Hawke.To prepare the Australian car manufacturing industry for impending cuts to import tariffs the Button Plan forced Holden, Toyota and Nissan to share locally-made cars and rationalise the number of models made from 13 to six.The Button Plan, drafted in 1983, came into effect in 1984 and continued until 1997. Over the 13 years it saw Holden Commodores badged as Toyotas and Nissan Pulsars and Toyota Corollas badged as Holdens.The Toyota Camry also briefly was sold as a Holden Apollo and the Ford Falcon ute was sold as a Nissan. The Button Plan eventually died because car-buyers weren't fooled by the new badges and preferred the models from the original manufacturers.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

A pre-loved workhorse joins the upper ranks in the protection stakes. It's getting harder to buy an unsafe car, even a used one. The latest Safe Picks survey includes, for the first time, a light-commercial -- the VE Commodore Ute.Yet its VE sedan counterpart scores only four stars due to the late inclusion of standard side airbags in the entry-level models during the early stages of the VE's life cycle.Ford's BA/BF Falcon and the VY/VZ Commodore scored similarly to the VE, but the FG Falcon scored the full five stars and a Safe Pick rating. Safe Picks, the work of road safety researchers and motoring organisations nationally, details more than 200 used vehicles between two and 17 years old.The top performers are listed as Safe Picks, which means occupants and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists are afforded the greatest protection.The ratings are calculated by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) using data from more than 5.5 million vehicles involved in police-reported crashes between 1996-2011.RAA spokesman Mark Borlace says the medium car segment has the most Safe Pick choices -- 13 vehicles are rated excellent for driver protection in a crash.Six of these also received the Safe Pick rating. Six small cars scored the Safe Pick rating, including the Adelaide-built Holden Cruze, as well as a growing number of light commercial vehicles.Top used cars (Five stars and Safe Pick)SMALL: Holden Cruze JG/JH 2009-11MEDIUM: BMW 3 Series 2005-11UTES: Holden Commodore Ute VE 2007-11LARGE CARS: BMW 5 Series E39 1996-2003COMPACT SUVs: Mitsubishi Outlander/Peugeot 4007 2006-11MEDIUM SUVs: Holden Captiva CG 2006-11LARGE SUVs: BMW X5 2001-08PEOPLE-MOVERS: Honda Odyssey 2004-09