Holden Commodore 2013 News

The sales success of the new Holden Commodore rests on the shoulders of mums and dads across Australia. Holden is targeting family buyers over fleets with the new model due in showrooms next month.Confidential dealer bulletins reveal Holden is offering bigger discounts to private customers than it is to fleets as it tries to revive interest in the Commodore, which was Australia’s top selling car for 15 years in a row but has slipped outside the top 10 in recent months.Government and fleet sales typically account for more than seven out of every 10 Commodores sold, but with the new model Holden is aiming for a 50:50 split with private buyers.“We’re not going to walk away from fleet sales but we do want to increase our share of private sales,” said Holden’s executive director of sales and marketing Philip Brook, speaking at a media preview in Canberra overnight.Fleet customers will still pay marginally less than private customers for each model, but the discounts are much smaller than before.A bulletin seen by News Limited shows the hidden discounts on secret pricing offered to fleets have been cut from $3500 to $1500, whereas the savings to private buyers are between $5000 and $10,000 off the RRP, depending on the model.The new Commodore range starts at $34,990, about $5000 less than before, but luxury and sports models have been slashed by up to $9800. Holden is hoping Commodore buyers will be attracted by the sharper prices, extra technology and improved fuel economy.As exclusively revealed by News Limited earlier this month, the new Holden Commodore V6 uses less fuel (8.3L/100km) than most versions of the four-cylinder Ford Falcon (8.5L/100km) and is almost as frugal as the Toyota Camry (7.8L/100km).The new VF Commodore, an extensive update of the “billion-dollar” VE Commodore released in 2006, is expected to be the last home-grown model. It is due to be replaced by a globally-developed front-drive sedan in 2016.Holden will attempt to tug on patriotic heartstrings and focus on the Commodore’s export to the US as a Chevrolet in advertising. But the company says it is not going to “guilt” people into buying a new Commodore just because it is made in Australia.“What we’re trying to do is reconnect people emotionally with the Holden brand and try to reignite passion in Australian consumers,” said Holden boss Mike Devereux at a media preview in Canberra overnight.“We want to … challenge people to think a little differently about Holden and change a lot of pre-conceptions about our brand. It is not about guilting people into buying Australian. It’s about … making people feel proud of what we can do in this country.”Holden expects sales of the Commodore to recover with the arrival of the new model, but stopped short of predicting whether it will ever regain its top-seller status.“We expect to sell more Commodores in the second half of the year,” said Brook. “But the market will determine how many we sell.”Holden says it has flexibility to increase production at the Elizabeth car factory if there is a rush on orders, even though output will be cut from 400 cars a day to 335 cars a day from August.The news comes as the new Holden Commodore was yesterday awarded five stars for safety even though the Australian version comes with six airbags, while the US export version will be equipped with eight. The knee airbags for the driver and front passenger are not available in Australia.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

The new Holden Commodore goes on sale in Australia today ahead of its showroom debut next month. As exclusively revealed by News Limited last weekend the sharp new pricing rolls back the cost of a new Commodore by more than a decade.The base model -- now called Evoke -- starts at $34,990 plus on-road costs, $5000 less than the outgoing Omega. The biggest savings are on the sports and luxury models, whose prices have been slashed by almost $10,000.The new pricing reflects the actual transaction prices Commodores have been selling for over the past few years, but now everyone will get a fairer deal, not just those inclined to haggle.The equipment list shows that every model -- including all sedans, wagons and utes -- will come with a rear view camera, front and rear sensors, self-parking technology, and Pandora and Stitcher apps embedded into the sound system, making it the best equipped vehicle line-up ever produced in Australia.Top models will also get a heads-up display which reflects the vehicle speed and other information into the driver’s line of sight, blind-zone warning, forward crash alert and a raft of other features.Holden says it has been able to cut the cost of the new VF Commodore because it is cheaper to build. It uses more parts sourced from General Motors’ global suppliers (primarily the electronic “platform” which runs the car, and key components such as steering wheels, indicator and wiper stalks and other interior items).The top-line Calais and SS models are available with a premium Bose sound system for the first time (it was previously exclusive to the Caprice). However, given that it was developed primarily for the US export version of the Commodore, the premium sound is not available on wagon or ute.In anticipation of new rules allowing the use of world-class ISOFIX child restraints in Australia, all Commodore sedans and wagons will come ready-fitted with the latch points (three across the back seat).Meanwhile Holden has reached a new low when it comes to the Commodore’s fuel consumption. Every model uses less fuel than its predecessor, largely thanks to an average weight loss of 43kg (due to the aluminium bonnet, boot and other parts) which brought each variant into a more favourable category for the Federal Government’s fuel economy test, which is done in laboratory conditions.According to dealer sources the new VF Commodore fuel economy sees the base model Evoke average 8.3L/100km, which is 23 per cent less than the VE Commodore Omega’s 10.9L/100km of seven years ago -- and only 0.3 L/100km more than its four-cylinder Malibu mid-size sedan.The new Commodore sedan is also more slippery through the air (to 0.31cD) thanks to the less pronounced wheel arches on the front fenders, and a more tapered rear end (which in fact makes the VF slightly longer than the VE on which it is based). The rear ends of the wagon and ute -- bumpers, tailgates and tail-lights -- are unchanged.Other subtle changes that helped economy on the base model Evoke sedan included the switch to an electric power steering system, a smaller differential, low friction oils and a recalibration of the engine’s fuel injection system. The 3.0-litre V6 has 5kW less power than before but it has more grunt from lower revs, which helps save fuel in commuter driving, in lieu of a stop-start idle system.The power and torque outputs of the 3.6-litre V6 and 6.0-litre V8 engines remain unchanged (as do the gearboxes and final drive ratios), but they have slightly lower fuel consumption figures in all models because of the weight reduction.Holden in fact cut 72.5kg from the sedan’s body but the net result was a 43kg saving because of the extra technology and features that were added, including extra noise-deadening material between the engine and the cabin, and felt lining in the wheel arches to reduce the noise of water spray on wet roads.Other highlights: all automatic models can be started remotely, before you get into the car. Introduced on the US export version of the Commodore in 2008, it’s designed to warm the cabin in winter or cool it in summer. Another simple innovation: the bootlid (now lighter as it’s made from aluminium) will spring all the way open at the press of a button, without the need for expensive electronics.The only thing the VF Commodore lacks that the US model gains is a seventh, knee airbag. As before, all Holden Commodores will come with six airbags. Holden says the seventh airbag was needed to meet US requirements, where some states still don’t mandate seatbelt use. To make it easy to follow all the key changes, Carsguide has compiled a walk-up of the full model range, including sedan, wagon and ute.Holden VF Commodore: the line-upEvoke3.0-litre V6 engine6 airbagsStability control16-inch alloy wheels (sedan and wagon only)Dual-zone air-conditioning8-inch colour touchscreen6-speaker sound system with Pandora and Stitcher embedded appsElectric power steeringElectric park brakeRear view cameraFront and rear parking sensorsSelf parking technologyCalais (same equipment as Evoke, plus…)3.6-litre V6 engineLeather seats8-way electric adjustment on driver’s seat18-inch alloy wheelsChrome window trimDaytime running lightsColour driver information screen8-speaker sound systemKeyless entrySide blind-zone alertReverse Traffic AlertOption: NavigationCalais V (same equipment as Calais, plus…)Rain sensing wipers8-way electric adjustment on passenger seat19-inch alloy wheelsHeated front seatsLane departure warningForward Collision AlertHeads-Up DisplayNavigationBose sound system (sedan only)Sunroof (sedan only)Option: V8 engineSV6 (same equipment as Evoke, plus…)3.6-litre V6 engineFront and rear sports bumpers18-inch alloy wheelsDaytime running lightsCloth sports seatsBootlid spoilerSide blind-zone alertReverse Traffic AlertOptions: Navigation, sunroof (sedan only), wing spoiler (sedan only), leather upholsterySS (same equipment as SV6, plus…)V8 engineOptions: Navigation, sunroof (sedan only), wing spoiler (sedan only), leather upholsterySS-V (same equipment as SS, plus…)Leather upholstery19-inch alloys wheelsNavigationSensor keyFront Fog lampsColour driver information screen8-speaker sound systemFootwell lampsOptions: Wing spoiler (sedan only), sunroof (sedan only), Bose sound system (sedan only)SS-V Redline (same as SS-V, plus…)Brembo brakes19-inch forged alloy wheelsHeads-up displayForward Collision AlertLane Departure WarningFE3 suspensionBose sound system (sedan only)Sunroof (sedan only)Option: Wing spoiler (sedan only)

Online bookmaker Sportsbet is having another dabble at predicting the unpredictable tastes of Australian new-car buyers. After last year opening the betting for Australia’s top-selling car, it has now turned its attention to top-selling car brands. At the centre of the latest campaign is whether Holden will still be inside the top three sellers by the end of 2013 -- after it was knocked off the podium for the first time ever, by Nissan in February and Hyundai in March. Holden returned to the top three sellers in April, ranking second behind Toyota and ahead of Mazda, but it is third when the year-to-date tally is calculated. Sportsbet is paying $1.50 for Holden to finish second, $2.50 to finish third, $6 for fourth, and $13 for fifth or lower. For the true diehards, the bookie is offering $26 if Holden knocks off Toyota, market leader for the past 10 years in a row and which last month outsold second and third-place manufacturers combined. “It appears unlikely that Holden will boot Toyota from the top spot, priced as a $26 long shot,” says a statement from Sportsbet. But it adds that Holden is likely to recover later in the year with the arrival of the sharper priced VF Commodore, the Trax compact SUV and other models. “Currently holding on to third position, Holden’s sales are expected to accelerate with an aggressive new pricing strategy and finish second in the ranks, priced as the $1.50 market favourite. With sizeable price cuts set to be introduced on new Holden models, the market suggests that prospective car buyers will stay loyal to the Aussie carmaker, and boost Holden’s ranking to second.” This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling  

I didn't know until this week that Lang Lang is at the heart of asparagus growing in Australia. For me, it's always been about new Holdens. I've been trekking south from Melbourne to the Holden proving ground for more than 30 years to get behind the wheel of the red lion's latest and greatest, from the very first Commodore - which one colleague managed to plant on its roof - through to what is now looking like the very last. I can still remember my surprise when I first took to the ride-and-handling course and discovered a piece of long, straight, undulating road that felt strangely familiar. "It should feel familiar. It's the Federal Highway into Canberra," laughed the then-spokesman for Holden, Marc McInnes. "That hairpin down there is out the back of Fishermans Bend. When the engineers find something they like, they survey it and bring it back here." All the best proving grounds have a direct connection to the real world, like the Lexus facility in Japan that has the actual piece of cobblestoned Belgian road discovered by engineers searching for the ultimate suspension test. It was ripped up, one numbered piece at a time, before being shipped to Hokkaido and re-assembled like a giant jigsaw. In the case of Lang Lang, Holden has built a network of roads that runs from a bone jarring ‘shaker' course through long stretches of slippery gravel to the high-speed bowl where I once cracked 300km/h in a hotrod Porsche 911. But that's another story. I've ridden the roads with some great drivers, from Peter Brock and Larry Perkins to Holden's guru test driver Rob Trubiani, and always learned something new. In the case of the VB Commodore, I learned - as the Holden engineers did, soon afterwards - that tuning the car just to conquer Lang Lang made it way too wayward for the real world outside the front gates. It was made less edgy in double-quick time. This time around, I cannot talk yet about the latest chapter in the Commodore story. But I can tell you I wasn't thinking about asparagus as I slipped behind the wheel of the VF for the first time. This reporter is on Twitter @paulwardgover  

Plans are being hatched for the SS V8 to live on beyond the lifespan of the upcoming VF Commodore, which now is just around the corner, provided that performance-car fans in the USA and Australia are still prepared to pay.Holden admits it could continue with a low-volume VF SS on its production line in Adelaide after the cut-off date for the current Commodore, which is set to be replaced by an international model with local tweaking.That would mean three models in the same factory, with the compact Cruze running alongside the SS and the new car. "We are considering all options going forward but won't discuss specifics at this stage," the chairman of Holden, Mike Devereux, admits to Carsguide this week.But one of his predecessors as Holden boss, Mark Reuss, believes a long-term SS is possible if export demand for the car is as strong as expected in the USA. Reuss led the push to take the SS to America as a Chevrolet - as well as Chevy's NASCAR racing spearhead - and also knows what is possible at the Holden factory in Elizabeth."We can sell this for as long as we can make it and sell it," Reuss, who know heads General Motors in the USA, says of the rear-wheel drive muscle car. He is a long-term fan of the Commodore SS and knows the pulling power it has in Australia, as well as its potential to bring buyers to Chevrolet dealerships in the USA."What if we have a really cool, loyal buyer base? What if we had that? What if it becomes the reason to go into a Chevrolet dealership?", Reuss says."What if we say we're not going to do it any more and there is an uproar saying that we want these? What if that happens, what would you do?"The decision for an ongoing SS does not have to be made for some time, probaby not until 2015, but Reuss is already keen to find a way to keep the Commodore going. "I think that is a pretty good idea," he says."You need another body shop to keep it going, so what? There are two body shops in a place people said we could only have one, they said we couldn't do it but we did do it."It is paid for, it's all there."This reporter is on Twitter @paulwardgover  

The Holden-built hero will begin shipping soon from Adelaide and goes on sale as the home-grown Commodore in April across Australia. We've already revealed the SS-V that is closest to the new American muscle car, as well as the news that buyers in the USA will pay a fair amount less for their car than people at home. The first official pictures of the export SS Performance confirm the car has a number of different body bits, as well as signature 'bowtie' Chevy badges, which will appeal to Commodore owners who want to make their car just a little bit different. I've lost count of the number of Commodores I've seen over the years, mostly utes and dual-cab Crewman pick-ups, with their Holden badges ripped off and replaced by Chevrolet items. This time around, Chevrolet has already delivered even-better bragging rights through a first-up NASCAR win and pole position at the Daytona 500 with its SS - a spot taken by Danica Patrick in a landmark success for women drivers everywhere. It's all adding up to an irresistible bait for buyers who can get their hands on the Chevy badges and bits. I've already seen the enthusiasm for the Chevrolet connection with a number of tasty offers for a Chevrolet SS tee shirt that I got at the early press review of the NASCAR racer. Not that I intend to part with a piece of history ... It might take a while before the latest SS badges are available, but I have a friend who has tapped into the demand for wide-angle VE Commodore door mirrors, bringing the bits back during business trips to the USA. Mark Reuss, the former head of Holden who now leads General Motors in the USA, also sees the potential for a bit of back-trading on the badges and body bits once the VF is ready for the road and a bit of customisation. "Why didn't I think of that? It could be a good business," he laughs when I mention the potential for a bit of reverse exporting. This reporter is on Twitter @paulwardgover  

Holden has released pictures of the cargo-carrying versions of the VF Commodore range – and we can now see why Holden hid them for a week or so after the much-hyped sedan launch. They don’t get as much of a makeover as the sedan.Contrary to widespread misguided speculation, the VF Commodore wagon and ute do not get a new rear-end appearance; they’re the same as before. In fact, from behind, it will be almost impossible to distinguish the new models from the old ones.Even the badges are the same as before, with Holden electing not to adopt the new, sleeker “SS” logo fitted to the Chevrolet export models.The tail-lights and rear bumpers on the VF Commodore wagon and ute are the same as the previous model because Holden couldn’t justify the significant investment in new ones.Wagon and ute sales have dropped by more than half in the past 10 years (from 17,000 ute sales in 2003 to 7900 in 2012).An insider has revealed that new tail-lights for each model would cost up to $1 million per set to redesign, retool and retest for Australian regulations, bringing the bill to $2 million dollars before adding the cost of new rear bumper moulds.Another contributing factor: Holden’s decision to design unique rear lights for the wagon and the ute for the first time ever on the VE Commodore – since the VN Commodore of 1990, all Commodore wagons and utes had shared the same rear lamps.Had the wagon and ute shared the exact same part at VE, perhaps Holden could have justified the investment in one new set. But the VE Commodore range was designed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, during the Commodore’s sales peaks and when the car could do no wrong.But there is some good news. Although only the eagle-eyed might notice, the photos show the SS-V ute gets factory-fit rear parking sensors for the first time. And the appearance of Brembo front brakes indicates there will be an SS-V Redline edition in the VF Commodore range.Other information that’s come to light:- a rear view camera is likely to be standard on most ute models for the first time (it wasn’t even an option on VE);- the ute will miss out on the Bose sound system, even on the high grade models;- all VF Commodore models will come with seven airbags (now that a driver’s knee airbag has been added);- all SS Commodore models get the same 6.0-litre V8 as before (not the 6.2 LS3 V8 fitted to export models, the same distinction was made between the Pontiac G8 GXP and the SS in 2009).Holden used the release of ute and wagon pictures to talk about some of the testing it has done with the VF Commodore range.The media statement said Holden engineers will conduct more than 1.4 million kilometres of local and overseas validation testing – including Sweden, North America and the Middle East – before the first VF Commodore reaches Holden showrooms, including 350,000km of “customer verification” testing of early production models by Holden employees in the coming months.Translated: if you live in Melbourne you might see dozens of VF Commodores on the road before they’re in showrooms in June.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

I stumbled across a case this week at Daytona Beach in the United States of all places where GM was launching the brand new Chevy SS sports sedan. Nothing ironic about that, apart from the fact it's a Holden through and through and the first Chevrolet in two decades to have rear-wheel drive, something of an asset in the world of motor sport. The launch comes at a time when the future of Holden's homegrown product, the rear-wheel drive Commodore hangs in the balance. Sales continue to fall, it has been outsold by the smaller Cruze for more than a year and will most likely be replaced sooner than later by a front-wheel drive Chevrolet, built on the same production line that currently produces Commodores and badged as a Commodore. Now that's what I call ironic. We were in Daytona for the famous Daytona 500 stock car race where the new Chevy SS, the soon to be launched Commodore VF in Chevy clothing was getting ready to make its race debut. Described by GM heavyweight Mark Reuss as a four-door Corvette, the V8 powered SS represents yet another opportunity for Holden to prop up declining sales of Commodore which have plunged more than 60 per cent over the past few years. It follows in the footsteps of other Holden hopefuls, exported to the US under the defunct Pontiac badge, as well as the long wheelbase Caprice that has scored limited success, supplied in dribs and drabs as a patrol car to police forces across the country. Holden is hoping to export at least 5000 Chevrolet SSs a year, designed and built right here in Australia but powered by a 6.2-litre V8 instead of the standard Holden 6.0-litre unit. It's the same engine that powers the current Corvette hero car, which is likely to be a big drawcard for Americans. In Australia, the 6.2-litre LS3 engine is reserved for Holden's high performance, HSV line of vehicles. Where previous efforts have faltered, Reuss, who once ran the Holden franchise in Australia, believes this time they've got it right, with an SS that is a premium product based on the top of the range Calais V and priced accordingly although that price is yet to be revealed. What's all this mean for Australia? Perhaps a stay of execution for the Commodore as we know it. Holden has confirmed the name will live on, but not necessarily on the back of a car designed and built in Australia. In 2015, it is planning to introduce a new Cruze based on a new platform. Two years later, a second new "global" platform will be added but it is not saying at this stage what vehicle that will support. In the meantime, Holden has expanded its body production facilities. Some punters are suggesting that it has the capacity to continue building a rear-drive car, perhaps even a range of performance-focused vehicles alongside the new ones much the same as Nissan has been doing for some time with some of its models of late. As long as there is a demand for the car, Holden will continue to build the Commodore, Reuss says. The extra demand generated by sales of the Chevrolet SS can only help. Reuss concedes the project is a bit of an experiment, but one about which they are passionate. Almost as soon as they started work on the VF Commodore, he says they started planning the Chevrolet. Resources from both GM and Holden were poured into the project, resulting in a better car all round -- in the case of Commodore the best yet if you believe the spin doctors. A prerequisite of the plan was that the car had to have the ability to compete on the race track as a stock car, in a field dominated these days by a swarm of front-wheel drive vehicles. Reuss says it is crucial to have a car racing in front of the public that is as close to stock as possible, that Americans can go out and actually buy. The success of one could well be the saviour of the other, particularly in Australia where Holden sold just 30,000 Commodores last year 40,000 if you count exports. "I'd love to tell you this is going to run until 2020 in Australia. I'd love say that but we haven't sold one car yet," Reuss said. Chevrolet on the other hand was America's best-selling performance brand last year, with Camaro and Corvette accounting for one in three sports cars sold in the United States. The man in the street is pretty excited about the cool new Chevy -- perhaps we should be too? (Check even the cleaner at our hotel owns a bloody Camaro).  

Due for launch in June, the new VF Commodore will get seven, instead of the current six airbags, with the addition of an extra knee airbag to protect the driver's knees and lower legs in the unfortunate event of an accident.Holden sources have revealed the seventh bag is an integral part of the car's underlying architecture and as such so it will also be included in the Commodore when it arrives. In the past, other manufacturers including Holden pulled airbags out of their cars before bringing them to Australia to save costs.The Holden Barina springs to mind sold as the Sonic is in the States where it is equipped with 10 airbags - despite this it still gets five stars from ANCAP here. The extra knee bag is in addition to the usual front, side and curtain airbags, which along with electronic traction and stability control.It will give Commodore's a leg up over main competitor Falcon which is equipped with only six airbags. Other safety features listed in the sales brochure for the 2014 Chevrolet SS include forward collision alert, lane departure warning, blind spot alert and a reversing camera that warns the driver of traffic approaching from behind on either side of the car.However, it's not clear at this stage whether all or any of these features will be included in the Australian car - or at least not in the entry level Commodore. It should be borne in mind that the Chevrolet SS which is a Commodore in Chevy clothing is based on the top of the range Calais V model.GM's North America boss Mark Reuss, who once ran the Holden franchise in Australia, describes the Chevrolet as a cross between an HSV and a Commodore - more like the long wheelbase HSV Grange which he drove in Australia than any other model.Designed and marketed as a premium V8 performance sedan, it comes with the larger 6.2-litre V8 from HSV - not the standard 6.0-litre unit that powers V8 Commodores. It's also fitted with sports suspension and rides on big, 19 inch alloys and chunky 245/40 and 275/35 series rubber front and back, along with high performance Brembo brakes up front.Automatic parking is also standard on the Chevy, along with an large 8 inch touch screen computer and premium 9-speaker Bose audio. All of these features will probably be available in Australia, apart from XM Radio and GM's OnStar satellite communications system which are listed in the brochure - just don't expect them in the standard Commodore.This journalist is on Twitter: @IamChrisRiley 

Move over Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, the homegrown Holden Commodore has hit the big time in the USA. Australia’s favourite sedan was unveiled as a Chevrolet at Daytona Speedway overnight, and is due to make its first Nascar appearance this weekend in the hands of superstars Jeff Gordon and Danica Patrick and 14 other top-level drivers.The Commodore is also guaranteed to lead the Nascar field in its first ever outing – as the pace car for the Daytona 500, the season opener and the biggest Nascar race of the year, with crowds of up to 250,000 people on race day.The former boss of Holden Mark Reuss – who hatched the plan to revive the Commodore’s export program and put it in front of one of the world’s biggest sport TV audiences – unveiled the car in an airport hangar behind the famous motor speedway. “I’ve been working on this deal since my first month back here in 2009,” Reuss, now the boss of General Motors in North America, told News Limited. “It might not be the biggest export deal for Holden, but it is the most significant to date. It’s the best example yet of Holden’s capability, and gives Chevrolet a type of car it has never had.”The Commodore is Chevrolet’s first V8 performance sedan in 17 years, and is loaded with technology never seen before on its other models. Reuss revealed that the reason the new Commodore has so much technology – including several firsts for Chevrolet such as self parking, a heads-up display and a crash alert system – is because North America pushed for it. “We needed it on our car, so the Holden had to have it. It’s a win for both of us,” Reuss said.Chevrolet has modest sales expectations for the new Commodore, which goes on sale in the US in November after its Australian showroom debut in June. But Reuss is quietly confident it will become Chevrolet’s “hero car”.“This is a hero car for the whole Chevrolet brand,” Reuss said. “We’ve said before that we expect to sell about 5000 a year, but we have 3000 dealers across the country. So it shouldn’t be too hard to top that.”The Chevrolet SS looks the same as the Commodore SS but has a different badge and a bigger, more powerful V8 engine. It has the same high-performance 6.2-litre LS3 V8 engine found in the Corvette and local Holden Special Vehicles models.In US trim, the Chevrolet SS has a power output of 309kW and 563Nm (compared to the maximum output of 325kW and 550Nm from the HSV GTS), the same as when it was sold as the Pontiac G8 GXP in 2009.Shipments of the Commodore to North America as a Chevrolet are due to begin in November. It marks the brand’s fourth attempt at an export program to the world’s second-biggest car market.In 2004 and 2005 Holden shipped 31,500 Monaros as a Pontiac GTO – more than twice the number of Monaros sold locally over four years.About 41,000 Commodores were shipped as Pontiacs between November 2007 and February 2009, almost equivalent to Holden’s annual sales of Commodore at the time. But the deal ended when the Pontiac brand was axed after the restructure of General Motors in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis.Holden began to export the Caprice limousine to North America as a police car in early 2011. It has shipped about 6000 to date – more than double the number of Caprices sold locally over the same period.Reuss indicated Holden could keep building the new VF Commodore beyond the 2016 deadline – if US demand takes off. “That’s a champagne problem to have. I’m sure the guys at Holden can find a way to keep building it if they had to. General Motors and the guys at Holden can be very resourceful.”This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling