Holden Commodore 2013 News

The fuse was lit in Las Vegas when Chevrolet unveiled its competition clone of the Holden hero as the Chevrolet SS. Strip away the numbers and racing warpaint and you see the road-going SS, which is also the VF for Australia and a future export winner with up to 10,000 sales a year. The look is bolder than today, with much more body contouring and an aggressive nose, but no-one is confirming how much of the NASCAR racing package - including its wildly flared guards - will be transferred to the road. The SS road car will go public at Daytona in Florida in February, then Holden will race VF-bodied V8 Supercars from March, the VF is scheduled for sale in April, and exports of the SS to the USA begin in the third quarter of 2013. "If you think Australians don't have influence, look at the SS," Mark Reuss, the former head of Holden who is now GM's chief of North American operations, tells Carsguide. "We're keeping Holden in mind. They're driving this. It's their project." The SS could easily become a major export winner for Holden and Australia, based on the plan for the car and previous success with the Pontiac G8. It was just getting good traction when Pontiac was killed as part of General Motors' bankruptcy proceedings. The SS is set as a premium performance car, will only be sold as a fully-loaded V8, and will be channeled through the much larger Chevrolet dealer network of 3000 outlets. "The Holden brand is one of our jewels. We're all fully supportive here," says Reuss. "Its future is very bright. But it will be ever-evolving, because if it says the same then it will be out of date." There is nothing outdated about the SS racers in Vegas, as they will help lead a major change in 2013 in the NASCAR oval-track series. "We've putting the stock back in stock car racing," Reuss says. He was the one who convinced NASCAR to change the regulations back to bodies that are more like regular road cars for the coming season, using the Chevrolet SS - although we prefer the Commodore handle - as part of the bait. He promised GM would bring a homologated road car, complete with V8 engine and rear-wheel drive, to showrooms if NASCAR tweaked its rules. When that happened, it opened the doors for the VF Commodore. So the heartbeat of America - Chevy's slogan - is now officially Australian. One of Chevrolet's champion racers, Tony Stewart, has been to Australia three times and even plans to put a Maloo ute into his garage. "How do I feel about racing a Holden? Real good," Stewart tells Carsguide. "I've been a fan of the brand since I first raced in Australia in 1995. I'm going to have one of these as a road car, real soon." Reuss refuses to give any detail on the mechanical package of the SS-VF, beyond admitting the V8 engine and rear drive. But the arrival of the SS signals an old-fashioned approach to motor racing that should work well for Holden, particularly with its Car of the Future fleet set to run VF bodywork from the Clipsal 500 meeting in Adelaide in March. “When you win races, it lifts the whole brand’s image. Opinions get better and people put you on your shopping list faster,” says Jim Campbell, GM vice-president of performance vehicles and motorsports. “There’s the old adage if you win on Sunday you sell on Monday. It just depends on which Monday, it might be a week, a month, or a year, but you’ve got to earn it.”      

The Chevrolet NASCAR unveiled in Las Vegas overnight has given Australian car buyers their biggest clue yet to the appearance of the new-look Holden Commodore due next year. The NASCAR clearly shows the Commodore will adopt a sleeker look in its headlights and grille, and a pronounced bulge in its bonnet. The Commodore looks like it is also poised to adopt front fender vents similar to some Jaguar models -- and the Holden Special Vehicles performance car brand. The tail-lights will be larger than those illustrated on the NASCAR (they're stickers, not functional) and the bootlid will have a similar edge to it as the BMW 7 Series. "We are not going to discuss any more details on the Holden Commodore or the Chevrolet SS today," said the former boss of Holden Mark Reuss, now the boss of General Motors in North America, who unveiled the car in Las Vegas this morning. "We will show you the road car at Daytona speed week . You will have to wait until then." That means Australian car buyers will get to see the new Holden Commodore four months before production at Adelaide is due to commence, giving Holden dealers the added headache of selling a car when buyers know a new model is around the corner. But at least Australians will be first to get behind the wheel. The Holden Commodore is due to return to North America as a Chevrolet in the second half of 2013, a few months after it arrives in Australian showrooms. In North America, it will be sold as a V8-only "Performance SS" model. Holden, meanwhile, will reduce the variety of Commodore models it offers in the new line-up, giving preference to sports and luxury versions. General Motors has not confirmed what engine will power the export version, but it is expected to have the same 6.2-litre LS3 V8 fitted to the Corvette sports car and the HSV vehicles sold in Australia. The Commodore was first sold in North America between 2007 and 2009 but the export deal collapsed after General Motors folded the Pontiac brand in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. GM thinks the Commodore will have a better chance at export success the second time around because Chevrolet is a more high profile brand and it has a stronger dealer network.  

That's the incredible significance of the unveiling of the upcoming VF Commodore as the Chevrolet SS in Las Vegas this morning.The SS will be Chevrolet's frontline race weapon in the NASCAR oval-track racing series and will also become a showroom car in the third quarter of next year with the potential to build an export business that's way bigger than Holden managed in the days when it was exporting the Pontiac G8 to the USA.This time around, around 3000 Chevrolet dealers - who operate under the slogan 'Heartbeat of America' - will be selling the SS as the brand's V8-powered performance flagship. "The new SS won't be mistaken for any other car. It bears a striking resemblance to the road car," says Mark Reuss, formerly chairman of Holden and now president of GM North America, at the unveiling of the Nascar racer."We've putting the stock back in stock car racing." Reuss warns against reading too much into the appearance of the SS racer and its impact on the upcoming VF Holden, but confirms that the shape of the race car - especially its wildly flared guards, bulging bonnet and sculpted sides - will be reflected in the SS.The Holden name was only used once in the press preview of the SS in Las Vegas but its importance is not lost on former NASCAR champion Tony Stewart, who has raced in Australia three times since the 1990s in dirt-track cars. "How do I feel about racing a Holden? Real good," Stewart tells Carsguide."I've been a fan of the brand since I first raced in Australia in 1995. I'm going to have one of these as a road car, real soon." The Chevrolet SS road car will be revealed in February at Daytona in the lead-up to the start of the 2013 NASCAR season, two months before the expected on-sale date of the VF Commodore in Australia. 

Though the upcoming VF Holden Commodore – in the form of its 2014 Chevrolet SS sibling -- won’t be revealed until the Daytona 500 next February, we’ll get a good preview of its styling next month with the reveal of the Chevrolet SS NASCAR race car that will be tackling the 2013 Sprint Cup Series.The new Chevrolet SS NASCAR Sprint Cup race car, which so far has only been seen in full camouflage mode, is expected to be revealed on November 29 at a special event hosted at the Wynn Las Vegas.Chevrolet is the last brand to unveil its new race car for the 2013 Sprint Cup Series, whose regulations were altered to allow designers of the race cars to make them more closely resemble the road cars they represent.What isn’t shared with the production model is pretty much everything under the skin. All NASCAR Sprint Cup challengers feature a tube frame chassis packing a V-8 engine sending drive to the rear wheels.The Chevrolet SS NASCAR Sprint Cup car will be competing alongside racing versions of the Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry.www.motorauthority.com 

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class will start at $35,600 plus on-road costs when it arrives in local showrooms in March - compared to the RRP of $39,990 for the basic fleet version of the Commodore sedan.In yet another grim sign of the competition facing locally-made cars, the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatch will also come with more equipment and better fuel economy than what was once Australia’s favourite car.The new baby Benz comes standard with nine airbags (to the Commodore’s tally of six), crash avoidance technology, a rear view camera and tyres that will never go flat, even when punctured. It will also be easy on the wallet at the petrol pump: sipping just 5.8L/100km - about one-third less than the most efficient Commodore.The miserly Merc will also have longer service intervals - requiring a visit to the dealer once a year or every 25,000km (whichever comes first), compared to nine months or every 15,000km for the Holden Commodore."The economy is doing well, the personal savings of Australians are at an all-time high … and now we have a car that’s within the reach of families and young buyers," said Horst von Sanden, managing director of Mercedes-Benz Australia passenger cars. "In Europe, families drive this type of car and if you look at small-car sales here, Australians are also embracing this trend. People are asking: ‘how big does my car need to be’?”Interest in Mercedes’ new cut-price model is so strong the company air-freighted three models for display at the Sydney Motor Show, which opens this Friday. "It’s early days but we estimate about half of buyers will never have owned a Mercedes before," he said. Not everything about the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class is cheap, though. Metallic paint adds $1190 to the price. On a Holden it is $550.

The Daytona 500-mile is the most prestigious event in Nascar Sprint Cup and Commodores – rebadged as Chevrolet SS racers – will take pride of place in the GM world when they tackle the punishing event. Well, that’s not quite right, motorsport followers are well aware that every car competing in Nascar has exactly the same body shape. Stickers with name badges, headlights and grilles are attached to make them look like the cars they are named for. The strict rules Nascar rules are aimed at making the racing close, noisy and eventful. Crowds numbering in the hundreds of thousand love the format. Holden has just announced the new VF Commodore will be exported to the USA in late 2013, being sold over there as the new Chevrolet SS high-performance sedan. As part of the promotion of the Chevrolet SS the nameplate will be used on the Nascar racers. This will be the first time in 17 years that Chevrolet will sell a rear-wheel-drive sedan in the US, the company has been promoting front-wheel-drive in the meantime. Mark Reuss, GM President of North America, and one time president of Holden in Australia, said that as a passionate race fan and performance car enthusiast he was thrilled with the announcement. “I am delighted to say that Chevrolet will deliver a true rear-wheel-drive Nascar racecar in the SS that very closely links the performance sedan that will be available for sale,” Reuss said. “The Chevrolet SS is a great example of how GM is able to leverage its global product portfolio to deliver a unique performance experience that extends well beyond the track and I am personally looking forward to driving it.” Holden’s executive director of engineering, Greg Tyus, said Chevrolet and its customers would benefit from Holden’s proven expertise in developing and manufacturing rear-wheel drive cars. Mr Tyus said, "We were responsible for the design and engineering of the Chevrolet Camaro, VE Commodore was sold as the Pontiac G8 and we are currently exporting the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle – so we understand the needs of the North American market." Despite the difficulties of trading in the current economic environment, Holden vehicle exports were up 54 per cent in 2011 compared to 2010. "Today's announcement shows that we can, and will, continue to pursue targeted, profitable export programs that add value to Holden and GM. “We continue to export our engineering and design capability around the GM world and we have significant vehicle export programs to the Middle East, New Zealand and North America. Mr Tyus went on to say, “I’m incredibly proud of the talent we have here at Holden to design, engineer and build performance vehicles that appeal to both local and overseas markets and the new VF Commodore will be no different. Our expertise in this arena is second to none and highlights the flexibility of Holden’s Elizabeth manufacturing operations. It's great to have secured this new export program that will continue to support our plant." The VF Commodore won’t be an all-new car, but a major revamp of the current VE series. It had been intended for the VF to have all new sheet metal when it launch date was set as 2012, but the GFC and the severe financial problems experienced by General Motors meant the budget simply wasn’t available. Instead, the VF is likely to share the central part of its body with the VE Commodore, but have new front and rear ends. Whether this goes as far as replacement front and rear guards is simply a matter of speculation. Our feeling is that they will be, perhaps even with the use of aluminium the front guards and bonnet to reduce weight. Changes to the style, front and rear, will not only be aimed at a fresh new appearance but also at improved aerodynamics to help the VF cleave the air more cleanly. Expect heavily revised engines that have significantly lower fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Similarly, automatic transmissions may receive taller gearing and electronics designed to chase lower engine speeds for given car speeds. Low rolling resistance tyres may be part of the package. We also anticipate an all-new interior look, or at least a heavily revised one.  

The Adelaide-built VF Commodore sedan is destined to return to the sizeable US automotive market from late 2013. It will join the Chevrolet family as the SS Performance model, alongside the Holden Caprice that's already on US soil as a police vehicle. The company's executive director of engineering Greg Tyus says it will be a limited production derivative of the upcoming VF Commodore, designed, engineered and built by Holden giving the Chevrolet brand a new rear-wheel drive performance sedan for the first time in 17 years. "The Chevrolet SS will be their new top-of-the-range rear wheel drive high performance sedan and as such will become Chevrolet's next NASCAR racecar and will debut next year at the Indy 500," he says. The Holden announcement was short on drivetrain, pricing or model line-up details but the VF Commodore will be engineered for better fuel economy and lighter kerb weight - including a larger percentage of high-tensile hot-pressed body parts sourced from Australian suppliers. Mr Tyus says the US performance model wouldn't involve major changes at the company's Elizabeth manufacturing facility - or any increase in workforce size - but he would not speculate on Sportwagon or Ute models joining the SS Performance sedan in the US. The VE Commodore Ute was up for export to the US when the Pontiac brand was selling the Commodore as a G8 sedan - even having design elements in place to pass US regulations and undergoing climate testing for that region - but the demise of the Pontiac program halted that. "Despite the fact that exports in today's economic conditions are tough, we can and will continue to pursue targeted and profitable export programs." "Holden has a great track record of producing performance cars for GM, the design and engineering of the Chevrolet Camaro, the VE Commodore and the Pontiac G8, we're currently exporting the Caprice police patrol vehicle," Mr Tyus says. Despite slow police patrol vehicle sales in the US, Mr Tyus says there is a lot of demand from "a different segment" for the higher-spec performance sedan, which also has supporters in high places. Former Holden bosses Mark Reuss and Alan Batey are now both high up the GM North America tree - Reuss is now GM North America President and Alan Batey was recently been appointed to the newly-created position of GM vice president, U.S. Sales and Service, reporting to Reuss. Mr Reuss says he was thrilled with the announcement. "I am delighted to say that Chevrolet will deliver a true rear-wheel-drive NASCAR racecar in the SS that very closely links the performance sedan that will be available for sale," Reuss says. "The Chevrolet SS is a great example of how GM is able to leverage its global product portfolio to deliver a unique performance experience that extends well beyond the track and I am personally looking forward to driving it," he says. Mr Tyus says Holden's track record in producing the Chevrolet and the now-defunct Pontiac G8 had generated support for Holden to produce another car. "There was a lot of clamouring for us to do something after that, in terms of our track record we're known for performance rear-wheel drive sedans and we anticipate that will continue," he says. Holden had already sent more than 30,000 G8 sedans and sold more than 40,000 re-badged Monaros - sold as Pontiac GTOs - over a four year stint from 2002. Holden has exported around 750,000 vehicles around the world in the five decades since it first loaded a boat full of FJs and sent them to New Zealand in 1954. The VE-based Pontiac G8 sedan export program came to a halt in 2009 with more than 36,000 G8s built in Adelaide and sent to the US.  

The updated bodywork developed to refresh and revitalise the struggling star is already locked for customer deliveries by May 2013, but could be fast-tracked onto noses and tail of the Holden heroes for the start of next year's touring car season in March. Race teams are pushing for an early go-ahead from Holden headquarters at Fishermans Bend to save them building two sets of bodywork for the new Car of the Future regulations that come into force for V8 Supercar racing early next year. "Why would we build one body for the start of the year and then have to change it two or three months later?", one of Holden's pit lane leaders asks Carsguide. But an early switch could work against Holden's carefully-crafter sales plans, creating a buyer strike during the runout of the current VE as shoppers wait for the updated model. The VF will look significantly different, with major changes to the front and rear ends of the bodywork although nothing is likely to change in the central glasshouse. That means the undersized external rear-vision mirrors are expected to continue their unpopular run. But there will be major improvements to comfort and cabin quality, as well as the overall refinement of the car, even though Holden is still stonewalling on its work. "You'll have to wait and see," is the only answer from Holden's spokesperson, Emily Perry, to a string of Carsguide questions. But there is an even bigger question mark over the VF Commodore, with rumours from the USA that a re-badged Holden cold be sold there as the Chevrolet SS. General Motors chiefs admit that they will have an all-new car as their racing star in the 2013 Nascar racing series and the company has registered SS as the badge. But Chevrolet insiders are downplaying any chance of an Aussie-led invasion of the stock car series - which is second only to Formula One as a worldwide motorsport drawcard - pointing to the strength of the Australian dollar as a major negative for any potential export program. Holden's existing push for police car sales with a specially-adapted long-wheelbase Caprice has been hit very hard by the car's price, even though it is a favourite with police forces trialing it against rivals from Ford and Chrysler. Holden refuses to talk numbers, but the cop car program has resulted in less than one-tenth of the original sales target.  Even so, the Commodore worked well in the 'states as the Pontiac G8 until the brand was closed when General Motors went into bankruptcy protection and a Chevrolet SS would be likely to have the support of the two top executives in the USA - Mark Reuss and Alan Batey - who where the president and sales chief at Holden before being promoted to big jobs across the Pacific.  

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''.