Holden Commodore 2014 News

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  

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  

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 

Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux said the company was building a world-class car for local and export markets. "The VF represents a sea-change in terms of the type of vehicle we can create in this country, it's a class above anything that we've ever done or has ever been done in this country, we're very proud that you can export things from Australia - they have to be world-class and this fantastic manufacturing facility and the team that put the VF together have delivered on that," he said. The car is being unveiled well before it goes on sale in June as the export version - the Chevrolet SS - is being revealed in the US tomorrow. The export model, which supplies the body aesthetics for the Chevrolet NASCAR competitor, will debut at the upcoming Daytona 500, unveiled by former Holden boss, now GM North America president Mark Reuss. Mr Devereux has again defended the co-investment strategy with the state and federal governments, which was expected to reap $6 billion of local economic benefit - through component suppliers and down to workers wages - during the life-cycle of the next-generation products out to 2022. Mr Devereux said the company was conscious of providing value for the governments’ $275 million co-investment package. "It's two billion for VF and four billion for the next-gen models, between 2016 and 2022 in economic activity and injection in the Australian economy, he says. "The country understands what manufacturing means to the country, we need to fight for our right to be able to have high-tech manufacturing," he says. "We take our taxpayer assistance very seriously and we want to make sure we provided a great return on investment for everybody in the country and we believe we're doing just that," he said. SA Premier Jay Weatherill believes the $50 million co-investment in Holden's manufacturing future represented value-for-money for tax payers. "We've invested $50 million and it's going to leverage the future of 16,000 jobs in SA, I think on anybody's reckoning that is a great deal for this state - a billion worth of investment through until 2022, that's the agreement that has been reached."  

It's the SS-V muscle car that will become the next Holden hero and, in another landmark Carsguide exclusive, our five million readers are seeing it first.The V8-powered VF flagship packs all the breakthrough features of the first Commodore makeover since the arrival of the VE - from self parking and anti-collision systems to an Audi-style luxury interior - with new front and rear panels including a lightweight aluminium bonnet and boot.No-one outside Holden is driving the VF for another six weeks, but the Carsguide crew has seen the car and climbed all over both the SS-V and the impressive new Calais luxury runner. Our early verdict? It's a sure-fire winner.The VF also proves the Commodore is not dead yet, even before a fresh commitment to the car that now stretches out beyond 2020. The pricing and lineup are still a closely-guarded secret, but it's inevitable that so much new technology in the VF will mean a rise from today's $37,990 starting point.The SS-V is the standout, from its signature ‘Fantale’ hero colour and optional 20-inch black alloy wheels to a driver-focussed cabin and a tiny spoiler sitting on top of the boot. But it's the basic changes - especially in the cabin - that elevate the car way beyond anything that's worn a Commodore badge in the past.“We're back,” says Holden's president, Mike Devereux, as he introduces the VF at a secret press briefing ahead of customer deliveries in June. “This is the most technologically-advanced car ever created in this country, without a doubt. What is different about today's vehicle is both the sophistication, technology and refinement.''The arrival of the VF means the end of the working-class Commodore, as all the changes for 2013 push the car upmarket and away from its humble start in 1978. Holden admits it's now chasing people who want a Commodore on their own terms, not workers who were forced to take one as a company car. “This is a no-excuses car,'' says Devereux.Holden has spent more than $500 million to design and develop the VF, which looks more muscular and modern despite what are relatively-minor exterior changes. The mid-section of the car carries over, although you would hardly know it from the contoured bonnet, aggressive nose, raised boot and the cabin renovation that brings a new dashboard and a whole suite of new electronics.Holden has even managed to crib some extra visibility by trimming down the A pillars which have been a VE bugbear, although the mirrors are still the same and still undersized by world standards. “I wouldn't say it's more extreme, but the persona has changed a little bit,'' says Holden's hero designer, Richard Ferlazzo, talking about the SS-V.“It's not about scaring women and children, it's about looking purposeful. You don't have to apologise for this. All cars have some sort of connection with speed. It's not all anti-social, it's enjoyable.''But he also knows what wins hearts -- and buyers -- who are also considering Euro luxury cars and full-loaded SUVs. “The interior is what everybody is going to be talking about. Not just in the technology, but the premium content and the fit-and-finish,'' Ferlazzo says.The look is completely new and dominated by an eight-inch colour touch screen that controls everything from new-generation satnav to automotive Apps. There is a similar smaller screen set ahead of the driver - and standard on all models - but the Commodore now gets a heads-up display. The quality of the materials in the car is a huge improvement, the window switches are moved from the console to the driver's door, and there is an electronic parking brake. On the safety side, the VF is a landmark local car with everything from blind-spot warning to front and rear anti-collision systems, a rear-view camera and a self-parking system that works for both parallel and reverse slots.The changes to the VF reflect the changes in the Australian automotive landscape, as the car faces incredibly tough opposition on all fronts. It's not good enough in 2013 to bowl up a car that's basically just an FJ Holden for everyone. It has to be targeted, and the SS-V is laser-locked on shoppers who want Euro-style quality with Aussie muscle.“We’re back, better than ever. It's game on," says Devereux. But this is just the first chapter of a story that will run for months, so stay tuned to Carsguide for the next instalment on the mechanical developments, ahead of the all-important first drive.New look front and rearAluminium bonnet and bootLED daytime running lampsNew wheelsNew dashboard with 8-inch colour touch-screenHeads-up display for driverElectric power steering and electronic park brakeSelf-parking systemFront and rear collision warningsCommodore or Falcon, Ford or Holden? That was the only real choice in new-car showrooms for nearly 20 years. But things have changed massively over the past decade and the old-time family favourites are now retreating faster than dinosaurs facing the ice age. So, what's the VF Commodore up against in 2013 and how does it rate against  rivals that are similarly priced - or costlier - in a fragmented showroom stoush?Here are the likely suspects for the Commodore's new-age cross-shopping contest:MASTER BLASTER: BMW M5 - $229,500The SS-V is finally on the right page for luxury buyers, thanks to that gorgeous cabin. The 6-litre V8 is old-school against the twin-turbo BMW, but the Holden hero is a bargain by any measure. And there are HSV VFs to come.FAMILY HAULER: Hyundai Santa Fe - $36,990If you really need seven seats you don't want a Commodore, but lots of families have forgotten that motoring can still be fun. The VF delivers, with the promise of better efficiency than a hulking people mover.DOWNSIZER DREAM: Mazda6 - $33,460A medium-sized car delivers similar cabin space to a Commodore in 2013, and the 6 is only a little shorter overall than the Holden. The challenge now is to deliver an ownership experience to rival a Mazda or Honda or Subaru dealership.EURO SNOBBERY: Mercedes-Benz A Class - $35,600Badge buyers love the Germans, and the new Benz-BMW-Volkswagen babies are great little cars at tasty prices. They will make things tough for the Calais, but cannot match its V8 pace or cabin space. 

Holden Racing Team drivers Garth Tander and James Courtney took the covers off the new Commodore that will spearhead their 2013 V8 Supercar championship. Both drivers are hoping for a reversal of fortunes after the team’s first winless season in 20 years; HRT has not won a championship in 10 years. “We’ve hit the reset button,” says Tander, who last won Bathurst two years ago, and a championship in 2007 for another Holden team. “The new Car of the Future rules means new opportunities.” This year will mark the arrival of two new manufacturers – Nissan and Mercedes-Benz – thanks to revised reglations that allow teams to fit any sedan body over common underpinnings. Everything except the V8 engines are standardized across all teams this year. “I think we’re in with a great shot, testing has been going really well,” said Courtney, who is yet to win at Bathurst but won a championship while driving for Ford in 2010. “I think the shake-up we had last year has really prepared us for this year.” HRT tested the new VF Commodore V8 Supercar today at Calder Park Raceway on the outskirts of Melbourne, before loading the car onto a truck for the official unveiling inside the lobby of Holden’s Port Melbourne head office. Holden repeated its commitment to V8 Supercars after speculation about the future of the company’s role with the road-going Commodore likely shifts to front-wheel-drive in 2017. The new rules would allow Holden to race any sedan body, regardless of the road car’s mechanicals, just as Nissan has done with its V6 front-drive Altima, which will be unveiled in Melbourne tomorrow. “HRT has been a mainstay of Australian motorsport and will continue to be a mainstay of Australian motorsport,” Tander said. Both drivers are looking forward to getting behind the wheel of their new V8 Supercar at next Saturday’s pre-season test at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway, which is open to the public. But they’re more focused on the opening round, Adelaide’s Clipsal 500 in three weeks. “We’ve had a fantastic off-season and we’re ready to get on the track and size up against the competition,” says Tander. “Adelaide has always been strong for Holden and HRT. It’s an important race for us. It’s the start of the season and, with the new rules, we’re all going into it with more unknowns than any season before.” Despite Holden's flagship team HRT being overshadowed by the performance of Triple 8 Racing, which switched from Ford to Holden in 2010, the Commodore has had an unbeatable racing record since Peter Brock drove the first one to championship and Bathurst victory in 1980. Of Holden's 29 Bathurst wins, 22 were with the Commodore; the VE model has won the last four Bathurst 1000 races and was the first car in Australian motorsport history to win 100 championship races. This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling

To quote Prime Minister Ben Chifley when he unveiled the original Holden in 1948: “She’s a beauty”. Social media is buzzing with people questioning just how ‘new’ is the new VF Commodore – but it’s a moot point. It’s as new as Holden and General Motors could afford in their financial circumstances amid falling large-car sales. The core of the VF Commodore is the same as before – the roof, doors and glass are carryover parts, only the front and rear appearance have changed. But as the saying goes, if it aint broke don’t fix it. The Commodore’s body is already big enough, so Holden gave the VF a high-class nose job and bum tuck, and added lashings of chrome for good measure. The VF looks wider because the headlights have been moved outwards – losing the previous Commodore’s bulging front fenders – but it is still exactly the same width as before. The VF looks a little longer – because it is a little longer. The designers moved the rear roof pillars further back and lengthened the bootlid for better aerodynamic efficiency at freeway speeds. It’s an elegant, BMW-like execution. The hundreds of millions of dollars Holden didn’t waste on building a new-from-the-ground-up car was wisely spent on adding technology and removing weight – about 40kg from the car’s overall mass. Which is why even though the V6 and V8 engines carry over from before, the new Commodore will also be about 10 per cent more fuel-efficient. Sure, the wagon and ute don’t come in for much love (their exteriors are largely unchanged from the windscreen back). And the crash alert system won’t slam on the brakes like it does in some European cars (the Holden system will flash and beep until you hit the brakes). But once they see it in the metal – and judge for themselves how different it looks – I reckon the VF Commodore will exceed the expectations of most Australians and Commodore defectors across the country. Holden’s done the hard yards to build the best Commodore ever – and the most advanced car designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia. The only challenge now is to convince buyers to give it one last chance when they’re in the market for a new car. This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling VF Commodore by the numbers Two The number of 12V power sockets in the new Commodore (one in the centre console as before, and a new one in front of the gear lever). $39.8 million Taxpayer dollars into the VF Commodore’s weight-saving technology such as the aluminum bonnet, boot and underpinnings. $2 billion How much economic activity Holden claims the new VF Commodore will create during its three-year lifespan. 70kg How much weight Holden managed to trim from the new VF Commodore’s body and structure. 30kg How much weight Holden put back into the car in the form of new technology such as self-parking, lane-keeping, crash alert and blind-spot warning. 40kg The net weight saving after taking some out and putting some back into the car. 2016 The year the homegrown rear-drive Commodore bows out to make way for a four-cylinder front-drive car that Holden says will wear the Commodore badge.  

The new Commodore will likely push Holden’s Elizabeth production line into overtime when it goes into production mid-year – but right now it is experiencing the calm before the storm. Holden has dramatically cut Commodore production in the first six months of this year as buyers wait for the new model. The company plans to build just 2000 sedans, wagons and utes each month – less than last year’s record-low sales rate, and a fraction of the 8000-a-month during its peak in 1998. But Holden is likely to make up for lost ground in the second half of this year, by at least doubling production as demand picks up in Australia, and as exports of the Commodore to North America recommence in November. Holden would not reveal its sales and production forecasts. However, News Limited understands Holden will build more than 4000 Commodore sedans, wagons and utes each month from June onwards, with a contingency to add overtime shifts if required. “We will be able to build however many cars Australians and, frankly, Americans want to buy from us,” the chairman and managing director of Holden Mike Devereux told News Limited. “We’ve got a lot of overtime shifts, we’ve got a lot of flexibility that we can put into our production plan.” Car factories typically plan at least 12 months in advance how many cars it will build. When asked if Holden had enough parts supply to cope with a sudden surge in demand, Devereux said: “I would love to face that problem. Give me that problem to solve and I will solve it.” The doubling of production in the last six months of the year is, however, unlikely to return the Commodore to top-seller status for the calendar year. “The time for any one vehicle … to sell one tenth the cars in any country is an illogical assumption to make,” Devereux said. “No model of anybody selling any car in this country will . The market is so fragmented now.” At its peak in 1998 Holden sold more than 94,000 Commodores (in a year Australians bought 807,000 new cars). Last year Holden sold just 30,000 Commodores, its lowest tally ever, despite a record 1.1 million new-car sales. But Holden workers should feel more pride than ever before about the new Commodore, the most technically-advanced car to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia, Devereux said. “I think is going to change people’s minds about what we can do in this country,” he said. “Australians should say ‘look at what we can do, look at how good we can be, we do punch above our weight, big time’. “Every feature that we could cram into this car, and frankly every feature that you can find on any car, is in this one. If you’re going to sell a car in San Francisco and in Sydney, or and in Miami and in Melbourne, or in Atlanta and Adelaide, it has to be world class. This is a no-excuses car.” This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling

Australians will be in for a pleasant surprise when they open the door to the new Commodore. At first glance you could be forgiven for thinking you’d pressed the wrong key and stumbled into a BMW, such is the finish of the materials and the technology that’s evident.With Australians buying European cars in record numbers, Holden designers benchmarked the best from Germany to help them come up with the VF Commodore’s new interior, which shares only the console lid from the old car.Everything else is new, from the steering wheel to the indicator stalks. The clumsy handbrake is gone, replaced by an electronic switch. The colour touch screen is almost as big as a handheld tablet. The topline Calais model comes with a heads-up display, which reflects vehicle speed and other key information into the driver’s line of sight.Meanwhile few drivers and passengers will be able to resists rubbing their grubby hands on the suede material on the dash, bordered by stiched leather. The good news, though, is that the suede is synthetic, so it wipes clean with a damp cloth.The door pockets are smaller than before but the cup holders near the centre console are bigger, and there are more small pockets, including in the door-pulls on each door. There are now two 12V power sockets (one under the air-conditioning controls and another in its original place, the centre console), and dual-zone air-conditioning standard across the range.The seats are new, front and rear, but the headroom and legroom are the same as before because the core of the car has been carried over from the VE Commodore released in 2006. The roof, doors and glass are the same, but from the driver’s seat, everything looks brand-new.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling