Holden Commodore 2014 News

As Holden fans around Australia attempt to piece together the appearance of the new Holden Commodore in an online competition, Carsguide can exclusively reveal some of the key technology that is due to make it the most advanced car ever made in Australia.The last homegrown Holden Commodore - due to be unveiled on Sunday before going on sale in June and phased out in 2016 - will be loaded with technology normally found on luxury cars, including a system that will enable the car to park itself, and an alert that will warn the driver if they are about to crash.Although self parking technology has been around since 2005 when it was introduced on a Lexus limousine, and is now available on Volkswagens, Skodas and the new Ford Focus, the VF Commodore will become the first Australian-made car with the technology.The system uses sensors in the front and rear bumper bars to detect the size of a car space, and then steers the car automatically into position. The driver only needs to select reverse and touch the brakes. As with the latest systems it works for parallel and 90-degree parking. It’s made possible by the Commodore’s switch to electric power steering, which is also a fuel-saving measure.Other technology designed to trim about 10 per cent from the new Holden Commodore’s fuel bill includes a lightweight aluminium bonnet and boot, as well as some underbody components that trim the car’s mass by about 40kg.Inside, Holden has completely overhauled the interior to give it a more upmarket appearance, but customers will most likely welcome the relocation of the power window switches from the centre console to the door panels. The Commodore’s current clumsy handbrake has been replaced by an electronic one that is operated at the press of a button.The new Commodore will also get a heads up display that reflects car speed and key information in windscreen in driver's line of sight, similar to top end BMWs.A larger touch screen is the gateway to an overhauled entertainment system that will include access to Internet music service Pandora for the first time on an Australian-made car. Meanwhile a sensor key will enable drivers to unlock and start the car while leaving the key in their pocket or handbag.The Commodore’s crash alert system won’t automatically slam on the brakes, as it does in some European cars, but it will alert the driver if they’re about to hit the car ahead in low-speed traffic. Holden would not confirm any of the technology in the new Commodore ahead of a secret briefing to the media today inside the company’s Melbourne design headquarters. All information, including official photos of the new car, have been embargoed until Sunday morning.The ‘new’ Commodore is in fact a redesign of the VE model released seven years ago. The front and rear appearance have changed but the core of the car - the body, doors, roof, engines and transmission - are the same as before. Even the side mirrors are carried over.The upgrade was due two years ago but was delayed by the restructure of General Motors in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. Falling sales of large cars meant that an all-new model wasn’t feasible, which is why Holden has invested heavily in technology in the updated model.The VF will be the last Australian-made Commodore after the boss of Holden told reporters in Detroit it would be phased out by the end of 2016 to make way for a new, as yet unnamed vehicle to be built alongside the Cruze small car until 2022.By the end of 2016 the homegrown Commodore will have run for 38 years, almost twice as long as the iconic Holden Kingswood it replaced in 1978, which was on sale for 20 years.For live updates on the new Holden Commodore reveal on Sunday morning, following this reporter on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling

The countdown to the new Commodore has begun – it is just 10 days away from being unveiled – and Holden is letting fans try to piece together its appearance in an online jigsaw puzzle competition. Holden will today launch an Australia-wide “scavenger hunt” having hidden 101 virtual jigsaw pieces “in real world and online locations”. The company is offering no more clues. Players must register on a microsite (www.buildthecommodore.com.au) which will reveal clues each day to help punters find each piece of the cyber puzzle. Each person who finds one of the 101 pieces of the puzzle and shares it online will be entered into a draw to win one of the first VF Commodores to roll off the production line in June this year, when the car is due to arrive in showrooms. “The last time we launched a new Commodore, social media was in its infancy,” said Holden marketing director, Simon Carr. “Facebook and YouTube were not household names and mobile phones were for calls and texts. “Fast forward seven years and most of us have a mobile device connected to the internet. Half of all Australians are Facebook users and social networking is ingrained in how we act as consumers.” It is the first time Holden has used social media to preview a new Commodore. “What better way to re-launch an Australian favourite than engage our fans and enthusiasts in the hunt to create its first official image?” Carr said. The competition opens today (Friday 1 February) but the first puzzle pieces will be released on Wednesday 6 February, with the competition concluding as the real-life car is revealed via a live webcast on the Holden website on Sunday 10 February. Australians will see the new Commodore one week ahead of the North American reveal of the Chevrolet SS version. The Commodore will return to the US later this year as a Chevrolet after exports there stopped in 2009 in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. More than 41,000 Commodores were sold 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 in the restructure of General Motors. This time around, though, Holden has modest sales expectations for the Commodore in the US, planning to ship between 5000 and 10,000 cars a year, according to the former boss of Holden and now boss of GM in North America, Mark Ruess. The VF Commodore is slated to be the last Commodore of all time after the first one replaced the Kingswood in 1978. The boss of Holden Mike Devereux told reporters at the Detroit motor show a fortnight ago that the homegrown favourite would be phased out in 2016 to make way for a new, as-yet unnamed model. The Commodore was Australia's top-selling car for 15 years -- an all-time record -- but has been overtaken by the Mazda3 small car for two years running. Holden is hoping there will be a reversal of fortunes with the new model, which is due in showrooms in June. This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling  

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.”      

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 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.  

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

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