Holden Commodore News

Law firm Maurice Blackburn has launched a class action lawsuit against General Motors Australia and New Zealand.It alleges faulty transmissions were fitted to “hundreds of thousands” of Holden Commodore and Colorado models, with owners possibly getting a pay-out. The gearboxes in question are codenamed: GM 6L 45, 6L 50 and 6L 80, along with their derivatives. They were sold in new vehicles between January 1, 2011 and December 24, 2024. Models include the Commodore VE and Commodore VF also in Ute, Caprice and Calais guises. Some versions of the Colorado ute and its derivatives — the Colorado 7 and Trailblazer — also used the automatic transmissions. Maurice Blackburn’s class action “alleges that the transmission systems in the affected Holden vehicles are defective due to a design fault in the Torque Converter and Torque Converter Clutch.” “As a result of the alleged defect, the affected vehicles have a propensity to experience various problems including intermittent transmission shudders, excessive vibrations, harsh gear shifts, leakage of Automatic Transmission fluid, accelerated degradation of the components of the transmission system and greater servicing requirements. “The class action alleges that General Motors failed to comply with the guarantee of acceptable quality under the Australian Consumer Law and engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct. ”The class action is open to those who bought new or used vehicles affected. It is also open to those who have sold their vehicle or who own a vehicle, and those who have not yet experienced any issues. Maurice Blackburn is seeking to recover compensation from General Motors Australian New Zealand for loss and damage on behalf of the consumer. A GM spokesperson told CarsGuide, "GM does not comment on ongoing litigation."GM stands by its commitment to achieving the best outcomes for Holden customers."There is precedent for transmission-related class actions, with one being brought against Ford’s ‘Powershift’ dual-clutch transmission in 2016. The case evolved into an ACCC matter and Ford was ordered to pay a $10 million fine for its handling of the situation.

What have been the most significant Australian cars since January 1, 2000 so far? With the first 25 years of the 21st century now out of the way, we rate the 10 most important models that left their mark, or came into their own afterwards.

With 2025 marking the 26th year since this century started on January 1, 2000, it’s time to look back at some of the seismic events that helped shape the automotive industry this millennium.

Not all Holden models disappeared when we thought they did. During the brand’s 72-year lifespan as “Australia’s Own”, a handful continued to exist elsewhere, even after their Australian-market production ceased. That's why we're highlighting the Holdens that were engineered and/or made in Australia at some point, but later continued on in other countries for a little longer.

Is this what next year’s Holden Commodore would be if General Motors hadn’t pulled the plug in 2020?

It’s been more than four years since February 2020 when Holden announced it would shut its doors in Australia, and for Lion-badged die-hards there’s still some hurt - but General Motors is rebuilding, and there’s a lot of optimism around the future.

Easter is a time of rebirth and new beginnings, and naturally that turns our mind to cars (what can I say, we have a one-track mind).

This weekend it’s the other race that stops the nation - and this one has more horsepower than the one in November.

Among the online white-noise continues the theme of `we don’t make anything in this country any more’. It’s the great post-car-making dirge that keeps online trolls and nay-sayers busy for hours on end.

It's a decade since Holden unveiled its final and some say greatest model ever in Australia, the VF Commodore.