Holden Commodore News

The proudly Australian manufacturer played up its heritage in the 1980s with this fun ad full of classic Aussie stereotypes. Whether you're a footy favouring car nut or a meatpie loving larrikin you'll love the catchy jingle. Strewth, all that's missing is a VB-swigging swagman.Watch the 1981 Holden TV ad here.Longstanding Aussie rival Ford has also aired some hilarious ads that pay homage to its homeland.See Our favourite Ford ads here.  

Having been born in England, raised in Canada, and starting his career in Detroit -- before doing a stint in the Middle East ahead of his Holden assignment -- you’d think Mike Devereux had seen it all. But even Devereux was not prepared for the first question from the Holden factory floor when he arrived three and a half years ago.Having replaced Alan Batey and Mark Reuss -- the two successive executives who rescued Holden from closure in the grip of the Global Financial Crisis -- Devereux was revving up the workforce in an Anthony Robbins-style motivational speech. There were tough times ahead, he warned. Improvements needed to be made in quality (the Pontiac version of the Commodore sold between 2007 and 2009 in the US was not Holden’s finest hour, especially when judged against global standards).But most important of all, Holden needed to find ways to become more cost-efficient while building better cars, a challenging double act at the best of times -- and Holden was facing the worst of times. It took Devereux no time at all to figure out that Australia is the most competitive new-car market in the world, with more than 60 brands competing for 1 million sales. (In North America 38 brands compete for their share of 15 million sales).As Devereux finished talking the audience through his vision for success he figured it was a pretty good opening address, all the key points were hit. As part of his direct yet approachable management style that would define his time in the Holden office, Devereux then took questions from the floor. “When are we going to get Christmas cakes back?” a worker asked.Not sure quite what the worker meant, a minder whispered in Devereux’s ear, explaining that Holden workers used to get a Christmas hamper each year but they turned to crumbs in the GFC. Holden was on the brink of extinction and someone on the factory floor wanted cake, Devereux thought to himself. “Let me get back to you on that one,” he said, before asking if anyone had any manufacturing questions.It was a telling insight into just how shielded the workers -- and the rest of Australia for that matter -- were from the grim realities Holden was facing, despite the redundancies leading up to that moment, and the hundreds that would follow. The possibility of life without Holden seemed impossible because it had been bailed out so many times before. It’s not that Holden is too big to fail, it’s too iconic. Or so people naively believe.Car companies are brutally pragmatic these days. All major brands have shuttered dozens of under-performing or unprofitable factories across Europe and the US in the past four years alone. Almost as quickly, they’re replacing them with factories in countries with low-cost labour, primarily China, Thailand and other parts of South-East Asia where cars can be built for a quarter of the cost of Australia.From the moment of that first question, Devereux realised he had a job on his hands to educate his workers -- and the rest of Australia -- about the true challenges facing the car manufacturing industry. What we got was one of the most open and out-spoken car executives Australia has ever seen, traits which only seemed to amplify as time passed.In one of his first media interviews Devereux was asked if he was sent here to shut Holden down. Still getting to know the joint, he said he’d rather not answer that question right now. But those in the room were left with the distinct impression the end was near. What happened after that is unclear. But what we do know is that Mike Devereux very quickly fell in love with Holden, its workers, their passion and, most of all, their capability to design and engineer cars from the ground-up on a fraction of the resources in Detroit or China.Devereux became so intoxicated with the place he is restoring a 1962 EK Holden. His predecessor Mark Reuss also restored a late 1950s FC Holden and took it back with him to Detroit. It’s now in the GM museum, the only Holden represented among hundreds of GM cars from around the world.There is no doubt that passion has helped drive Devereux’s negotiations with State and Federal Governments for more taxpayer assistance. Devereux has pushed for the manufacturing future of Holden against all odds -- and sound economics -- pulling on any lever that might get a deal over the line. But the grim reality is that Holden loses money on every car it builds locally. Over the past 12 years it has produced, on average, a paltry $28 million profit from an average annual turnover of $5.5 billion.When you consider that the balance sheet looks like that after more than $1.8 billion in taxpayer funding over the same period, you can see why Holden cut the Christmas cake. Even if Devereux were able to get a deal done (“governments rent our industry to create jobs, that’s the reality,” he says) it’s worth noting at this point that the Holden taxpayers are trying to save is not the Holden Australians have known to grow and love.The two new cars Holden will build if the factory continues beyond 2016 will be “global” vehicles designed and engineered offshore and made with more foreign parts. In other words, despite the Holden line that local manufacturing will help local suppliers, the next car it calls the “Commodore” will be less Australian than a Toyota Camry.The current Commodore has just 50 per cent local content, and it was designed here. The Cruze small car has just 30 per cent local content. The Toyota Camry has 65 per cent local content (based on figures supplied by the car makers). The Ford Falcon, incidentally, tops the lot with 70 per cent of its parts sourced locally.So, will Holden manufacturing stay or will it go? The odds of it staying, sadly, are now extremely slim. If General Motors was confident Holden's manufacturing operations could survive, they would let Devereux finish the job and bed it down. Most car executive appointments run for three years; Devereux was scheduled to stay for five. His leaving early can only mean one thing. Holden’s manufacturing operations won’t be far behind him.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Two men pretending to be undercover cops stole a man's car after pulling him over for "hooning" in the Perth suburb of Thornlie on Friday night.The 28-year-old victim was driving his Mitsubishi Lancer on Warton Rd about 9.30pm when a Holden Commodore approached him with a blue flashing light on the dashboard.The victim pulled over and was confronted by two men claiming to be undercover police officers, who said they were seizing the man's car for hooning. One man then took the black Lancer and the other man drove off in the Commodore, leaving the victim on the side of the road.Police have described one man as 180cm tall and the other 165cm tall, both with dark skin and dressed in casual clothes."Police are reminding members of the public that if approached by anyone claiming to be a police officer to ask for identification," a police spokeswoman said."All WA Police personnel carry an identification badge. This badge has a photograph of them, their police service number and a police badge/logo on the identification."Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Walkinshaw has just raised the Australian performance bar with the launch of two supercharged W Series packages for the  6.0-litre Holden VF Commodores and 6.2-litre Gen-F HSVs. Both costing $18,990 fitted, the packages are named for their power outputs.The W457 package for the 6.0-litre VF Commodore V8s will deliver 457kW at 5600rpm and 780Nm at 3700rpm -- a massive 187-197kW and 250-253Nm rise,  with the torque peak also arriving 700rpm earlier.The W497 package for LS3 6.2-litre Gen-F HSVs gives you 497kW at 5560rpm and 955Nm at 3690rpm. Again, that's a considerable 157-180kW and 385-405Nm benefit over the standard models: the 317kW/550Nm Clubsport, 325kW/550Nm Maloo and 340kW/570Nm Grange and Senator Signature.Goodies in the packages include a WP230 supercharger package, large high flow injectors, Eaton Twin Vortices 2300 Series (TVS) Gen VI rotors, water to air intercooler package, custom moulded heater hoses, cast aluminium coil covers, unique Walkinshaw Performance injection moulded cold air intake package, heavy duty serpentine belt drive system, 12” long intake runners, custom moulded intercooler hoses, self-contained oil system, full stainless steel exhaust system -- including ceramic coated headers and high flow catalytic converters.You'll also get a full dyno tune from an authorised Walkinshaw Performance Centre, W Series Certificate of Authenticity and Vehicle Identification, and full drive line warranty for the balance of the manufacturer’s new vehicle warranty for eligible vehicles.Walkinshaw Performance general manager Tony Harris described the force-fed kits as the peak of local engineering and design."The W Series has already seen the naturally aspirated W310 and W375 packages which offer terrific performance and value for money that we have developed thanks to the outstanding base vehicles -- the VF SS Commodore and the Gen-F HSV," he said. "Today we take another step with the W457 and W497 packages. These packages represent the pinnacle of Australian automotive design and engineering capabilities."On power figures alone it's impressive, but as we always say; drivability is the number one goal and we believe that these W Series twins are exceedingly well mannered in this key area. That said, it's hard to hide the performance results and these cars are guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of every motoring enthusiast.""Back in 2004, the 297kw VZ ClubSport was rightly heralded as a significant development for HSV. At the time a journalist said it was "ferocious off the line" and that it brought "high-end performance within easier reach of more people". We see these packages offering similar- and yet so much more.”This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincottWatch Walkinshaw's W457 and W497 video here. 

Some say he's the Stig, but he's not. He's the Stig's digital cousin. The Forza Motorsport 5 race game set for release on November 22 will feature a tame racing driver, based on the mystery Top Gear track linchpin.The trailer video shows him putting his driving prowess to work with a Holden Commodore V8 Supercar at Morgan Park race track in Queensland. However while the game Stig's ability draws on the real Stig, some also say the Forza Motorsport 5 one differs in one crucial way -- he's apparently beatable, if you're good enough.“Trying to beat The Stig on track has long been the petrol-fuelled dream of Top Gear fans everywhere and whilst Jeremy and the team did not want to frustrate or embarrass gamers by putting forward the real Stig, they did help us track down a potentially more fallible relative of their tame racing driver,” BBC Top Gear commercial director Duncan Gray said in a statement.Watch the Stig Holden Commodore Forza 5 video here.Forza 5 also features for the first time Australia's best-known circuit, Mount Panorama -- with the game maker saying the Bathurst track was the most-requested additions by fans for years. The Mountain also features in the coming Gran Turismo 6, which will hit the shops on December 6. Watch the Gran Turismo 6 Mount Panorama video here. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Holden is celebrating 35 years of the Commodore with the introduction of a special edition VF Commodore International sedan and Sportwagon, available only for a limited time.Building on the already highly-specified VF range, Commodore International adds additional luxury and sports features including leather appointed seats, 18 inch alloy wheels, blind spot alert and reverse traffic alert. The International badge is fitting for the VF Commodore, which has received critical acclaim as a car that rivals the world's best.Holden's Phil Brook, said the Commodore International added to VFs already exceptional value story. "We wanted to celebrate the anniversary of an icon by introducing even more great value features on the all-new VF Commodore," said Mr Brook. The Holden VF Commodore International is priced at $36,990 (sedan) and $38,990 ( Sportwagon). An LPG option is also available for an additional $2,500.

Adelaide-based wheel manufacturer ROH wants to restart negotiations with Holden to source its high-performance wheels locally once it installs new technology used to secure a lucrative Toyota contract.Last week Carsguide revealed that Holden is airfreighting certain wheels from North America to meet a spike in demand for its most expensive model, the $50,000 Commodore SSV Redline.Holden said ROH could not supply the wheel type it needed but the company says it is about to install new technology that it believes will meet Holden's requirements. "We would be delighted to talk to Holden," said ROH general manager Bill Davidson. "A lot has changed since we last supplied Holden with wheels in 2005."Holden now sources most of its wheels from China, even though ROH is just 25km away from Holden's factory gate. But ROH is hopeful it can meet Holden's needs, at least on selected models, once its new "flow forming" technology is installed by next August."We have had the wheel rims stress tested by the CSIRO and they are a similar strength and weight as a forged wheel rim," said Mr Davidson.Mr Davidson stopped short of demanding that the Federal Government introduce a mandate for car makers to source as many parts as possible from local suppliers, but said: "Supply of Australian-made wheels to Holden would support a whole bunch of suppliers to the wheel industry in Australia. If car companies are getting tax-payer assistance it would be good to see more local content in cars."When asked if Holden would be open to new discussions with ROH, Holden spokesman Sean Poppitt said: "Holden doesn't comment on future product plans".This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

New-car buyers hit the brakes in September and another 1.1 million-plus annual sales record is now under threat. Industry analysts are trying to determine what caused the September slowdown after six of the top 10 brands posted sales slides and the overall market dropped by 2.1 per cent to 92,662 deliveries compared with the same month last year.The last time the Australian new-car market slowed dramatically was in December 2011, when sales fell by 4.8 per cent after floods in Thailand and a catastrophic tsunami in Japan earlier that year severely restricted vehicle production.The weak September result means market growth has slowed to 3.3 per cent year-to-date, with 849,944 deliveries since January, putting another record annual result in doubt.After last year’s all-time high of 1,112,032 sales the new-car market was up by 5 per cent in the first half of this year.Car executives are trying to determine if the market is still experiencing the flow-on effect from the uncertainty caused by sudden changes to Fringe Benefits Tax rules before the Federal election -- or if the election itself did most of the damage.New-car sales dipped in the lead-up to four of the last five Federal elections, industry figures show. "The announcement by the Coalition to return to pre-July FBT arrangements has been welcomed by the industry," said Tony Weber, the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries."We anticipate the market effect of this announcement will see positive growth throughout the rest of the year. Consumers can be confident that the recent FBT issue is now behind us."The September slowdown still came as a surprise given that interest rates fell to a new low and improved car affordability.Sales in the main mining states -- Queensland, West Australia and the Northern Territory -- were down by between 5.5 and 8.2 per cent, but sales of utes were still strong, with three workhorses finishing inside the top 10. The Toyota HiLux was the second-biggest seller in September while the Nissan Navara and Ford Ranger placed seventh and eighth respectively.Meanwhile the Toyota Corolla has developed a clear lead in the race to become Australia’s top-selling car for the first time. The Corolla has now built a gap of 1258 sales -- its largest to date -- ahead of two-times winner, the Mazda3, in the year-to-date tally (Corolla: 32,039, Mazda3: 30,781).The Mazda3 led the market at the start of the year and seemed certain to collect its third win in a row, but the Corolla overtook its fellow Japanese import as Australia’s favourite car in April, June, July and September.In another upset the Volkswagen Golf outsold the locally-made Holden Cruze by one delivery, with the Holden only just managing to stay inside the top 10 after a disappointing month.Holden posted 1851 Cruze deliveries (compared to the Golf’s tally of 1852) which was down 5 per cent on the same month in 2012, and down by 37 per cent compared to September 2011.The Golf’s result was buoyed by $22,990 drive-away promotional pricing but it also shows that Volkswagen appears to have bounced back from the recall controversy earlier this year. Last month’s result was strong for the Volkswagen Golf but still nowhere near its all-time high figure of 3337 sales set in October 2011.The homegrown Falcon and Commodore posted modest sales recoveries, but both were well short of their former glory. Holden again delivered more than 2800 Commodores (up 13 per cent) while Ford shifted 846 Falcons, which was down 28 per cent compared to the same month last year but an increase of 47.6 after the previous month’s all-time low.The reigning champion Mazda3 had a big sales slide in September after the company brought its annual sale forward a month. Toyota is on track to post its 11th year as the top-selling brand with 158,793 sales year to date, ahead of second-placed Holden (81,904). In third place Mazda (78,252) still has a comfortable margin over fourth-placed Hyundai (72,599) and fifth-placed Ford (64,964).Nissan sales continued to slide for the third month in a row but its results of 59,460 so far this year is up by 1.2 per cent after benefitting from strong gains earlier in the year. Nissan Australia is looking for its third boss in less than two years after Bill Peffer announced he was leaving the company.Top 10 brands in September 2013Toyota 17,492 -- up 1.1 per centHolden 9614 -- up 7.4 per centHyundai 8803 -- up 12.6 per centMazda 7615 -- down 24.6 per centFord 7505 -- down 3.3 per centMitsubishi 5993 -- up 3.3 per centNissan 5556 -- down 10.8 per centVolkswagen 4466 -- down 9.8 per centSubaru 2752 -- down 14.3 per centKia 2534 -- down 7.7 per centTop 10 cars in September 2013Toyota Corolla 3443 – up 9.9 per centToyota HiLux 3340 – down 3.9 per centMazda3 3052 – down 28.6 per centHolden Commodore 2865 – up 13.3 per centHyundai i30 2675 – down 14.9 per centToyota Camry 2223 – down 1.9 per centNissan Navara 2275 – up 25.3 per centFord Ranger 2037 – up 13.1 per centVolkswagen Golf 1852 – up 8.1  per centHolden Cruze 1851 – down 5.1 per centSource: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, VFACTS.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Holden is urgently airfreighting wheels from the US to Australia to meet a spike in demand for the new Commodore — even though there is a former wheel supplier just 25km from its factory gate.About 12,000 wheels are being flown 13,000km across the Pacific at an estimated cost of $2.5 million, based on quotes from the airfreight industry, because demand for the most expensive version of the new Commodore is better than expected.It is a temporary measure to try to shorten the three-month waiting list for Holden’s flagship sedan, the $50,000 V8-powered SS-V Redline. The airfreight charges equate to about $833 per car but there will be no extra cost to buyers because Holden will absorb the fee in the selling price.Holden’s factory in the Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth stopped sourcing wheels from ROH in the nearby suburb of Woodville North in 2005, after General Motors switched to global suppliers in China and Taiwan.Ford has been importing wheels from China, Taiwan and India since 2004.Only Toyota’s factory in the Melbourne suburb of Altona, which makes the Camry and Aurion sedans, continues to source all its wheels from Australia’s ROH.“Surely Australian taxpayers’ money should be spent in Australia,” said ROH general manager Bill Davidson.When asked if there should be a minimum local content requirement for Australian-made cars, Mr Davidson said: “It would help the economy if there were more local content in Australian-made cars. Toyota should be applauded for standing by its Australian suppliers and working with them to remain sustainable.”Holden is about to start negotiating with the new Federal Government about further funding to secure future models.The Holden Commodore and Cruze have the least local content among the three Australian car makers. Holden had received a pledge for $275 million from State and Federal Governments in March 2012 but says market conditions have “changed significantly since then”.The first new Commodore in seven years has had a 15 per cent boost in sales in its first two months. It’s a far cry from Holden’s halcyon days in the late 1990s when the market was less competitive and it sold three times as many Commodores.But the former favourite is now well inside the top five sellers list having struggled to stay inside the top 10 earlier this year. “We’re happy with demand for the new Commodore; sales are strong and in line with our internal targets,” said Holden’s executive director of sales and marketing, Philip Brook.“Particularly pleasing is the demand for our high-end models (which) currently account for around 42 per cent of our dealer order bank and we’ve had to airfreight parts in to try and keep up with demand.”At its peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s when ROH supplied Holden, Ford, Toyota and Mitsubishi car factories, the wheel maker employed 470 workers.Today ROH employs 154 workers at its Woodville North facility.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

The Holden Commodore of the future will be less Australian than ever before and threaten more jobs at parts suppliers. Sacked staff have revealed the struggling carmaker last week let go of twice as many workers than was originally reported.Critically, about 50 people from Holden’s purchasing and administration departments in Port Melbourne were secretly sacked last week. This in addition to an estimated 50 designers' and engineers' jobs lost that were already reported by Carsguide.The clean-out of the purchasing department – which buys raw materials and components for locally-made cars – is the clearest sign yet that the 2017 Commodore will be sourced from mostly imported parts.About 50 per cent of the current Holden Commodore is made up of locally-sourced components, compared to 70 per cent for the Ford Falcon and 65 per cent for the Toyota Camry, according to figures supplied by the car makers.But less than half of the parts that make up the new globally-developed 2017 Commodore are now expected to be sourced locally, bringing it closer to the Cruze small car, which has just 30 per cent local content.The chief executive of the Federation of Automotive Product Manufacturers Richard Reilly told News Corp: “There will be an impact on the local supply chain as car makers switch to global (models). If they are buying more parts from overseas it will have a detrimental effect on local parts manufacturers.”The FAPM represents 100 major parts suppliers to all three car makers; the sector employs an estimated 35,000 workers mostly in Victoria and South Australia.Holden is yet to start negotiations with the new Federal Government under Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who in Opposition had pledged to cut $500 million from car industry funding. News Corp understands Holden is pitching for a bigger slice of a smaller pool of funds which, in a bitter twist, would need to be shared among fewer parts suppliers when Holden switches to a globally-developed car.Since being elected Mr Abbott has repeated his earlier pledge to cut industry funding. In his first media conference he told reporters: “We’ll stick with the position that we took to the election.” However Holden and the new Federal Government are likely to disagree over Mr Abbott’s expectations of an export program to boost local production volumes.“We expect the motor industry, in return for … assistance, to provide us with a reasonable indication of how it is going to increase volumes, particularly increase export volumes,” said Mr Abbott. “I want the car industry in this country to have a long-term, viable future – I don’t want it to live from hand to mouth.”But exports are not viable for Holden because, aside from unfavourable exchange rates, the two cars it will make in Australia after 2016 – when the current Commodore bows out – will be made in several other countries, including possible export destinations.Toyota Australia reportedly loses $2500 on every Camry it exports but offsets this loss on the almost 200,000 imported cars it sells locally. Holden recorded its lowest sales in 19 years in 2012, selling a little more than half the cars than did Toyota.Among those sacked by Holden last week was a department tasked with selling off and getting quotes for the sale or scrap of manufacturing tooling. However Holden said the quotes were for tooling for old models and not an indication of any plans to exit Australia.“As part of our normal business practices we have decommissioned some old stamping and press equipment. We will either sell or scrap those machines as per our normal process,” said Holden spokesman Sean Poppitt. Holden has previously gone public about redundancies of this size but instead workers in the affected areas were sent a text message to attend a group meeting at Holden’s Melbourne head office at 9am last Thursday, News Corp has learned.By the end of the day, workers were told in one-on-one exit interviews that they were being made redundant. Sacked workers have told News Corp that colleagues with 10 to 20 years of experience were let go and the purchasing department was among the hardest hit.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling