Holden Commodore News

It’s been seven years in the making - the longest wait for a new model in the Commodore’s 35-year history - and it will also be the last as we know it.Holden has confirmed the Commodore badge will live on beyond the new model’s 2016 horizon - but that car will likely be a four-cylinder, front-drive sedan sold globally but adapted for local conditions.Holden is due to release the first pictures of the new 2013 Commodore in Melbourne today , but we have an exclusive photo illustration of the performance flagship “SS” that will lead the Commodore’s export revival to North America, where it will also race as a Nascar for the first time.Holden has loaded the new Commodore with technology. Due in Australian showrooms in June it will be able to park itself via sensors in the front and rear bumpers, and warn the driver of a crash in stop-start traffic.The new Commodore will also be available with the internet music service Pandora for the first time, and drivers of top-line models will be able to see their vehicle speed and other key information reflected into the windscreen in a digital “heads-up” display.The “new” model is in fact a major update of the Commodore released in 2006. Rather than create a new car from the ground up, Holden remodeled the front and rear appearance and added technology.The V6 and V8 engines are carried over from before but the new model is expected to be about 10 per cent more fuel efficient due to the use of weight-saving aluminium in the bonnet, boot and underbody, said to trim 40kg from the car’s overall mass.Holden is hoping for a reversal of fortunes with the new model after the Commodore posted its lowest sales ever last year - in a record new-car sales market. It is banking on some buyers coming back to the brand one last time before the Commodore is replaced by a new global car to be built alongside the Cruze in Adelaide until 2022.Holden has not said what shape the 2017 “Commodore” will take, but News Limited has been told it is a four-cylinder front-drive sedan similar in size to a Toyota Camry. The boss of Holden Mike Devereux promised last Friday that the future model would be called a “Commodore” – but it is unlikely Australians would warm to the iconic badge appearing on a four-cylinder front-drive car.Live updates on today’s Holden Commodore reveal on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

The Holden Commodore is not dead – but it may never be the same again. The boss of Holden threw a smoke grenade during a secret preview of the new Commodore inside the company’s top-secret design bunker this afternoon – by claiming the Commodore name will continue beyond the 2016 horizon of the new model. Australian and New Zealand journalists had been invited to see the new Commodore – the first in seven years – before the public unveiling on Sunday and its showroom arrival in June. The event was just about to wrap up when in his closing remarks Holden boss Mike Devereux said: “A lot of folks have been speculating about whether this is the last Commodore … well I can categorically tell you we have already begun working on the Commodore that comes after this one.” After the speech, Devereux told the frazzled media scrum: “This will run through to the end of 2016. After that time we are going to be putting two global architectures into the plant, one of them will underpin the next Commodore.” To make sure he wasn’t misunderstood, Devereux repeated: “There is another Commodore coming after this one. We’re going to build it in Adelaide on a architecture.” Until this point, Holden had not revealed the second car to be built alongside the Cruze through to 2022 in return for $275 million in Federal Government funding. Devereux’s statement was news to other senior Holden executives and staff in attendance, who watched-on gob-smacked that the attention had shifted from the new car just months away from showrooms and onto the next model that is still three years away. Devereux’s comments were likely designed to reverse the perception that the 2013 Commodore is the last – after he told journalists in Detroit the Commodore would be phased out in 2016. But the reality is that what Devereux has called “the next Commodore” will not be a Commodore as Australians have grown to know it over the past 35 years, 15 of them as the nation’s top-seller. News Limited understands the second vehicle to be built alongside the Cruze will be a front-drive car, similar in size to the Toyota Camry and to be sold in other countries as a Buick. “You can ask me twenty times about the next , maybe three years from now we’ll have that conversation,” Devereux said before he was shut down by his public affairs minder, Matt Hobbs,  formerly of the crisis-riddled Tiger Airways. Devereux’s bombshell took the attention away from the new Commodore that has been seven years in the making and is less than 48 hours away from being unveiled on Sunday morning. The new Commodore promises to the best yet but the boss of Holden Mike Devereux stopped short of declaring whether or not it would ever again be Australia’s top-selling car. “We’re back, better than ever, it’s game on,” he said earlier, before adding: “The time for any one vehicle … to sell one tenth the cars in any country is an illogical assumption to make.” At its peak 15 years ago Holden sold more than 94,000 Commodores, last year it sold 30,000 – in an all-time record market. This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling  

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

  

So much for the push towards greener cars. In automotive terms Australia is about to become the 51st state of the USA.Australians are moving closer to North Americans in their taste in vehicles. For the first time ever there is now almost an exact 50:50 split between the sales of passenger cars – and utes and SUVs. The same ratio seen for decades in pick-up and SUV-loving USA. Twenty years ago passenger cars accounted for more than 70 per cent of all new vehicles sold in Australia.Official figures released today confirm January 2013 was the strongest start to a year in Australian automotive history, eclipsing 85,000 deliveries for the first time – and the previous January record set in 2008 before the Global Financial Crisis.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries reports 41,957 passenger cars were delivered in January compared to 41,595 utes, vans and SUVs – a slim gap of 362 sales, or the equivalent of just three days of deliveries for the top-selling car, the Mazda3.“The trend towards SUVs and away from classic passenger cars is all to do with their style and versatility and mass-acceptability,” says David Chalke, a cultural change analyst with AustraliaScan. “Everybody’s doing it, there’s now a fear of being left out.”Chalke says SUVs are no longer the heathens of the road thanks to their new levels of fuel-efficiency. “The new ones use comparatively so little fuel most people don’t think they’re driving a 4WD,” he said. “In fact in many cases they’re not. They are often two-wheel-drive with the appearance of a 4WD.”FCAI chief executive Tony Weber says the mining boom is also driving ute and SUV sales. “Part of is the mining boom, part of it is private buyers seeking new levels of flexibility and cars that better suit their needs.”Australia’s three local car makers – Toyota, Holden and Ford – failed to cash-in. January is typically a slow month for sales of locally-made cars but they dropped by 28 per cent to an all-new low.Just 2722 Australian made cars were delivered in January – which means the combined sales of the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon, Ford Territory, Toyota Camry and Toyota Aurion ranked third -- an unprecedented status. Mazda3 was the top-selling car (3345 sales), followed by the Toyota Corolla (2960), the Toyota Hilux (2747), and the Nissan Navara (2474).The Ford Focus (2364) had its best month ever -- and helped drive Ford to a 33 per cent sales increase – but it outsold the Falcon by three-to-one. The Falcon (778 deliveries) is now selling at the same rate as the Mitsubishi 380 in the year before the factory closed. Ford’s Broadmeadows throughput is topped up by the production of Territory (up 44 per cent) and ute (down 22 per cent), but sales of both models are well down from their peaks.Holden says it has scaled back production of the Commodore (1650 deliveries) ahead of a new model due in showrooms in June. Toyota sold just 557 Camrys and 227 Aurion V6 sedans (down 57 and 77 per cent respectively). The FCAI’s Weber dismissed the weak sales of locally mades cars as “just one bad month, let’ see where it goes”. “We’re going to continue to see more and more market segmentation,” Weber said. “We won’t see just one car reach the massive volumes of years past.”In other highlights:Toyota was down 5 per cent but is set to lead the market for the 11th year in a row;Mazda outsold Holden to be second in the market for the fourth time ever (previous monthly second-placings: April, September and Dec 2012);Nissan is closing-in on Ford, less than 500 sales behind, threatening to push the Blue Oval brand to sixth;Honda had a blinder month, up 141 per cent from a low base – but still well down on its best year;Audi outsold BMW for the fourth January (previous wins were in ’09, ’11, ’12) and the sixth time ever (after previous wins in Feb ’11, Oct ’11) but Mercedes was top luxury brand;Sales of passenger cars fell by 1 per cent in a market that grew 11 per cent driven by surges in utes (up 43 per cent) and SUVs (up 20 per cent);The delivery of 1878 heavy trucks (up 10 per cent) takes January tally to 85,430.Top selling cars in January 2013Mazda3 3345Toyota Corolla 2960Toyota HiLux 2747Nissan Navara 2474Ford Focus 2364Hyundai i30 2006Holden Captiva 2155Mazda2 1665Holden Commodore 1650Holden Cruze 1630Mazda CX5 1625Top selling brands in January 2013Toyota 13,375 down 4.9pcMazda 8912 up 5.1pcHolden 8811 down 2.8pcFord 7721 up 32.3pcNissan 7248 up 35 pcHyundai 6816 up 4.7pcMitsubishi 4449 down 2.6pcVolkswagen 3824 up 13.6pcHonda 3816 up 141pcSubaru 3104 down 3.2pcThis reporter is 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 Holden Commodore could be replaced by a four-cylinder front-drive sedan similar to the Toyota Camry beyond 2017 – putting the jobs of 320 workers that make the Commodore’s V6 engine in jeopardy.

Narrated by John Williamson, the 2012 Deni Ute Muster Documentary is a fly-on-the-wall look at events from the two-day festival, including the World Record Blue Singlet Count, Swag Throwing, Holden Barrel Races, Showtime Kawasaki team, Show ‘N Shine, RM Williams Bullride Spectacular, RAAF Roulettes, Woodchop demonstrations, Whip cracking, Tractor Pull, Ute Museum, and -- of course -- highlights of The Australian National Circle Work Championships Final. “It’s a documentary style feature which showcases the celebration of the only truly Australian vehicle, the Ute, and for the first time, the ANCWC Finals for 2012,” spokesman Tom Kendall said in a statement. “The Australian National Circle Work Championships Final documentary captures every moment of this exciting competition. This hour-long film showcases the performance of each competitor, the final three and the award ceremony, and provides an excellent introduction to Australia’s newest rough and tumble motor sport. “The Deni Ute Muster is a one of a kind, uniquely Australian institution, and a showcase for the people and traditions that make up the back bone of the country. These films bring this event to life for the first time, for everyone to experience and enjoy.” The documentaries are available on DVD or through Digital Download, it can be purchased by visiting www.denidvd.com  

We recently brought you news that General Motors had filed trademarks on the names “El Camino” and “Nomad” -- both iconic vehicles from the Chevrolet brand’s past.  That quickly led to speculation that General Motors was considering a revival for both products, with the Holden Commodore Ute imported as the El Camino and the Holden Commodore Sportwagon appearing as the Nomad. A spokesman for Holden stated that no decision on further exports (beyond the Holden Commodore sedan, which will hit U.S. showrooms in 2013 as the 2014 Chevy SS) had been made, but cited a new free trade agreement between Australia and the US as evidence that the option was potentially open. Now, a General Motors spokesman has explained to industry journal Automotive News that the trademark filings were nothing more than procedural, saying, “We trademark these names as needed to protect them as a matter of practice.” For now, anyway, US fans of the El Camino, a car-based compact pickup, and the Nomad, a two-door station wagon launched in 1955, will have to hope that GM rethinks its position on importing additional Holden models. Before that will happen, though, the Chevrolet SS needs to prove itself in the market. We’ll know the chances of that soon enough, as General Motors will debut the 2014 Chevrolet SS (alongside the new Holden Commodore) at Speed Week in Daytona Beach, Florida, in February 2013. MotorAuthority  

The homegrown Holden ute is almost certain to follow in the tyre tracks of its Commodore sedan stablemate and be exported to North America.The Commodore will be sold in the US from next year as a performance sedan and now it seems the ute will follow soon after. Reports out of the US claim that General Motors has renewed the trademark of the El Camino name, an iconic car-based Chevrolet pick-up sold between 1959 and 1977.The classic 1970s El Camino has earned recent notoriety in the hit TV series, 'My Name Is Earl' and North American enthusiasts have longed for a revival of the iconic model. The Holden ute was supposed to be exported to North America in 2009 -- all re-engineering work was completed and the car was even unveiled by rapper 50 Cent at the New York Motor Show as a Pontiac.But that deal ended before exports could begin because the brand was folded in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. Holden spokesman Sean Poppitt told News Limited: "We haven't made a decision on the next generation ute or its presence in export markets outside Australia."However there is the free trade agreement between the US and Australia which means we are not precluded from selling Australian-made light commercial vehicles in the US market." Foreign pick ups and utes rarely make it onto North American soil because they are subject to a 25 per cent import tariff. The US and Australia FTA means there is no tariff barrier.The US website GM Authority reports that the Chevrolet El Camino trademark was renewed on August 9, 2012. "Any speculation on the trademarking of the El Camino name is just that: speculation. However we are keeping our options open," the Holden spokesman said.