Holden Commodore News

With the introduction of an updated VF Holden Commodore pegged for early next year, HSV, official tuner to Holden, will be introducing its own new models based on the car in the form of the F Series range. Prototypes for HSV’s F Series are already testing, and according to some reports the noise emanating from under their hoods has the signature whine of a supercharger. With HSV’s direct rival FPV having won the local power stakes with its own range of supercharged Ford Falcon GT sedans, the decision to adopt supercharged power for its new F Series is a no-brainer for HSV, especially when Holden’s parent, General Motors, already has several supercharged V-8s in its parts bin. According to Go Auto, the most likely option for HSV is using the supercharged 6.2-litre LSA V-8 found in the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, with which the Holden Commodore and HSV’s model range shares a Zeta platform. While output of the Camaro ZL1’s engine stands at 432kW of power and 753Nm of torque, for application in the HSV F Series the numbers will likely be toned down. HSV’s current flagship, the GTS, only develops 325kW and 550Nm, so expect only a gradual rise in output initially, probably enough to just eclipse the 335kW/570Nm rating of its FPV GT rival. www.motorauthority.com

Called the Z-Series range it provides excellent value for money. Not that Holden’s marketing guys would kick a rival when they’re down... Interestingly the Commodore Z-Series is offered on comfort and sports models across all VE body styles. Meaning it’s aimed at a much winder spread of buyers than conventional special editions. Holden’s sales chief, John Elsworth explains, “Whether you are looking for exceptional value, more comfort and luxury or real sports performance, there’s something for everyone with this new Z-Series range. Anyone in the market for a large sedan, family Sportwagon or a great Aussie ute, there’s really never been a better time to buy a Holden.” In sedan and Sportwagon format the Holden Commodore Z-Series comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, front foglamps with chrome surrounds and rear park assist combined with a rearview camera. The sedan gets a front spoiler. Inside there are leather seats and steering wheel trim. The Commodore SV6 and SS Z-Series get the above listed items, except that it receives 19-inch alloy wheels in place of the 18-inch alloy wheels already fitted. They also receive ‘Z-Series’ carpet mats. Holden has really opened up with the SSV Z-Series sedan, Sportwagon and ute. They get the styling and handling dynamics provided by FE3 sports suspension and front Brembo brakes. The sedan has a sunroof. Again, ‘Z-Series’ carpet mats and badges make them stand out from the crowd. Coinciding with the new Z-Series packs, Holden has introduced a new colour. Tagged ‘Alchemy’ it’s a luxurious deep purple hue based on the stunning shade that wowed car enthusiasts worldwide when used on the Efijy show car a few years back. Try saying Holden FJ with a strong Italian accent to get the right sound for the Efijy... The complete Holden Commodore Z-Series range is: COMFORT RANGE Z-Series sedan petrol: from $37,990 (automatic) Z-Series sedan LPG: from $40,490 (automatic) Z-Series Sportwagon petrol: from $39,990 (automatic) Z-Series Sportwagon LPG: from $42,490 (automatic) SPORTS RANGE SV6 Z-Series sedan petrol: from $42,790 (manual), $43,790 (automatic) SV6 Z-Series sedan LPG: from $46,290 (automatic) SV6 Z-Series Sportwagon petrol: from $45,790 (automatic) SV6 Z-Series Sportwagon LPG: from $48,290 (automatic) SV6 Z-Series utility petrol: from $38,490 (manual), $39,490 (automatic) SV6 Z-Series utility LPG: from $41,990 (automatic) SS Z-Series sedan petrol: from $47,790 (manual), $49,790 (automatic) SS Z-Series Sportwagon petrol: from v$49,790 (manual), $51,790 (automatic) SS Z-Series utility petrol: from $42,490 (manual), $44,490 (automatic) SSV Z-Series sedan petrol: from $55,290 (manual, $57,290 (automatic) SSV Z-Series Sportwagon petrol: from $57,290 (manual), $59,290 (automatic) SSV Z-Series utility petrol: from $47,490 (manual), $49,490 (automatic)  

Sam Weeraratne is aged 43, lives in Victoria and drives a black Holden Commodore Sportwagon for its load-carrying capacity.He is the typical Australian motorist. Sam is us. Statistically speaking, according to Roy Morgan Research. Despite Commodore being knocked off its top-selling perch recently by Toyota Corolla and HiLux and the Mazda3, it has been the most popular car for two decades.So it remains  for now at least  the most common car on the road, one owned by 7 per cent of the driving population. Times are changing. The most common type of car is no longer the big family sedan. Now it's the sub-$40,000 small car followed closely by the ever-rising SUV (see breakout). We also like white, silver and black cars, preferably four-door sedans and usually Toyotas.As the Commodore clings on to most popular model status, the Corolla is the top small car. BMW's 3 Series is th  e most popular luxury car, LandCruiser the favourite SUV and HiLux the pick of the light commercial vehicles - and regularly, the top monthly individual seller.The most popular vehicle varies between city and country. A RACQ study of Queensland's favourite cars found the Corolla and Camry were Brisbane's favourites. Away from the capital, the bigger car still holds sway. In provincial cities such as Toowoomba, Bundaberg and Townsville, the Aussie sedan is the top pick. Further north in Mackay and Cairns, the LandCruiser is top choice.There are more than 12,474,000 cars on Australian roads with an average age of 10 years. According to the GIO figures, 53 per cent prefer driving a car alone and one in three prefers to travel with the family. Indeed, a GIO survey concludes: “We really are a car society with drivers twice as likely to remember their first car than their first kiss.''One in four of us owns a motorcycle but only 1 per cent use it as primary transport. Two per cent use a bicycle and 4 per cent prefer a bus or tram.INSIDE THE MOTOR HEADLike most Commodore drivers, Sam Weeraratne, chose his Sportwagon because he supports local product. “We firmly believe about buying locally made stuff and helping the economy and I always wanted to help that,” he says.“That leads me to buying a Holden rather than a second-hand BMW or Mercedes. I also try to holiday locally, but you want to go overseas as well.” But Weeraratne is a typical of Commodore drivers. “I like my wine and if I get my hands on a good scotch, I'll have that,” he said. “A night out for me is going out to a good restaurant.I like a lot of modern Australian food and stolen bits from all over the world.” Corolla driver Judy Smith, 62, is a semi-retired carer who commutes 50km. “I'm a very practical person,'' she says. “I needed a reliable car that was safe and Toyota has a strong reputation and good resale value. I had a Toyota years ago.“It's also easy to get in and out of, plenty of room for the grandchildren.” In other ways she's atypical. “I only go to church when I have to and I like my vegetables but I also like meat and seafood. I drink beer and wine and my favourite drink is Asti Riccardona.''Hawks fan Anton Koller is a perfect fit as a 44-year-old IT professional and long-time BMW 3 Series owner. “I love my cars and I love my BMWs because they're fun to drive,” he says. “The eight-speed auto transmission is silky smooth, it has unbelievable brakes and it hangs on in corners. I've always stuck with the blue and white badge.'' He also fits the BMW demographic as health conscious with an active lifestyle and well travelled.COLOURSWe like white cars. Some of that's down to practicality and price non-metallic hues are often cheaper. Increasingly, white's the new black. Especially white with black accents. Postgraduate marketing researcher Andrew Golledge, of the Queensland University of Technology, says white is a practical colour popular with male and female professionals and trades people.Second most popular colour is shared by silver - Golledge says it reflects prestige - and black, which is mostly bought by single men aged 18-35 who are “looking to establish their sense of mystery and interested in expressing themselves and their ambitions”.White is no longer merely white. Car makers, prestige brands in particular, have launched their new model campaigns with white cars - described as pearlescent, metallic, iridescent and any number of names that you're unlikely to find on the Pantone chart.LIFESTYLECommodore owners drink Aussie beer, energy drinks and pre-mixed spirits and order out for pizza, saying expensive restaurants are not worth the money. They like physical activity and go to live sports events rather than art shows or cultural events. Corolla drivers drink low-fat milk, eat healthy and organic foods, devour less red meat and are worried about their cholesterol. They like eco holidays in Australia.BMW drivers like to cook, prefer wine to beer and spirits, and are health conscious, but not as much as Corolla drivers. They enjoy an active social life and are most likely to holiday overseas somewhere they can soak up the culture.BELIEFS“I don't trust the current Australian government,” say Commodore drivers, who believe corruption is a big problem. One third believe homosexuality is immoral, they are suspicious of change, worried about interest rates and believe globalisation brings more problems than it solves.Shy Corolla owners take few risks, recycle, use logic more than their emotions and almost a third believe homosexuality is immoral. BMW owners consider themselves leaders and are optimistic about the future. They are more likely to be accepting of gay people, give to charity, consider themselves green and believe the government is doing a good job.SPORTSAFL is the top sport among motorists, followed by rugby league. For drivers of small SUVs, however, Test and one-day cricket come second to AFL. Support is fairly evenly split among the clubs, although SUV drivers tend to favour the Lions and Swans. Audi drivers support the Bombers and BMW favour the Magpies.Holden and Ford fans are evenly split and Ford drivers don't necessarily favour Geelong, where Fords are built. Mitsubishi drivers don't follow the Crows even though they used to be made in Adelaide. Very few Renault and VW drivers follow AFL but those that do overwhelmingly support the Swans and Magpies.In NRL, the Broncos are the top team among all types of passenger vehicles with up to 10 per cent support; often more than half the next best club. The hardiest Bronco fans are Jeep and Kia drivers with three times the support of the others.The Bronco trend is similar among vehicle brands, however Ford drivers are evenly split with support for Melbourne Storm. Land Rover drivers are among the few that prefer the Bulldogs over the Broncos. French brands Citroen, Peugeot and Renault are least interested in league, but Citroen prefers Storm, Peugeot likes Broncos and Renault likes the Newcastle Knights.RELIGIONCorolla drivers are closer to their god. One in four say they are regular church goers compared with Commodore and BMW drivers (about 15 per cent of whom attend church. Among Christian drivers of these cars, Catholics are more likely to opt for the Corolla or BMW. Of the non-Christians, most drive Corollas, particularly Buddhists and Muslims.NATIONALITYFour out of every five Commodore drivers are Australian-born, compared with about two out of three Corolla and BMW drivers. Asian drivers prefer the Corolla over Commodore and BMW.LIVING STATUSAlso half of all Commodore drivers live with a partner and children and about one in four is married with no children. BMW drivers are similar but they are more likely to not have children. Corolla drivers are evenly split and more of them live with their parents.EDUCATIONBMW drivers excel in the classroom with two out of three having a diploma or degree, compared with almost half of Corolla drivers and less than a third Commodore owners. About a quarter of  Holden drivers  finished secondary school.SOFT ROADERSNew car buyers have turned to SUVs in record numbers this year, according to the FCAI. Sales of compact models - such as the Nissan Dualis, Mitsubishi ASX, Volkswagen's Tiguan and Hyundai ix35 - have grown at an unprecedented 61 per cent.Australians bought 23,845 SUVs of all types last month. SUVs have tallied 177,100 sales this year  or just 20,000 vehicles short of the annual figure for 2007,  the record year for vehicle sales. The segment is on track to top 305,000 sales.AT A GLANCEFavoured car type: Small four-door sedan, under $40,000Brand: ToyotaModel: Holden Commodore/CalaisLuxury car: BMW 3 SeriesSmall car: Toyota CorollaSUV: Toyota LandCruiserLight commercial: Toyota HiLuxCar age: 10 years or lessAnnual distance driven: 13,430kmDaily average drive: 11-20kmCars per household: 1.9AVERAGE OWNERSHolden Commodore: Male Victorian aged 35-49Toyota Corolla: Retired Sydney female aged over 50BMW 3 Series: Melbourne professional either sex aged 35-49

As a three-time winner of the Bathurst 1000, he’s used to driving fast. But he’ll be dropping the pace in stints as a volunteer driver for leukaemia patients. The V8 Supercar star’s chauffer duties tie in with the donation of 17 new Holden Commodores to the Leukaemia Foundation. As a Holden ambassador, Tander made a special appearance at the Ipswich 300 round to help announce the donation, which is the latest initiative in seven years of vehicle supply to the Foundation. Among the happiest to be there was four-year-old former leukaemia patient Maggie, who was diagnosed when she was just six hours old and began chemotherapy at two weeks. Happily, Maggie is now in full remission but was delighted at the chance to meet Tander and get a close look at the special livery for the patient transport cars. Over the past seven years the patient transport program has transported over 6,300 blood cancer patients to and from treatment free of charge.  During treatment, blood cancer patients are highly susceptible to infections and therefore public transport must be avoided. Holden has an ongoing program that sees their cars do service for the patients. “We are very grateful to Holden for their ongoing support and commitment since 2002,” Leukaemia Foundation CEO Peter Cox said.  “The previous Holden sponsored cars have travelled over 2.8 million kilometres – equal to sixty-nine laps around the globe.” Holden paid tribute to the important work the Foundation undertakes, and which the carmaker says it is keen to support. "The Leukaemia Foundation provides an enormously valuable service to people with blood cancer and we aim to assist in as many ways as possible,” Holden spokesperson Maya Donevska said. “To be able to donate 17 Commodores is an important milestone in our relationship with the Foundation.”  

I didn't think we could do any better than our clean sweep last year at Queensland Raceway, but we proved me wrong. That’s now my fifth win on the trot for 11 wins in total on the Ipswich track, but my mechanic actually has seven wins on the trot because he was with James Courtney a couple of years ago when he won. It just goes to show the wins are a credit to the whole team. I didn’t think things would turn out so well when the engine blew on the Saturday. It was a strange feeling with Jamie (Whincup) still out on the track and my side of the garage frantically swapping engines. I gave as much of a hand as I could and just had to have faith that the team would be thorough enough with the refit. The rest of the weekend went pretty smoothly with two great starts. We didn’t maximise our qualifying position on the Sunday but my race engineer JJ (Jeromy Moore) and I discussed the options. We chose to follow the same strategy we used in Darwin of saving a fresh set of tyres for the race. It paid dividends there and we gambled it would do the same at Ipswich. We still believe it’s best to have a red-hot go at qualifying and then park it to have a fresh set of tyres left for the race. It’s more beneficial than burning up tyres in qualifying. You don’t get any points for qualifying. Our fourth position on the grid was actually pretty good because it put us on the race line off the start and we were able to follow Frosty into the first corner. We got past Will Davison down the back straight and had good speed on the hard tyre and were able to chase and then pass Frosty. Ipswich was the start of my charge on the championship lead last year and I’m hoping it will be the same this year.  I know the points gap was about half as much last year, but mathematically it’s still do-able. I know it’s a long shot, but I won’t give up. I only pulled back 40-odd points on Jamie at the weekend and I’m still over 200 away, so I’ve got to keep winning races and hope all three in front me have a problem along the line. Unfortunately, they’ve all been pretty reliable this year, but who’s to say they don’t make a driver or judgment error?  

It clashes with the Olympics. I have friends who didn’t even realise we were racing this weekend and can’t believe they would schedule a round during the Olympic Games.  No doubt we should have moved our recent mid-year break back to now and returned with the endurance races. Hopefully the weather stays fine and the crowds still come out. While on the subject of the Olympics, I feel really sorry for James Magnussen, Emily Seebohm and Leisel Jones and the pressure they have been under to perform.  The immense weight of expectation must be very distracting and you can’t help but forgive them if they are disappointed and break down emotionally. Having won the three races at Ipswich last year and holding the record of nine wins at Queensland Raceway creates some pressure on me, but it’s nothing compared with the pressure on the Olympians. If we get it wrong, we come back a few weeks later for another go. Olympians train for three-and-a-half years for the one event and they don’t get a second chance. The pressure doesn’t really worry me. I view it as a compliment on our form. We have some momentum from the past couple of rounds and this round last year started my charge so I’m confident it can do the same for our championship campaign this year. Our team is also confident after two recent tests at QR. We have the car balance right for the soft tyre and have a better insight into how hard to push it and how soon to start looking after it. What will be critical this weekend is the change in track temperature. They are expecting zero degrees in the morning, but it will warm up to about 24 in the middle of the day for qualifying then cool down when we race in the late afternoon.  We simulated those temperature changes on our test day last Friday and have a good understanding of how the temperature affects what you do to the car. However home ground knowledge hasn’t helped at this track in the past few years. Maybe that’s because the home teams think they know what to do and relax a bit too much whereas the interstate teams seem to chase car set-up more aggressively and end up with the better package. The ones to watch this weekend will be Stone Brothers and FPR who will come out punching, Tim Slade who was fast here last year, my teammate Jamie Whincup who is always quick at Ipswich and Garth Tander who has always done extremely well at QR. So there will be a number of teams and drivers we will have to keep our eyes on. A few weeks ago I tipped the lap record to fall because the track has been resurfaced and is now much smoother. However, they had a supertruck meeting here a few weeks back and already some of the bumps are returning in turns one and two. Thankfully turn three is still smooth. That’s a shame as you would think we would get a couple of years out of a freshly resurfaced track before it started to disintegrate. However, I still think someone will break John Bowe’s 1999 record this weekend - the longest-held qualifying record in V8 Supercar racing.  

...and I'm confident I'll be the one to set them. Both tracks have had major circuit upgrades which will make them faster. I was at Eastern Creek on Monday and Tuesday doing promotional ride days with VIP guests and sponsors. Several parts of the track have been resurfaced and the kink at turns six and seven have been straightened making it faster. Besides, we have never used the soft tyre before at the Creek so that will also bring lap times down. I'm confident I can set the new lap records at both circuits because I was fastest at Eastern Creek in testing on the soft tyre last year and I had a clean sweep at Ipswich last year with pole and three race wins. We did the promo rides on the old Eastern Creek circuit which we will use next month, but I also had an opportunity to drive the new extension. V8 Supercars won't be racing on it this year for safety reasons and to allow the new track to "cure", but hopefully we will get on it next year. The new extension is challenging and technical which is great for drivers. It will also allow more passing opportunities which is great for the fans. It has big changes of elevation and terrific spectator vantage points. The initial part of the extension will be a one-lane set of chicanes that go over a blind crest and into a downhill hairpin where we will see some brave late braking and overtaking. You come out of the hairpin and start going uphill with a cambered right hander with more passing opportunities and then you rejoin the original track at the old turn nine at the back of the pits which we will approach faster than we have ever done, so that will be interesting. Ride days are not test days. We use a special two-seater car, not our race car and we are not allowed to log any data. The only thing we can do to the car is change tyres and add fuel, no set-up adjustments. It's not cheating. A lot of teams do it and the only advantage is that it gives the driver a bit more time behind the wheel and allows them to familiarise themselves with a track. We go to Queensland Raceway this Friday for an official test day in preparation for the following weekend's round. Our engineers will go through the normal testing program, focusing on car set-up combinations. We will also have to get our heads around the smoother track surface which has taken out the series of bumps in the braking areas of turns one and three. That means better car control, tyres on the ground all the time and higher corner speeds. As a result, we'll have faster lap times so our fuel consumption figures from last year will be useless and we'll have to establish a new strategy. Former F1 driver and all-round racing legend Jacques Villenueve has announced he will race in the next two rounds and I'm sure he will do much better than he did at Townsville. The Canadian driver has driven QR in testing and raced at Surfers Paradise in V8s before, so that will give him an advantage. Also, QR is not as technical as Townsville, so I'm sure he will be somewhere in the middle of the pack this time rather than racing at the back as he was last round.  

The battery-switchable electric Commodore, developed by EV Engineering, has unofficially broken the distance record for a production electric car - 1886km over a 24-hour period. The car covered a 122km loop - which would leave the lithium-ion battery with as little as 20 per cent charge remaining - but the battery switch system allowed the car to get back on the road quickly rather than waiting to re-charge. A crew of 16 kept the car (one of seven electric Commodores built by the company) on the loop, which EV Engineering said was all public roads between Port Melbourne and Geelong at normal driving speeds and using the car's heating and other features. "We just travelled at the speed limits and not getting in the way of traffic, we used the heater and the air conditioning as required, the heater consumes more energy than the A/C, it didn't make too much difference but it draws about 3kW and maybe reduces the range by 10 per cent," he said. Based in Port Melbourne (near GM Holden's Melbourne headquarters) EV Engineering is made up of a group of Australian automotive suppliers - Air International, Bosch, Continental, Futuris, GE, and recharge network company Better Place. EV Engineering CEO Ian McCleave said it was a great feeling to see the electric car designed and developed here beat a world distance record. "While our achievement is not an official record, it's a sound validation of our cars capabilities. "We're happy with the range we're getting out of the car, there was still 20 to 25 per cent charge left which suggests a 150km range, that's pretty good," he said. While Mr McCleave, formerly planning and program management executive director at GM Holden, was unwilling to talk about future plans, the future for EV Engineering's electric Commodore is promising. "We're winding up phase one and wanted to celebrate the achievements, we're thinking about looking at an official record attempt," he said. The official record is held by the Renault Zoe - which used fast chargers instead of battery swapping - at 1618km. "There isn't a phase two at this stage, we're in discussions with various parties and it's a bit too early to say how they might unfold - the team has done a fantastic job and we've built a lot of capability here," he said. Mr McCleave said the battery switch technology was critical to covering such a large distance and it shows the age of the electric car has arrived. "That's what got us across the line ... we were able to quickly switch our depleted battery for a fully charged one, so we didn't have to park and plug in order to recharge," he said.  The system used to switch the battery is a scaled-down version of the Battery Switch Stations that will be rolled out in Australia by Better Place - Australia is the third market for Better Place, which already has operational networks in Israel and Denmark. The Society of Automotive Engineers Australasia (SAE) observed the 24-hour trial across its entire 24- hour duration and it has confirmed one electric Commodore covered the 1886km in a continuous 24-hour period.  

The Commodore SS is so good it's headed to the USA to become a hotrod Chevrolet and will spearhead the heartland brand's NASCAR racing drive in 2013 and beyond.The Ford Falcon with EcoBoost motivation sets a new standard for big cars with baby engines and the Territory is selling strongly since it got an overdue diesel engine for motivation.The Toyota Camry and Aurion prove that Australian factories can still build world-class quality, with tasty local tweaking for our roads and drivers. So, what's gone wrong for the Australian carmakers, who are winding back and cutting jobs almost across the board?The simple answer is that we're spoiled. And spoiled rotten. More than 50 brands are plugging their stuff in Australia today and that means the choice and value has never been better. When you add the impact of the healthy Australian dollar, which makes cheap cars from Thailand and Korean even more affordable, the imports get an unbeatable head start over the locals.The only exception is the Holden Cruze, but we'll get to that later. So, why would you buy a Falcon or Commodore for family use when you can get a flexible SUV with more equipment for the same money, or even less?And it's a sad fact that the big, traditional Aussie cars are unfashionable on the school runs that are now dominated by the SUVs like the Nissan Dualis, Kia Sportage, Toyota LandCruiser and - at schools for toffs - BMW X5s and Benz MLs. The only possible exception is the muscular Holden Sportwagon, and we'll also get to that later.The real problem is with the meat-and-veggies cars that have been Australian staples for around 50 years, but don't provide the same taste or satisfaction today. Imagine trying to compete with Asian fusion cooking or the latest tasty Tapas using fifties-style burnt roast beef and baked spuds.In many ways, the three surviving local makers - Nissan folded in the eighties and Mitsubishi shut down in 2008 - are victims of their own long-term success and poor planning. They didn't need to change for the longest time, especially when Holden was exporting the Commodore to America as a Pontiac and Toyota was banking big bucks from its Middle East sales, and now they have been overtaken by rapid changes in showrooms.Every month there are more people moving to SUVs and small cars, which the locals - apart from the Cruze - don't make. And there is zero chance of Toyota switching to the Corolla or Ford Australia making a case to bring the Focus to Broadmeadows - even though it was once part of the forward program at the same time as Holden was committing to the Cruze - because small cars mean small profits, but the start-up costs would be more than $500 million.Ford and Holden say they are committed to the Falcon and Commodore until the end of 2016, and Holden has a much longer timeline thanks to the profits and flexibility it gets from the four-cylinder Cruze. But the VF coming next year and the updated Falcon in 2014 will be the last truly Australian cars.After that, if they still need a big car in a downsizing world, Ford and Holden will be looking to the USA and imports. That means big problems for the companies that Toyota chief John Conomos once said were locked into the 'rust belt' with Ford or Holden traditionalists from the fifties and sixties.These days, the younger generations who grew up with Toyota Corollas and then Hyundai Excels don't even consider a Falcon or Commodore, despite the incredible value of such big and comfortable cars with sub-$40,000 starting prices. By world standards, those prices are outstanding and the cars are way better than the everyday Chevrolets and Fords in the USA, but they rumble under the radar.Sales of big cars have been sliding for more than a decade and the Falcon is the most obvious victim. The company is winding production back to just 148 cars a day - and half of those are Territory. Holden is also being hit much harder now and, after losing its title as Australia's favourite car to the Mazda3 in December the Commodore could only manage eighth in June, its worst place since it hit the road in 1978.The Camry and Aurion are doing a little better, helped by a model change this year, the strength of Toyota's sales network, and the proven drawing power of a four-cylinder engine and the latest hybrid. All three local carmakers now rely on massive government subsidies and handouts - Ford much prefers to call it 'co-investment' - to keep them in business.The $100 million-plus update for the Falcon in 2014 would not have been possible without cash from Canberra, while Holden's recent profit of $90 million is - in a bizarre coincidence - almost exactly the same as its latest government support package.Both brands are now banking the expertise of their designers and engineers, who undertake a range of global projects from their bases in Fishermans Bend and Broadmeadows, but it's not nearly enough to give them a long-term future as local manufacturers.Holden has made a just-in-time jump from the Commodore to the Cruze, and Toyota in Japan is committed to an Australian car making outpost, but it's only a question of time before Ford is faced with the hard-line decision to close. At the time Mitsubishi decided to shut its factory in Adelaide its family-focussed 380 sedan was easily the best car it had developed or built in Australia. It was dowdy but did the job, as resale values now prove.It's looking like the same story for the Falcon, which is better today than ever before - and surprisingly frugal as an EcoBoost four - but not new or trendy or flashy enough for car buyers who have been won by the newer, tastier treats arriving almost every day from somewhere else in the world.FORD TERRITORY DIESELThe Territory with the diesel isn't just a good car, it's great. It has real performance, flexibility, towing power and the price is nice. But - and it's a giant elephant in the room - the updated engine arrived at least four years too late. A diesel Territory was approved way back when the late Geoff Polites was running Ford Australia - after bulldozing the Territory past the bean counters in Detroit - but the decision was reversed and then reversed again for the final go.Broadmeadows also failed dismally to respond to quality glitches and suspension dramas, tainting a hero it should have been boosting. Right now, half of the cars coming off the production line at Ford Australia are Territorys and that percentage is likely to rise as more people hook up with the bolder new look and quality boost, as well as banking the advantage of the diesel under the  bonnet.Ford Territory - compare this carPrice: from $48,240Engine: 6 Cylinder, 2.7-litre turbodiesel, 140kW/440NmTransmission: Sports Automatic, Four Wheel DriveThirst: 8.8 / 100Km  HOLDEN COMMODORE SS SPORTWAGONWhy would you buy a European car when you can get this much punch and panache for less than $50,000? When Holden changed gears on the Commodore wagon, taking it from a basic long-wheelbase hauler into a flexible family escape machine, it knew the Sportwagon was a gamble.But it's worked well and the proof is the number of buyers who go for a V8 in the nose and SS or Calais trimming. They are happy to pay for the bells-and-whistles because the car looks good and kicks. It's almost impossible to pick the Sportwagon from the Commodore sedan in any sort of driving, even with a full fun factor, and the tail end gives BMW-style flexibility for young families or singles with weekend hobbies. Sportwagon-style smart thinking is what is going to keep Holden going as a local maker, provided it can zero-in on a workable package for the Commodore beyond 2016.Holden Commodore SS Sportwagon  Price: from $49,790Engine: 6.0 Litre 8 CylinderTransmission: 6-speed, manual rear wheel driveThirst: 12.2l/100Km  TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRIDThe new greenie from Brand T is actually a closet performance car. It can run electric in stop-start city traffic for a maximum eco boost, but gets a battery belt when you want to go. It's one of the coming generation of hybrid cars - think BMW, think Mercedes, think Subaru - which will use extra boost from batteries to provide honest performance with only a small-capacity combustion engine.The new Hybrid is also part of a Camry family that's been totally changed for 2012, with new looks, more comfort and better value. Best of all, the Aussie Camry is tweaked and tizzied a home for local owners and roads - even though it's still a solid earner with exports to the Middle East.Toyota Camry Hybrid - compare this carPrice: from $34,990Engine: 2.5-litre, 4-cyl petrol, 118kW/213NmTransmission: CVT, front-wheel driveThirst: 5.2L/100km, 121g/km CO2  

Demand for traditional Aussie cars is down by another 25 per cent this year, hitting the Holden Commodore even harder than the Falcon last month, and that means the Broadmeadows brand is about to wind back its production.It intends to cut the build rate at Broadmeadows from 209 to just 148 cars a day, with half of those expected to be the Territory SUV. The bad news from Ford comes in a dismal year for the three local carmakers, as Toyota and Holden have also reduced their workforces."It's a sad day for us," the president of Ford Australia, Bob Graziano, tells Carsguide. "But we also have to manage our business to be as efficient as possible going forward." The redundancies are the first at Ford since April of 2011, when daily production was cut from 260 cars. The losses will be shared across Ford's sites at Broadmeadows and Geelong, with almost all coming from the manufacturing areas of the company. They will be voluntary at first, although Graziano says there may be some forced redundancies to hit the target.The downsizing will cut the company's workforce by 14.5 per cent, leaving it at 2574 people. Graziano refuses to discuss the latest move on the long-term future of the Falcon, which is only currently locked to the end of 2016 following a $133 million commitment earlier this year to a facelift in 2014.We are committed to the Falcon to the end of 2016 and I stand by that," Graziano says. "This takes us to the end of 2016. And between now and then we'll continue to look at where the market is moving. I don't want to speculate on what vehicles we'll have in 2016 and beyond."