Holden Commodore News

Going by ability, Stoner is the most likely motorcycle racer to eventually move to V8 Supercars.Roland Dane, boss of the V8 Supercars championship-winning TeamVodafone, rates Stoner the "standout" of test drivers who have had a drive in one of the team's race cars over the past couple of years.The others are three-time World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss and multiple world and American supercross and motocross champ Chad Reed."I think the standout because of age and what he's done is Casey Stoner," he says. "We had a very good test with Troy and he's had an opportunity to do something (races in the 2010 endurance rounds) but he's the wrong side of 40, although he's probably fitter than most V8 drivers."It's difficult for him to start a new career now and he's still earning more money testing for Ducati than driving a V8, anyway. Chad we will still keep a eye on, but the standout is Casey."You can see when he drives the car that he's definitely got real talent. He also has a real passion for V8s."Stoner attended several V8 Supercar events last year and stays in touch with the series via computer while travelling around the world on the MotoGP circuit.He has also developed close relationships with several TeamVodafone members, including Craig Lowndes's race engineer, Jeromy Moore. However, Dane does not see a move to V8s soon."The MotoGP has to be his focus until he no longer wants to do it," Dane says. "He's publicly said he's not sure how long he will carry on with GP, but I suspect he has a few more championships to get under his belt."

In fact, you must regularly use it to keep the petrol system in tip-top shape for when you need it. Most modern dual-fuel systems actually use petrol when the engine is started. Some use a small amount of petrol to assist rapid and smooth starting.  Others start on petrol before automatically switching over to LPG after a set time, while others start on petrol and switch over the LPG once a number of set parameters, such as engine temperature, are met. For that reason it's important that you don't to forget put some petrol in the petrol tank so you don't inadvertently run out and find yourself stranded with a car that won't start. In other instances, such as with a high performance car, systems will automatically switch from LPG to petrol to ensure the fuel flow is sufficient for the engine's needs at high engines speeds when the LPG system can't keep up. Because the engine still runs some of the time on petrol it is important to keep the fuel as fresh as possible to ensure smooth and troublefree starting and running.  It is also important to regularly run the engine on petrol to keep the fuel system components primed and in good working condition. Our LPG experts say you should run at least 20 litres of petrol through the system every month. In same cases the petrol fuel pump, which is located in the petrol tank, runs even when the engine is running on LPG. To prevent the petrol pump from being damaged it is recommended that the petrol tank be at least a quarter full at all times.

After more than 60 years on Auto Alley, Australia's iconic motor brand, Holden, has left the famous Parramatta car yard strip. The departure of Heartland Motor Group's Holden dealership leaves vacant lots on the western side of the once-thriving strip. "It's the end of an era,'' said Heartland CEO, Kieran Turner. "This car yard has been in my family since 1955.'' It fell to Michael Powell, the chief operating officer, to lock up and walk away. "We've just got to move on. Holden is in a different place these days and is not the market force they once were,'' he said.  A Holden spokeswoman would only say that the carmaker was "not moving away from its customers'' and that arrangements with its individual dealers would not be discussed. The closure is a sign of tough times on Auto Alley. Nationwide in 2011, new car sales were down 2.6 per cent on 2010. "Holden's market share is down from 22 per cent to 12 per cent over a decade,'' Mr Turner said. "It's got much tougher and it's changed because of the internet these days dealers just don't need that much space,'' he said. It is a sentiment shared by Rod Smith, the dealer principal of Terry Shields Toyota and Lexus of Parramatta. "I've been on this strip now for 22 years and it's turning into a boulevard of prestige cars rather than bread-and-butter cars,'' he said. ``Strips like this will always survive, but Parramatta is no longer the dominant one.'' Next month the Auto Alley reference group, comprising representatives from Parramatta and Holroyd councils and transport, plus property and planning bureaucrats, holds its inaugural meeting to discuss Auto Alley's future. Kieran Turner, Heartland CEO, and Matthew Duncan, the CEO of Trivett, both see smaller dealerships beneath a mixture of commercial and residential high-rise as the best way to develop their land.

It has slashed 350 jobs from the workforce at its factory at Altona in Melbourne as a result of falling demand for the Camry, most notably in the Middle East, that pegs production for 2012 at just 95,000 cars.That's a drop of more than 30 per cent in just four years, to an unsustainable level without cuts to the 3500-strong Victoria workforce."Toyota Australia is facing severe operating conditions resulting in unsustainable financial returns due to factors including the strong Australian currency, reduced cost competitiveness and volume decline, especially in export markets," says Max Yasuda, president of Toyota Australia.But Toyota is not alone on the crisis line. Falcon sales fell to less than 19,000 cars in 2011 and the total production at Broadmeadows - including Falcon ute and Territory - was only 45,000 vehicles, while the Commodore lost the top spot in Australian motoring last year and GM Holden is now relying on joint production of the Commodore and compact Cruze to keep its Adelaide factory spinning at profitable levels.Less than two weeks ago the spotlight was on Detroit with questions about the future of both Ford and Holden. The blue oval brand reacted first with a $103 cash injection and General Motors is promising news by the middle of the year on a production deal beyond the next Commodore, the VF that hits the road in 2014.Planning the future for Australian manufacturing is being done at the highest levels, with the Federal Minister for Industry, Senator Kim Carr, meeting Ford CEO Alan Mulally and GM honcho Dan AkersonThe major focus was development of a fresh co-investment strategy between the Federal government and the carmakers, taking advantage of the $3.4 billion fighting fund included in the Automotive Transformation Scheme as part of the motor industry plan that runs through to the end of the decade.Senator Carr was upbeat when he emerged from the talks, firstly to pledge his support of Holden and then to announce the new Ford deal which has been fast-tracked in less than six months. "We had very, very productive conversations. We are at the table," he says.But that was ahead of the Toyota job cut, which is also raising questions about the future viability of the hundreds of component companies that are tied to Ford, Holden and Toyota.“This is an industry that employs 46,000 skilled Australian workers directly and over 200,000 indirectly.  It is an industry that is the cornerstone of research and development activity in Australia and an industry that is one of our top export earners," says Carr.“The enormously competitive situation for automotive globally highlights more than ever the need to support our local automotive industry, to retain core capabilities and to provide skilled jobs so that the industry can rebound when economic conditions improve.“The mining boom won’t last for ever and we need to make sure that we have a core of key manufacturing industries with export potential – including automotive – to turn to when that happens."Break-Out: FundingThe troubles at Toyota have again raised questions about government support for carmaking in Australia.The three locals all get some form of support from Federal and State governments, with Ford Australia recently announcing a $103 million co-funded injection from Canberra and its parent company in Detroit.There has been talk in recent years that taxpayers are funding the industry at the rate of more than $1000 a person every year, but a new independent survey by the Sapere group shows the reality.The actual cost of government backing is $17.30 a year - a level that Sapere rates as the lowest among countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.The level of support in Britain is only $27.270 but it rises sharply from there, to $87.90 in Germany and $93.70 in Canada to $143.30.At the top end, government support in France is $143.30 per person and in the USA it's a whopping $257.40.Break-Out: OpinionThe troubles at Toyota reflect the latest change for Australian carmakers.The best model for success in the 1990s and early 2000s was to have a strong local sales base and then cream the top with an export program.It worked for Holden with the Pontiac G8 version of the Commodore, and Ford also looked for a time at building the Focus in Australia for exports through the Asia-Pacific region.Toyota did it best with the Camry and in its peak export year, it shipped more than 100,000 Camrys from Altona to the Middle East.But carmaking has contracted, the Australian dollar is far stronger, and the best model now is to export expertise - not cars - with work like Ford's T6 pickup program, Holden's design job for the Chevrolet Camaro, and even Toyota's inhouse design jobs.There is still a place for the local makers, but they have to be tightly integrated into a global plan that means more for Australia than just trying to crank out orphan cars for local buyers.

Holden lost the top spot its Commodore held for 15 years, Toyota's Camry still leads its class but is nearly 6000 sales behind 2010, and the numbers for the Ford Falcon are . . . well, dismal.Imported small cars are biting deeper and deeper into the homegrown heartland and no-one is better on a serious future for the Falcon and Commodore beyond 2018 - at the latest.But drill a bit deeper and the news is not necessarily as bad as it looks.Yes, Falcon only managed to find 18,741 new friends last year and that number is impossible to sustain. For a start, there will be no money for future development.But Falcon sedan numbers now have to be combined with the Territory SUV - which is really a new-age replacement for the Falcon wagon - and Falcon utes.When you combine the three, production from Broadmeadows rises to 39,411. That's still not brilliant, but it's not a disaster.And remember Ford was without its crucial LPG model for much of the year, and has is about to introduce its EcoBoost four-cylinder Falcon to win government and fleet sales."We're putting our money where our mouth is, and investing in the future of this product. I see that the glass is half full. I'm positive," the new sales and marketing director of Ford Australia, Brad Brownell, tells Carsguide.Across at Holden, the story is the same but different.Commodore numbers are down but GM Holden has already hedged its bets by diversifying into production of the compact Cruze in Adelaide.So its local production needs to combine the two - even though there is distortion with some Cruze imports - to get a true number.Doing that, as well as adding the ute, and Caprice numbers, Holden's total goes from 40,617 for Commodore sedan up to something beyond 85,000.Holden says it is committed to local manufacturing for the long haul and that looks true, with the Cruze set to eventually overtake Commodore as its local showroom headliner.And Toyota? Well, its factory at Altona is geared for 50 per cent export and the Middle East slide has been far worse than Australia through the global financial downturn.Through 2011 the Camry and Aurion were also into runout ahead of an all-new model. So the 2011 result of 28,084 cars will jump considerably through 2012 with full production of Camry, V6 Aurion and Camry hybrid, as well as increased exports.Would Toyota be spending $350 million on a new engine factory in Melbourne if it was not committed to local production? No, exactly.Things are still tough, and both Ford and Holden are fighting hard to justify any future investments to their head offices in Detroit, but  Federal Industry Minister Kim Carr says he is bullish and is in Motown this week for meetings with company chiefs during the Detroit motor show.So there is lots of uncertainty, and Ford is definitely leaning away from a unique Ford Falcon, but it's a long time yet until the fat lady sings.

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)."

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.The company's manufacturing operation in Adelaide and its research base at Fishermans Bend are the target for a renewed commitment from General Motors on one side and both state and federal governments in Australia aimed at taking the company through to at least 2020.High-level talks in Detroit today have yet to produce a concrete deal but there are positive signs that the Federal government will dip into a $3.4 billion fighting fund to produce a co-investment plan to secure two car lines for Holden's factory at Elizabeth."I think we've reached a position where an agreement looks likely," says the South Australian premier, Jay Weatherall.Holden is already committed to the upcoming VF Commodore in 2014 and its compact Cruze through to at least 2016, but the new deal is aimed at locking the company into GM's future global product plans. Holden knows it cannot go alone as it has in the past and the Federal Minister for Industry, Senator Kim Carr, says his government supports any move to protect jobs in the Australian automotive sector."It's strategically vital. The loss of the industry is irretrievable. It will cost a lot more, a lot more, if we don't have an automotive industry in Australia," says Carr."Our approach is about building and maintaining capability in Australia. We are in the business of fighting for jobs. That's what this is all about. Fighting for Australian jobs and fighting for partnerships that take us through the rest of this decade."Carr met with the chairman of GM, Dan Ackerson, yesterday and says a working group has been established to plow through the detail of a new co-investment deal that would secure funding from Detroit and balance it with cash from Canberra.The government has money available from the $3.4 billion Automotive Transformation Fund, under the latest car plan that runs until 2020, to support any commitment from GM."Am I confident there is a way forward for Holden? Yes, I'm confident," says the chairman of GM Holden, Mike Devereux.He will not go into any detail but says Holden wants to continue with two individual models on its production line in South Australia, as well as a continuation of its large portfolio of design and engineering work throughout the GM world."We are working on a long-term sustainable future for this company. We're talking about things that won't become true until late 2016," Devereux says.

The award goes back to Holden's VT Commodore in 1997, with the prize remaining at Port Melbourne with the Astra the following year. The Germans claimed its first Carsguide gong - and the first of the new millenium with its C-Class sedan. The prize went to one of the most-demanded machines ever to roll out of the Elizabeth factory in 2001 - the resurrected Holden Monaro. Ford introduced its new BA Falcon - a $500 million investment by Ford Australia which removed the unloved look of the AU-Series - and scored a Carsguide COTY prize in 2002. The ancestor of a 2011 finalist took the prize in 2004 - Ford's locally-developed Territory SUV won the award, before it went back to a Japanese brand. The 2006 title went to Holden again, this time the local carmaker's VE "billion-dollar baby" the VE Calais V V8. A Korean diesel took the top spot in 2007 - the Hyundai i30 CRDi turbodiesel hatch suprised many with five top spot votes from a possible nine. Broadmeadows was the home of the trophy for 2008, with the Ford Falcon G6E Turbo scoring 77 out of a possible 80. The sixth incarnation of the Golf was the first VW to win the Carsguide award in 2009 and its smaller Polo sibling sat in its tyre tracks the following year. Carsguide COTY Hall of Fame 2010 Volkswagen Polo 2009 Volkswagen Golf 2008 Ford Falcon G6E Turbo 2007 Hyundai i30 CRDi 2006 Holden Commodore V8 Calais V 2005 Suzuki Swift 2004 Ford Territory 2003 Honda Accord Euro 2002 Ford Falcon BA 2001 Holden Monaro 2000 Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan 1999 Toyota Echo 1998 Holden Astra 1997 Holden Commodore VT.

The missing round is scheduled one week after two races at Abu Dhabi and is expected to be held somewhere in the Mid East or Asia. However with the calling of a second tender this week for the stalled Changi project, it is now unlikely to be completed in time for the V8 Supercars round in November. Other possible venues for the round are in Malaysia and India.

We gave it everything right up to the bitter end when it became mathematically impossible to win the championship. I'm proud to say we went down fighting and I absolutely drove the wheels off that car. In the end, we had a fantastic year, but my teammate, Jamie Whincup, had an exceptional year and thoroughly deserved the title. He drove magnificently all season. I thought I'd thrown away any chance of the title on Saturday when I hit the wall in turn one on the top 10 shoot out and then spun at turn 10. But I just put my head down and drove as hard as I've ever driven and we got the result we wanted, taking maximum points. There was literally nothing left in the tank at the end - my tank or the car's. The last few laps were a fuel economy run, but I don't think anyone thought it was boring. I believe Neil Crompton and Mark Skaife did a great job of explaining to viewers what was happening and that made it even more exciting. We approached Sunday's race in the same way as Saturday - nothing to lose so just throw everything into it. So I was scraping as many walls as I could without damaging the car to get as much speed out of the circuit as I could. It was only in the last couple of laps that my race engineer Jeromy Moore told me Jamie's position and I knew the championship was his. Our team principal Roland Dane was pretty happy with the team result and we were all delighted with the outcome. Things had been pretty tense on both sides of the garage and we had two crash bays ready to go in case we needed them, so it was also a huge relief in our pit garage when the weekend and season were finally over. We will now sit down and analyse the season and work out what we could do to make next year better, but there will be no regrets or recriminations. Rounds I'd like to do again would be the Gold Coast and new Zealand, but overall I'm happy with my finishing rate which was a lot higher than I'd ever had and we improved our consistency in the first half of year which was another goal achieved. Now I have to work on my qualifying which has been very patchy this year with my worst effort ever at Sandown. Apart from the V8s next year I hope to have another go at the Australasian Safari in the new Holden Colorado and do a few endurance events with Audi at the Bathurst 12 hour in February and the 24-hour events at Nurburgring and Spa. Our awards night on the Monday held a nice surprise and an honour for me with my third Barry Sheene medal which is essentially our Brownlow Medal.  Now I'd like to hand out a few medals of my own. Best race was winning our third endurance victory on the trot at Phillip Island. It was significant because it's quite likely Skaifey's last. Best event was Bathurst. Even though we finished second, it was a thrilling and close finish with Garth Tander. Best team was TeamVodafone. We have proven not only that we are fast but also reliable. There is a lot of pride from all the team members which can be seen in the immaculate condition that our cars roll out of the transporter at each race meeting. Best driver is undoubtedly Jamie. He is the complete package with great qualifying, racing and consistency. Best circuit is Abu Dhabi. Some Australian circuits need work for next year, but nothing compares to the desert track. Best young gun is James Moffat who did well in several events and has shown some brilliance and maturity. He will be one to watch in 2012. Most improved is the Kelly team which has lifted in the past few rounds, showed good speed in the wet and are now getting on top of their dry set-up. This is my last column for 2011. I'm looking forward to doing absolutely nothing over the Christmas break. It will be so good to not have to pack my bags, sleep in a motel room or get on a plane. I'll be spending time on the farm with the kids and hoping Santa brings me just a bit more luck next year so I can go one better. Have a safe Christmas and see you in 2012.