Holden Commodore News

Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux admits the long-overdue system will extend the Commodore's appeal and says customers will appreciate the refinements. "This (dedicated system) allows us to optimise the engine performance specifically for LPG and get better performance and economy," he says. Devereux says the system will be "very sophisticated" but refuses to confirm it will be a direct-injection liquified LPG unit that is now in use on the dual-fuel HSV vehicles. The HSV system seamlessly switches between the two fuel system and there's no detectable loss of power when running on pure LPG. Ethanol-complaint engines are also high on the Holden agenda, with the Commodore's 3.6-litre V6 to be modified next year to run on 85 per cent ethanol. "Our vision is that this technology, and the shift towards ethanol-based fuel, in time, could cut Australia's dependence on petrol by up to 30 per cent and make a major contribution to sustainable motoring and greenhouse gas reduction," Devereux says. The announcement follows news a new Australian company, Flex Ethanol Australia, will be formed to commercialise the Coskata-developed process of converting household rubbish into fuel. "I'm pleased to announce we've reached the next and most important milestone in this project. A new company called Flex Ethanol Australia will be formed, supported by GM, to take the project to the next stage of commercialisation," Devereux says. The plant will be based in Victoria and Devereux says it will convert up to a million tonnes of household waste into more than 200 million litres of ethanol a year. The fuel will be sold at Caltex service stations under the Bio E-Flex label. Lightweight panels, including aluminium and plastic, are also being investigated for use in the Commodore as Holden has another six months to finalise the next-generation Commodore, which isn't due for another five years, but the company has confirmed it will continue to use the rear-wheel drive Zeta platform developed for the VE Commodore. "We're still very confident about the long-term future of locally made, large rear-wheel-drive family and performance cars," Devereux says.

However, the Holden Commodore was the top-selling model and now holds more than half the large-car market.  The 3787 new Commodores sold last month was nearly 10 per cent up on October last year while Australian-made large car rivals Ford Falcon (2258 sales) was more than 20 per cent down and Toyota Aurion (just 785 sales) a whopping 45 per cent down from October last year.Vfacts figures issued yesterday by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show that Holden Commodore is the only one of the three leading Australian-made cars to do better in year-to-date sales compared with last year.It meant Commodore accounted for just over half (51 per cent) of the large-car market, Holden's sales and marketing executive director John Elsworth said yesterday.  The company's Cruze currently is an imported model and again figured in the top-10 selling cars in Australia las month."Next year will be an exciting time for Holden," Mr Elsworth said. "Our Australian-made line-up will grow next year to include the Cruze sedan and hatchback, making Cruze the only Australian-built small car when its starts to roll off the production line along side Commodore in 2011."The FCAI said total October new-vehicle sales were 80,925, on par with the same month last year, a drop in passenger car sales offset by a rise in demand for SUVs. The year-to-date total of 861,645 new vehicles is 13 per cent up on the first 10 months last year and heading for a one-million tally for this calendar year.Toyota easily remains most popular brand, its 16,329 sales last month 60 per cent greater than any other brand, helped by HiLux and Corolla being second and third to Commodore."Toyota is now positioned to finish the year with more than 200,000 sales a level never achieved by any other car company in Australia," Toyota sales and marketing executive director David Buttner said.Top 10 selling models last month(with year-to-date in brackets)1. Holden Commodore 3787 (38,407)2. Toyota HiLux 3001 (33,128)3. Toyota Corolla 2803 (32,144)4. Mazda3 2556 (32,604)5. Ford Falcon 2258 (25,209)6. Hyundai i30 2165 (26,014)7. Holden Cruze 2135 (23,532)8. Toyota Camry 1924 (19,456)9. Mitsubishi Lancer 1752 (20,062)10. Hyundai Getz 1575 (18,388)Source: Vfacts, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries

The 66TDI Comfortline, priced from $22,350 (over the $19,850 CCOTY-winning petrol 77TSI Comfortline) saw off a strong challenge from Toyota's Camry Hybrid to seal a remarkable double for a brand whose Golf 118TSI won the 2009 CCOTY.The small South African-made hatchback got home with 31 points over the $36,990 Camry sedan, the first petrol-electric hybrid made in Australia, which scored 28.  The other challengers were both Holdens: the Korean-made Barina Spark city car, and the Commodore E85.Four of the Best Green Car's nine judges posted the Polo as their first choice, ensuring the narrow win.Judges were asked to consider the following these criteria:- Fuel consumption- Type of fuel and cost/availability- CO2 emissions- Impact on gross emissions (i.e. the net reduction in CO2 balanced against the expected sales of the vehicle)- Value of car- Safety of car- Technology of car- Function (including achievement of intended use, handling, performance)Aside from being the most frugal car in terms of fuel consumption, the Polo was felt by most to best satisfy all these stiff requirements.  Running VW's newest small capacity turbo diesel, the 1.6 TDI puts out 66kW (as its model name conveys) and an extremely useful 230Nm from 1750-2500 rpm. This low down torque gives the little hatch the assertive punch of a bigger engine and enables economical cruising.The five speed manual version uses as little as 4.0 litres per 100km in open road conditions and 5.8 in the city for a hybrid-challenging 4.7 litres in combined use.  The optional seven speed DSG adds $2500 to the purchase price, reduces combined fuel use to 4.6 litres while adding the convenience of an automatic transmission.Equally important in the context of the Best Green Car, the Polo TDI's emissions are a low 124 grams of Co2 per kilometre, 121 with DSG.  While priced above the most cars of its class, the new Polo has greater technical sophistication and badge desirability, while in terms of function it is almost as roomy as a Mark IV Golf of the 1990s.As a driving experience, it's shaded by its petrol sibling, which also runs only a little less lean at 5.5L/100km, but the TDI runs on diesel rather than comparatively expensive premium unleaded petrol and its 45-litre tank will require less frequent refilling.Judge Neil Dowling sees it was a "case of proven diesel technology fighting upstarts with hybrid power," noting that the Polo has a "particulate filter to get hydrocarbon emissions right down".Says Stuart Martin: "Volkswagen's new Polo might not be the cheapest contender in the Best Green Car field but experience says it's a first-rate package - the diesel engine's numbers are tough to ignore."Karla Pincott goes further: "The little VW shows that you don't have to sacrifice style, safety - or even driving dynamics - on the altar of greener fuel figures."But it was a near-run thing.  The Camry Hybrid found favour with guest judge, former rally ace and safety advocate, Ed Ordynski, who approves its combination of "remarkable fuel efficiency with strong performance, outstanding refinement and high safety levels and that efficiency gets better, the heavier the heavier the traffic".Carsguide managing editor Ged Bulmer was: "pleasantly surprised," by the Camry Hybrid, which is "better balanced, more sure-footed and a superior drive to its non-hybrid siblings"."As the first Australian-built hybrid it also represents an important dawn for local manufacturing of a technology that will only going to become more widespread," Bulmer says.Not that the others found no favour, Mark Hinchliffe saying the $12,490 Barina Spark is "the right frugal car for our times" and a "complete package with safety features such as six airbags and keen pricing".

Take a look at what’s under the skin of the TeamVodafone V8 Supercar Holden Commodore. Jamie Whincup lets us peel back the metal for a bare bones peek at the technology… SpecificationsTriple Eight Race Engineering5-litre V8635 + BHP limited to maximum 7500rpm120 litres1355kg (category minimum without driver)298km/h (185mph)3.55 secondsMotec and Freewave 900Mhz spread spectrum radio

But what lies behind the amiable façade? The book, 'My Championshop Year',  goes some way to conveying to us mere mortals the mindset of a young man to risk his life banging door handles at 300km/h. It picks up at last year’s Bathurst 1000 where Whincup and partner Craig Lowndes were aiming for a historic fourth straight win and follows him for the year in which he claimed his second consecutive driver’s championship, dealt with the fallout of swapping from Ford to Holden. Told in a diary format it’s more than a banal list. Whincup can't help but speak his mind, resulting in some interesting revelations. A deep thinker, he reveals the motivations of top sportspeople. Reflecting on his dismal display at last year's Gold Coast race, he says: “Why does it always take something bad to make you realise what is important? Why does someone decide to eat healthily and exercise after a heart attack, or treat a new partner better after a split?” Each chapter is based around an event in the V8 Calendar and starts with a layout of the relevant circuit and ends with his round statistics and a quote. Between each diary chapter are interesting sub-chapters about a range of issues such as what he really thinks about his teammate Lowndes, the reasons for a track walk, and the purpose of the team, the pay, the tribal Ford versus Holden war, the controversial sprint tyre rule and even the fans. He also demystifies some of the technical aspects of the sport and the book wraps up with several pages of comprehensive results from each of the rounds and a glossary of technical terms. This is not only one for the diehard Whincup fans, but also for those who wish to see inside the mind of a true champion.

... which brings music, telephone and navigation control together inside a single 6.5-inch, full colour, touch-screen LCD interface. Holden iQ features high-end multimedia capability. It can store up to 15 CDs directly in the form of a ‘virtual CD changer’ for your favourite music – all you have to do is install each CD and rip it to the unit’s internal flash memory. On high-end Commodores, such as the SS-V and Calais V-Series, the mapping system is upgraded to include live traffic alerts, speed advisory and point-of-interest functions. Holden has also introduced a Redline Edition upgrade to Calais V-Series and SS-V models. This performance package comprises a Brembo brake and handling upgrade for the elite 6.0-litre V8 models.

If they can make the right numbers for an upgraded Cruze then the car is likely to get a go-ahead to join the Commodore in the HSV family.

It is widely accepted that all 1980 limited-edition Brock HDT Commodores only came in white, red or black.  But Jim's is green, two-tone green in fact, which he says is authentic and has a fascinating history.And he should know as he took delivery of it originally from Peter Brock's team, sold it and then bought it back again.  Peter Brock went into the special vehicle business in 1979 after Holden pulled out of motorsport and left him to run his own team. Brock signed up Holden dealers around the country for whom he would create a limited edition performance version of the VC Commodore.In turn the dealer support helped fund his racing operations.  Middleton says: "The first 500 cars were red, white or black. But there were also two prototypes, a blue one and a green one."The prototypes, a blue manual and a green auto, were the earlier VB model.  "My car is number one. They didn't have a builder's plate on the engine. They were numbered on the steering wheel. Mine is numbered 001 on the steering wheel."It had started life as a light green 4.2-litre VB SL Commodore built in May 1979. Middleton says it was originally driven by a Holden company executive before Brock's team acquired it and modified it as a prototype."The car came to Brock from General Motors. It was John Harvey's (Brock's track teammate) drive-vehicle at the time."  The 5-litre V8 HDT Commodores received larger valves, had modified distributors and carburettors, suspension work, a body kit that included a rear spoiler and front air dam plus special Irmscher wheels from Germany and special paintwork among other changes.In this configuration they achieved a 0-100km/h time of 8.4seconds with the engines puitting out 160kW and 450Nm of torque.  They sold for $20,000 ($200 less for a manual) and were quickly snapped up by eager punters. Middleton says the cars now fetch about $70,000-$80,000 and says his rare protototype could be worth up to $150,000.Middleton worked for Holden dealer Les Vagg at Pennant Hills in Sydney, one of the HDT dealers.  He says that in 1982 Brock and Harvey came to the dealer on their way to a race at Amaroo Park where they arranged for the dealer to sell the green prototype as they no longer needed it. By then Brock's team was making the next of their limited editions, the VH Commodore."I sold it that weekend to a mate of mine's dad. I bought it back off him in August 1993."  Middleton says the car had done over 100,000 kilometres by then and needed work."It's been the world's slowest restoration program," he says of a job that he only completed this year.  "I wasn't in a great hurry. I knew I had the first car.  It had minor damage from car parks. It really needed pulling apart and putting back together."Middleton then installed new panels, new door shells, new guards and a new bonnet and the engine and transmission were refreshed.  He took it to this year's Muscle Car Masters event at Eastern Creek where Harvey spotted it and drove it in a parade."He instantly recognised it," says Middleton.  This weekend about 70 HDT owners from around the country will be in Albury to celebrate the cars' 30th anniversary at a gathering to be known as Brocks on the Border.Middleton says about half of the original 500 road cars still exist.  A further 12 were built as racecars for a one-off race at Calder as a support event to the 1980 Australian Grand Prix. Some of them also still exist.Middleton says he will probably sell the car that has hardly been driven of late.  "It's lucky to have done 300 to 400km in 17 years."

Redline is the new shorthand for a go-fast Commodore thanks to a performance upgrade that carries the same name, and slots in above the V-Series versions of the SS and Calais sedan, wagon and ute.There are no changes to the cars' 6-litre V8 engine but the Redline Editions get Brembo brakes, a track-tuned suspension package called FE3 and polished 19-inch alloy wheels. There is also a chromed surround for the windows on sedans.The cost of the Redline Editions is an extra $2500, the only significant price jump on the VEII Series Commodore, on sale this month.Hitting the Redline closes the gap between regular Holden hotrods and the full-on ClubSport from Holden Special Vehicles but the red lion brand believes there is space for both, and that the go-faster models will not hurt HSV sales.It's also confident that will hit the spot with the same buyers who have driven very strong support for both the V-Series upgrades and the V8 engine across the Commodore line."We know the performance enthusiasts who drive Holden sports vehicles enjoy the way the engine performs with the exhilarating V8 engine performance of our sport models," says Holden's executive director of sales and marketing, John Elsworth."We know that their interest goes beyond straight-line power and torque though. They're looking for a satisfying overall driving experience with superior chassis dynamics. With the Redline Edition, we set out to improve that experience for them, to provide the ultimate sports ride by introducing features we know they'll value the most - track-inspired handling for great road connection and control combined with awesome stopping power."The Redline Edition cars have the same E85-compatible engines as the rest of the VEII models tweaked for bio-ethanol, although the 3.6-litre V6 does not come online until next year.The price of the regular Commodore Omega is unchanged with the VEII update, from $39,990, and the cheapest of the Redline Edition cars is the SS Ute at $49,990, with the similar sedan at $57,790.

The Australian new vehicle market year-to-date is up by 15 per cent over last year's recovering market and could again top the one-million-unit mark.Every brand in the top 10 was up on 2009 sales tallies to the end of August, which recorded 82,122 sales - 12 per cent better than August 2009, an increase of about 340 vehicles per day.The year-to-date 2010 market of 695,666 vehicles is running ahead of the same period in 2009 by 15.2 per cent or 91,823 vehicle sales.Holden's VE Commodore is in runout ahead of the Series II going on sale in and remains the top-selling vehicle in the country.Holden's executive sales and marketing director John Elsworth said the strong Commodore sales - including a big increase in Ute sales last month - suggested continuing Commodore success and Cruze outsold Falcon for the second time this year."The local manufacture of Holden's best sellers is a real boost for local manufacturing in South Australia and our national automotive industry," he said.Toyota remains the clear market leader by more than 50,000 sales and senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said the company's results were due to a number of factors, include strong retail offers in a competitive market."The improving economy, supported by solid business and consumer confidence, was also significant," he said.Passenger car sales increased by 1586 vehicle sales (3.5 per cent) over the same month last year.The Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) market was up by 4543 vehicle sales (32.5 per cent), led by increases of more than 25 per cent last month in all segments except large, which rose 15 per cent in August.The Light Truck Market, increased by 2746 vehicle sales (22.6 per cent) in August, contributing to the segment's eight percent increase over 2009.The Heavy Commercial Vehicle Market slipped by 39 vehicle sales - or 1.7 per cent - over August 2009, but in year-to-date terms heavy trucks are up by four per cent.Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKellar said it was a strong August result with improved private and government fleet sales."The figures show sales to private buyers remain solid (up 20.9 per cent) and there has been a lift in new car purchases by government fleets (up 21.7 per cent)," Mr McKellar said."There is no evidence in the August data to suggest customers were distracted from their normal buying habits due to the election and the current political uncertainty," he said.TOP 20 VEHICLES FOR AUGUST (YTD 2010)  TOP 10 BRANDS FOR AUGUST (YTD 2010)MARKET SEGMENTS AUG  (YTD 2010, +/-)PASSENGER CAR SALES FOR AUGUST  (YTD 2010, +/-)SUV SALES FOR AUGUST  (YTD 2010, +/-)