Holden Commodore News

They cannot help starting a stoush when their deadliest rival has something important happening.So, in the same week Team Red rips the covers off the Series II version of its VE Commodore the members of Team Blue have news on the Coyote V8 for the latest Ford Performance Vehicles tweak. Except that it's now called Miami...It's classic stuff and a reminder of the importance of cars - and homegrown hero cars - to ordinary Australians.The FPV V8 numbers are impressive and so is news that the engine could actually be re-exported to the USA after the local tweaking that includes a supercharger package from the classy Harrop Engineering. Most people, including Carsguide, expected FPV to take most of the engine upgrade from America but the company has spent $40 million doing the job right on home ground.It's just a pity that the upcoming FPV GT will not have much in the way of visual changes to flag its benchmark performance.Over at Holden, it's a big week with VEII and news of a fresh export program to Brazil, complete with a sales campaign built around motorsport legend - double world champion and Indianapolis 500 winner- Emerson Fittipaldi.We've known for more than a year that Holden's big focus for VEII is what it calls flex-fuel engines, with the ability to run on E85 ethanol fuel. It's the same stuff which has been used by the V8 Supercar racer since the start of last year.Carsguide is not convinced the E85 ability will win too many private buyers to the car, particularly with only a handful of service stations currently pumping the stuff and range limitations for the fuel, but could be a powerful incentive for major fleet buyers.The real change is that a local carmaker is pushing ahead on ethanol, a fuel with serious potential in Australia because it can be made from sugar can off-cuts. Even better, Holden is tapped into a program led by an American company - Coskata - that is working on a process to extract ethanol from rubbish that currently goes into landfill.Holden's E85 push is also giving the oil companies a solid shove on a greener fuel and that's got to be a good thing, too. 

Launching the new car today, Holden's chairman and managing director Mike Devereux says the updated Commodore's pricing would not increase when the Series II is launched in September. "The VEII price is unchanged … and in fact there are some lower prices on some of the Caprice range,” Devereux says.  "This is not a major thing like we did with VE, what we're really proud of is the iQ system which I think will really change how Australians interface with the car," he says. Ethanol E85 compatibility in the Holden Commodore VEII range have given the Red Lion an export boost, with Holden announcing a return to the Brazilian market after a two-year absence. The export deal will see Holden building 600 Emerson Fittipaldi special edition Chevrolet Omega 3.6-litre V6 cars (compatible for E25) slated for Brazil later this year. The company and its GM counterparts in Brazil believe there is scope for more exports going forward at a projected rate of 150 cars a month.  Devereux says Holden was set up to be profitable domestically, with exports on top. "We're proud to announce a new export program to Brazil once again, it's great news for Holden and it's a very positive inidicator of our recovery," he said. The VEII Commodore range, of which the majority is engineered to run on E85 bio-fuel, was evidence Holden was listening to its customers, Devereux says.  "We know Australians want better performance - but better preformance doesn't mean going faster in a straight line. "Better performance means driving more efficiently, more sustainably and the addition of simple-to-use technology that makes driving safe and fun at the same time," he says.  The VEII Commodore was unveiled at the company's Melbourne head office today ahead of its full release in early September. Subtle under-skin and underbody aero changes have been made to the Series II VE, as well as engineering the new range to run on E85 bio-fuel - a blend of up to 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent unleaded petrol.   The updated VEII range will continue to be powered by the three-litre V6 and the six-litre V8 E85-compatible engines, while the 3.6-litre V6 is expected to be flex-fuel ready by 2012 and Holden says the engines also have improved fuel economy on conventional unleaded petrol. The V6 engines have reduced fuel use by a claimed 2 to 3 per cent above the improvements made with the addition of direct injection last year, while the V8s have reduced fuel use by up to 6 per cent. The VEII upgrade also updates the centre stack, dominated by the new infotainment Holden-iQ colour touchscreen system. The new system, which has the capacity to hold up to 15 standard CDs in its hard drive, controls the MP3/USB comaptible sound system, Bluetooth phone link and satellite navigation, the latter on the high-end models. The long wheelbase model range has also benefitted from the drivetrain and technology revamp, with the Caprice and Caprice V-Series models, replacing the long-running Statesman badge that has been dropped. E85 FUEL * A blend of 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent petrol.* Claimed to effectively reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by using 85 per cent ethanol, a fuel created through bio-sustainable methods rather than by burning fossil fuels.* Because ethanol is a renewable fuel produced from plant matter, proponents argue the CO2 emissions are offset when the plant grows.* Its higher energy rating can generate more power but uses up to 30 per cent more fuel, something offset by anticipated pump prices of around $1 per litre. AVAILABILITY * Caltex has committed to sell E85 fuel at 31 service stations in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide by the end of October, with plans to increase the number of sites to 100 during 2011.* Becoming increasingly common in the United States.* Widely used in Sweden but most is imported from Italy and Brazil.

Government, especially, state government, regards us as cash cows to be milked dry with fees, insurance, registration and road infringement system cynically designed not to prevent transgressions, but to profit by them (all the while hypercritically admonishing us to drive "safely").City dwellers, forced to drive for the weeping inadequacy of public transport, spend years of their lives stationary in choking traffic. Their country cousins brave ruined roads, often without as much as a centre line.In NSW (forgive the state-centricity) a multi-billion dollar bureaucracy called the RTA goes so far as to stridently oppose any form of training for young drivers, instead thrusting the onus on unqualified friends or relatives to instil in callow kids.It also bans learners and P-platers from the safest cars known to humanity on the Orwellian premise that anything with forced induction is "high performance" and therefore unsafe. So it is the RTA withholds from the very drivers it says are most vulnerable cars that are – actively and passively – the safest cars yet devised because they are "unsafe"!No, Johnny, you can’t drive a 90kW Golf because that turbo charger makes it a fully sick road rocket, but you can go forth in a VB Commodore... (Hilariously, this inept and decadent cabal are also in charge of road building in the nation’s most populous state...)So it is that we're treated to sights such as I saw earlier this month on the M4, described on its website as a "key piece of transport infrastructure in Western Sydney".There she was: a green P-plater in a 20-year-old Corolla, sticking hard to the right-hand lane – despite the rapid succession of signs telling her to "keep left unless overtaking" – doing no more than 90km/h in a 110 zone, while a rapid succession of vehicles travelling up to the speed limit were forced inside. The last I saw, she was still there.Nice work Dad, or Mum, or cousin Narelle, or whatever clueless acquaintance has tutored her in the ways of the open road.Meanwhile, elsewhere, uniformed and armed tax collectors, as the Highway Patrol have become, were squatting behind a radar keeping the stream of revenue running and the RTA was rolling out the first of a series of mobile speed cameras.If the endless federal election proves anything, it's that the old certainties have disappeared.Politicians from the PM down enjoy their richly-salaried and entitled sinecures at our behest and it’s dawning upon even the most complacent, corpulent party animals – without actually naming the Member for Grayndler –they might have to do a bit work in their electorates.Don't be shy. Don't leave it to a pollster to ask you. Remind your local member that their career depends on your goodwill, that you own a car and you vote.

A 6.5-inch colour touch screen infotainment system is now standard in every Holden Commodore, part of the VE Series II upgrade that also includes flex-fuel V6 and V8 engines for the first time in a locally-made car.  But Holden is making the move without the Statesman, a name that is being dropped in 2010.There are only minor body and cabin changes for the VEII, as GM Holden concentrates its spending on customer benefits and equipment that will give it a showroom advantage. It claims fuel economy improvements up to 12 per cent - on the 6-litre SS-V manual sedan - and CO2 reductions up to 11.5 per cent - on the 3-litre V6 Omega ute.The infotainment system - called Holden-iQ - operates with Bluetooth, wireless, cable and USB connections for music and mobiles and is intended to give the red lion a competitive advantage.The same applies to its flex-fuel, bioethanol engines, although the 3.6-litre V6 will not run on the greener E85 - 85 per cent ethanol, 15 per cent petrol - mix until 2012.GM Holden says E85 will be available from around 100 bio-ethanol service stations nationally in 2011.  It is keeping pricing and final specifications secret until the official press launch of the latest model on September 10, but is teasing today with pictures and some early information.Company chief, Mike Devereaux, denies the update is influenced by the tight financial situation in Australia and at General Motors through the VEII development period.“Our approach to Commodore has been about making a great car even better,” Devereux says.  “It’s about introducing more improvements more often and getting technology into the car that our customers need and want."The only all-new model in the VEII line-up is a V-Series version of the long-wheelbase Caprice, which picks up the same extreme sportiness which has worked so well on SS and Calais V-Series models. The Caprice V picks up a sunroof, full Nappa leather trim, a dual-screen rear DVD system, Bose audio and a three-zone aircon system.“Market research consistently told us that the Caprice nameplate, with its definite sports luxury character, appealed to a far broader customer base,” says Holden's executive director of sales, marketing and aftersales, John Elsworth.Looking across the VEII range, aero work to cut drag - and boost economy - includes extra smooth below the sedan and Sportwagon except Omega, reduced trim height on Omega and Berlina sedan, rear-wheel air deflectors on Omega, Berlina and Calais, a re-designed bootlid and front undertray. Mechanical changes include a clutch on the aircon compressor and an engine idle speed reduction on 3.6-litre engines.Visually, VEII cars get a new frontal treatment, there are new-design alloy wheels from the Berlina upwards, and the dashboard has been smoothed and given more soft-touch plastic with a new centre console surround and new controls for the aircon."Our customers have been telling us they want to see our models refreshed with greater  functionality from Omega to Caprice," says Deveraux.“We have listened and responded in a way that continues to position Commodore as the smart choice for Australian motorists.”

Marcos Ambrose improved 22 positions in his latest Sprint Cup start in the USA, finishing 15th after starting 37th at the high-speed Michigan International Speedway. His Toyota Camry faded again at the end of the race, after he ran as high as fifth, as Kevin Harvick won the Nascar round for Chevrolet.Ben Barker is the new leader in the Australian Formula 3 championship after two wins from three starts on the Shannons Nationals program at Morgan Park in Queensland last weekend. At the same event,Matt Kingsley stretched his advantage in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge with his ninth straight win, while James Sera cut Darren Hossack's points lead in the Australian Sports Sedan championship after his rival blew an engine in his Audi and failed to score.The new-look Holden Commodore, the VEII, will hit the track at Phillip Island at the end of September. The body changes on the new model - which are relatively minor - will be reflected in the V8 Supercsr to be raced by the Holden Racing Team, TeamVodafone and Paul Morris Motorsport.A hospital visit has put Jason Crump back on track in the World Speedway Championship. The Australia flat-track racer had a damaged arm repaired three weeks ago and bounced back with second place at his latest event, the Scandinavian Speedway Grand Prix in Sweden.Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki took a hard-fought second place in the Asia Cross-Country Rally in Thailand after a massive struggle against rivals and the weather.The Isuzu D-Max crew were denied a final shot at victory because of flooding on the course but are still happy with the result as they prepare for the Australian Safari in Western Australia from September 17 and then the Dakar Rally in Argentina and Chile in January, 2011.A lack of support and time has forced the postponement of the CAMS CARnival event planning for the first week of October. The Euchua-Moama based event, intended as a celebration of all areas of motorsport and motoring, will now be run in the second half of 2011.

Eleven sites in Melbourne will kick off the new fuel stream this month. Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra will be added by the end of October, making a total of 30, before greater expansion of the network into next year.  Caltex Australia says it will call its new product Bio E-Flex, having up to 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent petrol, also known as E85. This confirms beliefs that the coming new Holden Commodore VE Series II will have some engines able to run on E85.  "Biofuels such as ethanol are fuels of the future as they are produced from renewable sources and can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Caltex Australia spokesman Frank Topham says. About 400 Caltex outlets in the eastern states already offer E10 fuel (10 per cent ethanol) and will continue to do so. Other fuel companies also offer E10. Many modern cars can run on E10. Caltex says sites that will have E85 also will have the normal range of petrol and LPG. Caltex claims its Bio E-Flex will have an octane rating of up to 105 RON. This is a higher "energy" level than even 98RON premium unleaded.  The coming new Commodore E85 engine has been engineered to accept any ethanol blend up to 85 per cent. But not all existing cars can run on E85 with assured no trouble with engine and fuel line components. It is recommended motorists check with their car manufacturer.

Holden is ready to start building the new car it hopes will remain the mainstay of its existence as a car manufacturer in Australia.  Photographers from The Adelaide Advertiser have shot several early-build models of the coming new Commodore and Caprice range getting final road checks near the production plant at Elizabeth in northern Adelaide.  The new Commodore will look little different to the existing VE model which was launched four years ago and has continued to be Australia's No1 selling new car.  Holden management have declared the new Commodore will be called VE Series II but have declined to confirm any changes.  The Series II name and our photographs indicate little or no difference in body panels to the existing VE model. "We are not in a position to discuss changes to the new car, but the changes will make a great car even better," Holden product communications manager Jonathon Rose said yesterday.  However, it's understood some versions of the new Commodore will run on bio-ethanol fuel of up to 85 per cent blend with petrol.  Many cars can run on E10 up to 10 per cent ethanol in the petrol but Holden has experience making Commodores for export to Brazil where higher ethanol blends are used. The Commodores with the E85 engines would be able to run on any blend from zero ethanol-100 per cent petrol to 85 per cent ethanol-15 per cent regular petrol.  Ethanol is produced from sugar cane and other vegetable crops and so is a renewable energy. Already, V8 Supercars use E85 in their racing. Revisions to the Series II VE are expected to include changes to the front end styling and shaping and the rear end, as well as updated interiors.  The new model can be expected in showrooms by late next month or early October. As production cranks up, the Elizabeth plant will resume its second full shift, on November 15. Versions of Commodore sedan, Sportwagon and long-wheelbase Statesman and Caprice will be released simultaneously in VE Series II.

I might not be racing a car, but I'm racing around doing a lot of PR as are most of the drivers.  And the teams are also playing catch up on work, plus catch-up on a well-deserved break.Our workshop has plenty of work to do building a brand new race car for Skaifey and me for Phillip Island in September and Bathurst in October.  The benefit of this break is that we can also rotate our staff through some holidays to catch up with some well-deserved rest because they worked right through Christmas last year to get our new Holdens built.  So we basically have a skeleton crew on all the time at our Banyo headquarters.Mark is really excited about the new race car.  We both have to get comfortable in the car which is difficult for him and me because he has longer legs and a shorter torso than me.So getting the seat, steering wheel and pedals in a comfortable position for both of us will end up as a bit of a compromise.  I will have to stretch a bit more to the pedals, but I'll be closer to wheel.We drove together for HRT in 1999 and had a two-stage steering column we could push or pull about an inch, which is something our team is looking at.  Obviously you can't change the seat which is anchored down, so our legs will be a bit compromised for space, but we've got away with it in the past.Speaking of car-building, it's good to see V8 Supercars has now started building two prototypes to iron out any problems before the teams start building their race cars.  It's definitely a good concept and will make racing cheaper.However, with the chassis and components identical and only different Ford and Commodore shells, there is some skepticism among the fans about retaining that all-important Ford-Holden rivalry.  The teams will also have a challenge coming to terms with some of the technical issues such as the 100kg lighter weight and independent rear end.I hear they are thinking of staying with the spool diff, but having a custom housing so we can swap in a Detroit Locker or Salisbury. Interesting to hear that we may get those options for varying circuits and conditions.Our team, along with FPR, HRT and SBR have been testing various diffs to get the feel of where they work and where they don't, how they hook up and how they change the feel of the car.  Either has its pros and cons. It doesn't matter to me which one they go with.We've given our feedback and now it's up to the category to make their decision.  The idea is to allow more passing, particularly for drivers to dive down the inside into a corner and still have enough turn to be able to avoid running into the side of the car they are passing.All drivers are scared of that because you don't want to gain a place only to cop a points penalty through contact.  The other reason for the possible change of diff is to minimise the amount of damage our cars are doing to the tracks.The initial cost of all the car of the future changes will be huge, but in the long term it will be cheaper on running costs.  It should also make it safer with bigger wheels and brakes, and lighter cars.I was surprised and delighted at the weekend to see that Valentino Rossi has made a comeback to MotoGP just weeks after breaking his leg.  The sport really needs a charismatic rider like him and it was almost a fairytale comeback with a fourth place, denied of a podium by our very own Casey Stoner.No doubt he would have had the best doctors, best prep and best recovery, but it still takes an enormous  amount of personal courage and talent to come back so quickly after the biggest accident of his career and then to perform so well.  What a star.I'll also see a few F1 stars when my wife, Nat, and I fly to Europe for the Spanish GP in August.  However, I'm a little disappointed because I have to fly home before the Sunday race for a rookie day and test day the next week.  It would have been nice to see Mark Webber win another race, but at least we will be there for the practice and qualifying.

"I just never sold anything," the 77-year-old Ipswich real estate proprietor says.  "You buy them to keep them. I have no interest in selling any of them."When I retire - if I ever do - I'd like to get them all restored.  My wife Margaret says I'd have to live to 120 to restore everything I have."His collection runs from a 1900s Orient, one of only four still working in the world, to a Brock VB Commodore and late-model Subaru Liberty GT he uses as a daily driver.Llewellyn also owns a 1968 340 Jaguar, a 1970s Vanguard Spacemaster, 1952 FX and 1953 FJ Holdens which need to be restored, 1970s Suzuki two-stroke 4WD, 1946 Royal Enfield motorcycle, 1976 V8 Triumph Stag, 1950s Vespa three-wheeler scooter and a 1950s Renown.But don't bother asking what they cost, what exact year model they are or when he bought them. "I should know the years and prices of my cars but I just acquire so many of them and you don't remember those things," he says.Llewellyn's wheel obsession started in the post-war years with cycling, winning an eight-mile Queensland premiership in 1949.  "I went from cycling to a BSA single-cylinder motorcycle when I just got my licence, then I got a Velocette in the early 1950s and several other bikes, but I kept them all upright."His first car was "a little Triumph" he got from a local backyard. He and his brother, Ross, restored it.  He "graduated" to a Morris Z utility with a little side-valve engine that the brothers also restored."In the meantime I got introduced to stock car racing at the Brisbane Exhibition grounds," he says.  "I won a few things in my '34 Ford coupe. It had a '42 side-valve engine prepared for a boat. It had six carbies and it really used to go."I remember I was leading the world championship (they had a world championship every few weeks) and I was in lap 19 of a 20-lap race when it got an air lock in it, overheated and cooked the engine.  I knew it was getting hot and I thought it would make it to the last lap, but it didn't."He also had a Triumph TR2 for circuit racing and hillclimbs.  "The worst thing I ever did was sell my TR2," he says.  "It had a Harry Firth cam in it. I co-drove with Harry in an economy run and I still ring him every few months."Llewellyn then moved into rallying and competed in the 1956 and '57 Mobil Round Australia rallies.  In 1956 he entered with a Holden FX 215 Series that got from Sydney to Winton before it hit a hump in the road and bent the front suspension and steering.At one stage in the rally he recalls being in a queue of competitors waiting to cross a creek when he saw a VW Beetle skip across the creek like a bouncing stone.  The next year he returned with a 1957 VW Beetle and completed the race in 40th out of 120 entries.Llewellyn also competed in 10 Mobil Economy Runs up to 1966 and four Variety Club bashes.  He worked as a real estate agent from 1959 to 1964 when he started his own agency, Action Realty, and work started taking over from motor racing.However, his passion for cars never abated and he has collected several over the years, either as outright purchases such as the Brock Commodore he bought from new in 1980 or as part of property deals such as the Orient.The Brock Commodore 308 V8 is number 387 of 500.  "It was stolen some years ago while I was at a Charlie Pride concert at Festival Hall," he says.  "It was used in a robbery of a chemist shop and I believe it outran the police."A man who was out walking his dog found it in bushland and got my $500 reward.  "It wasn't damaged but they took the toolbox and spare wheel and left the car.  It would have be worth about $50,000-$70,000 now but I have no interest in selling it. I just count my blessings I got it back."The Orient is one of only four still working in the world.  Made in the UK it has leaf springs, four bicycle tyres, tiller steering, direct cog drive, single-cylinder engine with a leather strap pull starter and weighs only 200kg."I've no idea what it's worth," says Llewellyn.  "It would have been worth a bit a few years ago, but I'm not interested in selling it.  I've had it on display at motorsport events and want to one day get it running again."He also hopes to one day get his 1946 Royal Enfield motorcycle running.  One of his registered and frequently used vehicles is his 1976 Triumph Stag with a 2997cc V8."Some people say they always see it with the bonnet up, but it's a beaut little engine that revs out so well," he says.  "It drives better with the hard top off. It takes two people to lift it off, it's that heavy, so it runs better without that extra weight."Plus you can hear the engine and I'm a great believer in listening to your engine because it changes.  If you listen to your engine you can hear it sweeten and when it goes off and needs some attention." Llewellyn says the impeccable little car has "never been bent" and never been restored, just well looked after.The first owner wanted a blue one with airconditioning and the only one available was in Melbourne, so they went down and got it and drove it back.  What better way to run a car in than a trip like that?"They have a history of overheating so when I bought it in 1980 that was the first thing I had fixed.  One day I hope to have them all working so I can take them out every couple of weeks."

The utes are subject to the recall over a latching problem with their tailgate first flagged by a Carsguide reader. A total of 34,379 vehicles are involved and will have their vehicle's tailgate latches replaced, a job which Holden says should take less than 30 minutes. Carsguide was alerted to the drama by Brendan Wilson, the owner of a VE ute, who reported tailgate on his car and the identical vehicle of his business partner were coming unlatched. Even a loan vehicle from his Holden dealership had the same problem. He first noticed the problem after loading a ute with his tools, when the tailgate sprung open. But there was no help from his dealership, "just excuses", he says. "The best  excuse of all was if I was going to load the ute up I should put a rope around the tailgate," Wilson says. He was also concerned that Holden was not aware of the problem or the potential danger of an unlatched tailgate. "Obviously Holden Australia are unaware of the problem as I believe, given the nature and possible dangers, they would have done a recall." Carsguide reported his experience to Holden, which began an investigation and now admits a shortcoming in the VE ute. "The results of our investigation tell us that the likelihood of a tailgate becoming unlatched is low, but we will always err on the side of caution and administer a recall to ensure customer satisfaction and safety," says Holden's director of warranty engineer, customer satisfaction and quality, Craig Porritt. He says the unlatching can occur because of pressure against the tailgate and Holden advises owners to be careful when loading their utes. Holden says that using one of its tonneau covers, either hard or soft, prevents the 'condition' from occuring on the ute. "If a vehicle does not have a tonneau cover, we reccommend owners do not load items against the tailgate until the fix has been made," Porritt says. "Until the fix can be made to each vehicle, we ask our customers to continue to secure loose items in the cargo tray as recommended in the owner's manual and use a Holden tonneau cover where possible." The ute recall is the latest in a number of successes by the Carsguide investigative team, stretching back to engine problems with Holden's Gen III V8. The engines used excessive amounts of oil, leading to failures, and Holden was forced to repair or replace many V8s fitted to VT Commodores.