Holden Commodore News

Most makes and models did better than a year earlier, as customers snapped up everything from cheap Korean imports to value-priced local family cars.  Long-term price leader Hyundai did best of the best, lifting its sales by 67.7 per cent to hit an all-time high for the Korean carmaker.Hyundai has been in Australia since 1986 but has never had a better January, thanks partly to its $13,990 Getz but also the successful i30 and iLoad van.  The locally-made Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore and Toyota Camry-Aurion went up by 15.4 per cent, with the Falcon doing much better as sales lifted from 1630 to 2318.Only two of the top-10 brands went backwards, with Mitsubishi falling 50 sales short of its 2009 result and dropping to seventh in the rankings and Honda sliding all the way to ninth after losing more than 2000 sales for the month.  The overall sales improvement for January was 11.6 per cent over a year earlier, according to official VFacts sales numbers released yesterday, a hopeful reflection of the local economic recovery from the global financial crisis.The monthly total was also helped by carryover deliveries from the showroom rush in December, when business buyers raced to take advantage of the Federal government's investment allowance.The Holden Commodore was Australia's favourite car again in January with Toyota on top overall, followed by Holden, Ford, Mazda and Hyundai.  "This is a strong result. New-car affordability is better than ever and has been further enhanced by the tariff cut on many imported vehicles,” the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Andrew McKellar, said yesterday.“New car buyers have effectively been handed a ‘tax cut’ and many brands have moved quickly to reduce prices or increase vehicle specifications."AUSTRALIA'S FAVOURITE CARSJanuary, 20101. Holden Commodore 32412. Mazda3 32233. Toyota HiLux 29974. Toytoa Corolla 27115. Ford Falcon 23186. Holden Cruze 22187. Hyundai i30 21168. Hyundai Getz 17179. Mitsubishi Lancer 158810. Toyota Yaris 1562* Source: VFacts

More than one in three cars is stolen during the morning in New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia, according to the data from car insurance company Budget Direct.The exception is Victoria, where 30 per cent of cars are stolen during midweek evenings.  Budget Direct spokesperson Richelle Ward says it is surprising to see how many vehicles were stolen in broad daylight."One might think thieves would prefer to operate through the night, which is simply not the case," Ward says.  The data shows that thieves also like the cold weather with most thefts occurring in the winter months around the nation, except for Queensland where summer is the most popular with thieves.Tasmania's crime peak is in September which accounts for almost one in three car thefts. The same month accounts for 25 per cent of thefts in South Australia, while Western Australia’s peak month is April with 20 per cent of thefts.Throughout the nation the most popular vehicle for thieves is the Holden Commodore which has also been the top seller for the past decade and most vehicles are stolen on a Monday.However, in Western Australia, the Ford Falcon is twice as popular among thieves as the second biggest target, the Toyota Camry.  Budget Direct data also show almost half of all accidents across the nation occur between noon and 6pm on a Friday.  Ward says the accident data indicates a trend for drivers to switch off after a long week's work.

The long-wheelbase Commodore is already set for Chevrolet police cruiser duty in America and now a civil program is being assessed by General Motors.  If it works it will happen within five years. The potential for a renewed overseas connection for Commodore comes following the collapse of a major export program with Pontiac during GM's bankruptcy last year. The Pontiac G8, based on the Commodore SS, was just starting to make significant sales when it died along with the Pontiac brand. "We want to take a look at re-introducing a civil version as a high- end Chevrolet," the vice-chairman and product czar of General Motors, Bob Lutz, said in Detroit yesterday.  "I'm a great fan of the Commodore rear-wheel drive architecture and we had big plans for it. We were going to bring the ute over as either a GMC ute or a Chevrolet and then it was going to be a Pontiac sport truck, but then sadly the decision intervened to wind down Pontiac. "We are now working with US law enforcement agencies to see about the long-wheelbase Commodore architecture being used as a specific law enforcement vehicle. The police do like rear-wheel drive, they do like lots of power and they like lots of room, and the Commodore satisfies all those needs." The police car program was announced late in 2009 and will begin to ramp-up soon, starting in California, but Lutz said there is more potential in the Commodore.  His news on the Statesman was welcomed by Holden chiefs in the USA for the Detroit Motor Show, although they hinted the luxury plan is more likely to be based on the Calais than the long-wheelbase car. In any case, Lutz again showed his enthusiasm for the Holden engineering work and the Commodore as a car.  It has already been morphed into the Chevrolet Camaro coupe, which is built in North America, with Lutz confirming a right-hand drive version in the near future. The only stumbling block could be the number of cars needed to make the program economical for Australia. Lutz said a Chevrolet version of the Commodore ticks the box with enthusiast drivers.  "When you get right down to it, the thrill of high performance driving is unmatched by anything that doesn't have rear-wheel drive and bags of torque and a nice transmission. That's why the Camaro feels so good. "(So) There is a possibility  of a high-end Chevrolet sedan that would be sold in limited numbers, kind of a premium Chevrolet high- performance sedan. Think of it as a four-door Corvette."  The research work begins soon, just as Holden is finalising a mid-life update and cosmetic tweak for the VE Commodore later this year. Lutz said the timing is right, but warned it would not be a big seller.  "For the police version, and a potential Chevrolet version, we're talking well inside five years.  "The reason we say limited volume and relatively high prices is, with US fuel economy regulations, we can't afford to sell too many."

The locally-bred family fighter is also getting backing from Detroit despite the latest uncertainty over the future of the rival Ford Falcon in motown.  There are no details of the car that follows the VE Commodore, which is itself set for a major lifecycle tweak in 2010, but designers are already talking positively about the program."I think that's already in development. In terms of styling we are working on something," says Ondrej Koromhaz, one of the lead designers at Holden and the man responsible for the all-new Barina being previewed at the Detroit Motor Show this week.  "We want to find a clever solution. That's what we're working on right now."Koromhaz is a transplanted Czech with 12 years on the General Motors' payroll, including time in Korea and China, but has just returned to Australia.  He is vague about his latest job following the Barina program but is clearly close to the next Commodore. And he also has Holden history, as his concept for the VE Commodore finished as runner-up to the design by Mike Simcoe - who now heads external design for all GM cars in North America - which eventually went into production.Koromhaz admits Holden has challenges with the design but says they are no different to Ford.  "We have the same problem, the same challenge. We want to protect the size and proportions," he says.  "I'm hoping we can complete it and protect it and move it on. It will be ... where it has always been.""We are still seeing the Commodore as an Australian family car. (But) I don't think we're going to the same extreme (on a reported front- drive switch) that Ford has."But Simcoe, who is tapped into the top management levels in Detroit, rules out any switch from traditional rear-wheel drive.  "Holden Commodore going front-wheel drive is not on the books right now. For the foreseeable future that I know about," says Simcoe.

Actually, they will be hearing from Lowndes as he takes a new career direction that will expand his family following way beyond his own children Chilli and Levi.Lowndes is the newest cast member for the hit children's series, Roary The Racing Car.  He voices the newest character, Conrod, in three episodes that will screen on the ABC from the end of this month. And he is hopeful of a bigger role if Conrod is popular with youngsters in the 100-plus countries where the show is played."This is fantastic. It's something very different for me," says Lowndes.  "Conrod is an Australian racing driver who heads to Silverhatch to visit some friends. Then he has a few races."He's a nice guy. Everyone accepts him except Roary, but in the end they become friends. He is very competitive and loves to win."  So, just like Lowndes, then?  "Yeah, pretty much. Actually, he's so much like me it's unbelievable," Lowndes laughs.The idea for Conrod was hatched last year at the Australian Grand Prix, when the Roary producers were looking for an Australia character.  "Luckily I did pretty well that weekend and they saw me up on the podium. It started from that."Lowndes had a test chat for the team and was signed for his guest- starring role, which was recorded in Queensland on a special link to London.  "They had someone there reading my part and then I had to fill in. It was a bit of a learning curve for me, that's for sure," he says."They knew what they wanted, and wanted an ocker style which is not really me. But we got it right and did it in one day."  Roary is a pre-schooler series with animated cars as the characters, a bit like Thomas the Tank Engine. It's already into its second series and 80-something Sir Stirling Moss, possibly the world's most famous racing driver, is the narrator.Conrod is an Aussie muscle car, although there is no way to decide if he is a Ford or Holden. For Lowndes, who recently backflipped from a  Ford Falcon to a Holden Commodore for the 2010 V8 Supercar series, that's good."He looks tough. Almost like a drag racing car. The engine is hanging out of the bonnet and he's big and bold.  Is he a Ford or Holden? Well, there is a round emblem on his nose."Lowndes comes to Roary as a confirmed fan of The Wiggles, and admits he once had Captain Feathersword — one of the Wiggles characters — as his hero.  "Not now, it has to be Conrod. I had heard of Roary and now it's personal," he says.Lowndes is hoping the three episodes are a hit, not just in Australia, to keep him in the show.  "This character is me. And not just my voice. I'm hoping if it works well then we'll be doing more."Conrod stars in three episodes of Roary the Racing Car which screen on the ABC on January 29, February 1 and 2.

PAUL Morris got an inside look at the opposition when he turned some hot laps last week in a Falcon from Stone Brothers Racing. The Commodore team boss was asked if he wanted to try the car during an end-of-season ride day, as his 2009 driver Tim Slade also got his first run in the Falcon he will race in 2009.BROOKE Tatnell bounced back from a very ordinary 14th place for a sprintcar win at his home track in Sydney last weekend. Engine tuning work restored his Krikke Motorsport sprinter to full power for a local series event, following the previous weeks' World Series contest, and he was able to run at the front in a race where Garry Brazier ran off the track and Robbie Farr flipped to make things easier for the WSS pace-setter.YOUNGSTER Daniel Erickson is looking for a new way to graduate to the Star Mazda series in the USA after losing the backing from the Australian Motor Sport Foundation that helped him race Formula Ford in Britain this year. Erickson is bitterly disappointed about losing the AMSF support but is looking forward and not back for the next step in his career.ANDREW Thompson will join Fabian Coulthard in a two-car Bundaberg Red Racing operation in 2009 as part of the Walkinshaw Motorsport attack on next year's V8 Supercar championship. Thompson, one of the most promising youngsters of recent years, takes the place of David Reynolds, who could be moving back to Porsche racing with a European program for 2010.A super-quick Audi R8 GT3 will add extra variety to the Australian GT Championship in 2010. The 2008 series champion, Mark Eddy, has decided to switch from a Lamborghini Gallardo to the German racer and will have the first R8 GT3 in the country, while his Gallardo will be campaigned next year by Perth driver Ross Zampatti.MARK Webber celebrated the end of his 2009 season with two honours at the annual Autosport awards in London. He picked up the Innes Ireland award for courage and sportsmanship and the Bruce McLaren Trophy for the best-performing Commonwealth driver of the season. David Brabham and Daniel Ricciardo both received Autosport awards for their successes through '09.DRAG racing fans in Melbourne have not given up on plans for a new venue in the city, despite a series of setbacks in recent years. Anyone who wants to support the move should go to www.motorvatemelbourne.com

It edged out basic black, with white a long way back in third.  Silver has been surging ahead in recent years, also topping the popularity contest in Australia in recent years despite the one-off attractions of everything from Kermit green to gold and even purple as hero colours on Australia's benchmark performance car, the SS Commodore.The colour chart emerged this week from DuPont, an American paint maker that has been compiling a similar popularity poll in the USA for the past 57 years.  "This is the first year we have run the world colour information. North America had silver at number one from 2000 to 2006, but while was number one from 2007 to 2009," says Nancy Lockhart, colour marketing manager for DuPont's original equipment paint division.Lockhart says the results vary by regions, with black on top in Europe and silver dominating in Asia and South America.  "There are still distinct regional differences in preference, but global trends are unmistakable. Colour preference can change from year to year because of a variety of factors including types of vehicles introduced, reduced vehicle size, consumer tastes and even the economy."These and other cultural, societal and demographic influences can shift regional trends over time.”  But she says silver, the top choice with prestige brands including Benz and BMW, is the dominant force at the moment with little likely change in coming years.  "Silver is likely to stay on top and will share the race with black," she says."Bright and chromatic metallic colours of high interest in North America. Purple is beginning to emerge in small volumes."  DuPont charts the colour changes partly to boost its business and partly as a way of helping carmakers identify emerging colour trends.“The auto industry is an increasingly global business, so regional and global colour data are vitally important to designers," Lockhart says.Despite regional differences, the top three colour choices rank well ahead of gray in fourth and — surprisingly — red in sixth. “The top colours become ‘aspirational’ with a universal appeal," says Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.  “There are many reasons to buy a new car, yet we know colour is often the ‘driver’ for purchasing a vehicle.  “Consumers have gotten very savvy about how and where to look for colour trends and they do look for guidance on what’s new in colour.”Silver is top in Australia in a reflection of the global results but DuPont says there are significant differences between regions.  In Europe, black is pulling ahead from silver — 27 to 19.9 per cent — but in Japan the perennial favourite, white, lost four percentage points from 2008 and silver dropped back to be equal in second with black.In China, silver is clearly the favourite with a 36 per cent score and black dropped back by four points despite remaining in second.  The big upset in the latest results is Russia, where green — only eighth with 1 per cent of the global result — was second to silver and took 18.2 per cent in the DuPont rankings.GLOBAL CAR COLOURSTop 10 choices — 20091. Silver — 25 per cent2. Black — 23 per cent3. White — 16 per cent4. Gray — 13 per cent5. Blue — 9 per cent6. Red — 8 per cent7. Brown/beige — 4 per cent8. Green — 1 per cent9. Yellow/gold — 1 per cent10. Others

Congratulations Ford Falcon

Congratulations to the winner, 2009 People's Choice Best Family Car: Holden Commodore SIDI.

There's a two-year waiting list of 60 buyers for the $580,00 Ferrari F458 Italia, and luxury brands BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi also had strong sales months.  But its just not the high end of the car market seeing good times return.   New car sales rose 20 per cent last month compared to last November.Bargain buys and the Federal Government's small business tax break for new vehicles are driving sales.  Among the star cars last month were the Holden Cruze, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30 and Mazda Mazda3 - all with starting prices around $20,000.Toyota's workhorse HiLux ute was the best-seller for the month, clocking up 4230 sales largely because of the small business incentive package.  More than 85,000 new vehicles hit the road, up 14,000 vehicles compared to November last year.Many businesses are in a last-minute rush to take advantage of government tax incentives for utes and vans, which ends on December 31. "This is an extraordinary result that provides further evidence that the market and the broader Australian economy are showing signs of recovery," Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKellar said."Business sales increased an incredible 35.4 per cent during the month; spurred on by the substantial incentives available until the end of the year," he said.  The off-roader segment was one of the most popular with sales surging 44 per cent.Top 10 cars - November1 Toyota HiLux 42302 Holden Commodore 39563 Toyota Corolla 33094 Ford Falcon 28635 Mazda3 25486 Holden Cruze 22747 Mitsubishi Lancer 20238 Toyota Camry 20039 Hyundai i30 199810 Toyota Yaris 1725