Holden Commodore News

Though motorists express anger at rising petrol prices, new cars running on fuel costing half as much are being avoided in huge numbers. For the whole of 2008, only 527 dedicated-LPG cars were sold to private buyers across Australia.And it's getting worse, not better. This year, in the first seven months of 2009, only 118 Australians bought a new passenger car fuelled only by LPG. Holden also reports that sales of its dual-fuel (LPG and petrol) Commodores are down by half compared to last year as petrol prices stabilise. To put it into perspective ... to July 31 this year, 319 motorists chose a new hybrid, 9402 bought a diesel car and 163,726 now own a new petrol-fuelled car.Private LPG buyers make up an almost negligible 0.07 per cent of all private passenger cars sold this year. The automotive and associated industries are aghast at the lack of interest in liquified petroleum gas.Australia has an estimated 65 years of LPG and other vehicle-compliant gas supplies yet will need to supplement 80 per cent of its petrol and diesel needs within 20 years. Australia also has 3200 LPG stations — roughly one in every two stations sells LPG — so the fuel is as frequently available as it is cheap.Holden's Large Car and SUV marketing manager, Kristian Aqualina, says the first step in selling more LPG vehicles was changing buyer perceptions. “People are generally adverse to LPG because they may have had experience in the past of poor LPG conversions or poor vehicle performance,” he says. “That's a challenge for manufacturers. But there have been huge advances. A Holden Omega on LPG is no different in performance and the driving experience to a Holden Omega running on petrol. The biggest difference is that the cost of the fuel is half.”Aqualina says Holden was exploring dedicated LPG cars so the car's boot space isn't reduced by a gas tank. He says the Commodore LPG availability could be extended beyond the current Berlina model to include the luxury Calais model. And he says Holden's Australian-built small car, the Cruze hatchback which starts production next year, could have an LPG option.“LPG makes a lot of sense. People worry about safety but our LPG cars have the same 5-star crash safety rating as the petrol cars,” he says. “Refuelling is a bit different from fuelling a petrol car but that's it — it's just different, not harder.”The managing director of Orbital Autogas Systems, Tony Fitzgerald, agreed that the biggest challenge with LPG is public perception. “It is seen as a poor man's or a commercial fuel, similar to the perception of diesel a decade ago.”But Fitzgerald says it doesn't have to be like that. “I think you'll see LPG become a well-accepted alternative, like diesel has, because of its lower emissions, equivalent performance and much lower purchase price. “There's also the issue of availability. Australia has gas in abundance and dwindling oil reserves.” Fitzgerald says larger companies with future carbon obligations can get up to a 12 per cent advantage by switching to LPG, based on an LPG engine's emissions of about 12 per cent less CO2 than a petrol engine.The managing director of specialist consulting group, Rare Consulting Mark McKenzie recently told a Society of Automotive Engineers Australasia (SAE-A) gaseous fuels conference that LPG and associated gases could be the nation's transport fuel of the future.“Development of alternative fuels — including LPG and LNG — will reduce Australia's vulnerability to rising prices and the supply chain,” he says. “Australia has a 65-year supply of gas, which can help meet national greenhouse gas targets by reducing transport emissions — the third-largest source (of CO2).” 

After 15 years in racing, the young Melbournian will be confirmed as a member of the factory Holden Racing Team. Dumbrell is being promoted from the Autobarn Commodore he races as part of the four-car Walkinshaw Performance super team in the V8 Supercar championship into one of the official Team Red cars for the endurance races at Phillip Island and Bathurst. He is expected to be partnered with veteran Craig Baird, as championship regulars Garth Tander and Will Davison join forces to try and unseat the mightly Craig Lowndes-Jamie Whincup combination in the biggest races of the season. Dumbrell's promotion will not be official until today but he confirmed yesterday that a deal was close. "I'm aware of the situation. Discussions are taking place," Dumbrell admitted. "I'm waiting to hear that it's all done and dusted. Then I can celebrate." Dumbrell was one of the youngster drivers to crack the top ranks of Australian motorsport, winning the second-tier V8 Supercar championship in 2002 before graduating to the main game with Larry Perkins team. His best series result so far is 12th in 2006 and he is currently 15th, although only 80 points behind Rick Kelly in eighth spot. Dumbrell has become a regular top-10 runner this year and has blossomed since he joined the Walkinshaw crew at the start of 2008. His objective is a top-10 series result this year, as well as the best result possible at Bathurst - where he was 10th last year. He could not confirm his HRT deal yesterday but spoke openly about a personal dream. "To line up with one of their cars would be unbelievable. I've been working to achieve that for the past 15 years," Dumbrell said. "It's been a dream to be in the Walkinshaw organisation. To help celebrate the 40th year of factory Holden teams at Bathurst would be very special."

He's a bit of a legend in our sport and it just goes to show − once a driver always a driver. Clearly he was struggling to stay away and I'm confident he will do a good job. However, it's a bit of a concern because Triple Eight Racing and a lot of other teams have welcomed him into the pit garage and let him in on most of our information in his capacity as a commentator for Channel 7. He's also been in our Brisbane workshop talking to our people and seeing the operation to try to get a feel for his involvement in the Car of the Future project. Everyone has been willing to help, thinking that's his main role, but we didn't expect him to then work with one of the teams on the track. We'll have to be a bit more careful because we will now be racing against him. Teaming up with Greg Murphy will make them real contenders at Bathurst. That's a track where you need experience and they've certainly got that. They will be a huge threat to our attempt at a historical four-peat. We really need Skaifey to be an independent commentator and V8 Supercars director. The issue about us moving to Holden seems to be settling down now. We're not copping as much abuse from the hard-core Ford fans any more. We've done our best to educate people on why we made the move and I think a lot of people now understand why the change was inevitable. And it looks like we'll have the same main rivals, with Garth Tander signing on again with HRT and I'm sure they'll also have Will Davison back again. Just because next season we will also be an HRT team it doesn't mean we won't be fierce rivals. They are our main rivals now and they will continue to be next year. even though we are running the same brand of vehicle. The fans will see how fierce that rivalry is when we meet up again next weekend at Queensland Raceway. We need to get some momentum back and I will be driving just as aggressively as I did at Sandown. Queensland Raceway was the first time last season that we weren't on the podium so we will have to turn that around. There has been talk in pit straight lately about the championship starting with a double-header in the Middle East next year. I think commercially it's OK and it won't really affect Clipsal in Round 1, or affect the fans either. For me as a driver, the more opportunities to race in world-class circuits, the better. And I'm sure the fans won't be unhappy about more races in the season. After all, that's the whole point of the Car of the Future exercise. If we can make the cars cheaper to run, then we can afford to do more rounds like NASCAR in the US or like footy here in Australia. It's hard to keep the fans keen when we don't have a race for several weeks. More rounds will mean more consistency for the fans. Lately I've been a little out of my depth posing for Billabong's Von Zipper brand. The photos are on my website and I have to say modelling is not my future career. However, I was pretty pleased they chose me because it's the first time they've used a non-surfer.  

...reigning V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup has stepped on to another hot Holden.In a recent advertising campaign photo shoot, Whincup is seen sporting a crown and cape, while standing on a smouldering old Commodore wreck. It is perhaps a tongue-in-cheek reference to Team Vodafone's recent controversial announcement that drivers Whincup and Craig Lowndes will switch from Falcon to Commodore next year.The ad campaign is for Von Zipper, a Billabong brand. It is the first time the Australian surfing company has chosen a non-surfer to be an ambassador for the iconic brand."The photos are on my website and I have to say modelling is not my future career," says Whincup. However, his female fans would have to disagree judging by their comments on his website.They are not the only ones admiring the talents of the 26-year-old triple-Bathurst winner. He also has been voted as the best driver so far in 2009 by his peers in the annual AutoAction V8 Supercar Drivers Poll.Sixteen or 55 per cent of of drivers rated his achievements as field-leading. He was also the most respected driver (24 per cent) and the driver most likely to win this year's championship (79 per cent and 23 nominations)."It's fantastic to be rated by your main rivals because from the outside, many people say I go all right, but your actual rivals take into consideration the car you're driving as well," he told AutoAction."Although I feel like I'm driving well, at the same time I've got the best car out there, too. "My main rivals understand that and are taking that into account. What can I say? I can only say that it's a great honour." 

The abject failure of the last four-cylinder Commodore - nick-named the ‘backfire’ - has convinced GM Holden not to do it again. Despite the appeal of a four-cylinder economy drive, and the chance to go head-to-head with the frugal new 2.0-litre Falcon in 2011, Holden says it is not even considering a baby engine for its family favourite.Rather than downsize its Commodore engine, GM-Holden chairman, Mark Reuss, says the company plans to ‘out-engineer the competition’. "Dropping cylinders would be the last result because people still like the power and the towing, all the things that we get with this engine and with this car."Ford and Holden are adopting different strategies to deliver improved fuel consumption and lower emissions. Reuss says the Commodore can achieve four-cylinder-like economy from its new engines and promises further technology gains to lift economy.At the launch of the company's greener direct-injection V6s last week, Reuss says the company was committed to achieving ‘further fuel efficiencies’ out of its new 3.0-litre and 3.6-litre engines. Apart from hi-tech engine management solutions, Reuss says shedding weight is also a priority for future Commodores.The company does have another smaller capacity V6 in the wings though. GM-Holden builds a smaller capacity 2.8-litre V6 for its export markets and Reuss has not ruled such an engine joining the lineup."I'm not saying we would never go below 3.0; but 3.0 is the sweet spot for the architecture, the car and the fuel economy and performance," Reuss says. "We look at all of those things and the displacement it would have. You don't rule out any of that stuff.""Our Port Melbourne plant is the most flexible engine plant in General Motors so we can always do that and relatively quickly if we need too. Right now we think this is the answer that we're looking for and the customers really asking for. But this is a journey and we will react to the market."Versions of Holden's new direct injection V6s will be exported to GM plants globally and will appear in several different brands, including some Saab and Alfa Romeo models. GM's Mexico plant will receive engines for the new Cadillac SRX and other markets in Europe are lining up for the new V6.GM-Holden's incoming new chairman, Alan Batey, says he was surprised by Ford's decision not to build the Focus four-cylinder. The Ford decision ‘creates an even bigger opportunity for us’ with the Cruze, he says. "I was a little bit surprised that Ford did make that announcement based on where we think our program is," he says. "Having said that they started with a European starting point.""We started from a global perspective where ours is a global platform that will be used around the world. From where I sit today I'm absolutely sure we can do really well with our car."GM-Holden's Elizabeth plant in Adelaide is gearing up for the local Cruze, which will start production next year and include a hatchback version of the small sedan.

Look for 'How Good is This' by Wayne Webster this month, with a Fathers Day-friendly pricetag of $35. Another book worth having is 'Signspotting 3', one of the funniest motoring-related books I've seen in a long time. It's just a collection of signs with captions, but the pictures are crazy good and most of the captions are belly-laugh entertaining. Copies of 'Signspotting 3' are great value at $16.95 but I have two spare copies to give away. I also have five giveaway copies of a new DVD celebrating the 60th birthday of Holden. It's an extension and update of the television program produced last year for the official birthday party, and comes with some great extras including a segment on the Efijy concept car and the original 48-215 at GM's proving ground at Milford in the USA. The DVD costs $29.95 and is available from most video retailers. If you want one of the books or DVDs, then tell me why you deserve an early Fathers Day gift in an email to carsguide@heraldsun.com.au. Entries close 5pm, August 12 2009.  

Yes, Craig Lowndes is back in racing red in 2010, but Mark Reuss is not going to a top-10 job at new GM in the USA.But the Reuss news, like the signing of Triple Eight and Lowndes, is good news.In fact, the outgoing president of the red team has been promoted to a top-five job at GM from next month. He becomes the worldwide head of product development, a job which effectively makes him the replacement for the heroic Bob Lutz in the GM engineering world.That's great news for Reuss, but potentially even better news for Commodore exports.The US sales plan for the VE Commodore was originally put in place by another former Holden head, Denny Mooney. He helped sell the Holden into America as a Buick, partly off the back of the Monaro experience in America.The latest G8 Pontiac is officially dead at the end of the year, even if there are hopes of small-scale Commodore exports for police use, but that could change with Reuss in the top product job.He is well aware of the car's strengths and has said privately for some time that is hopeful of some sort of new deal, with most people assuming it would be through the Chevrolet sales channel.We'll have to wait, but the signs are positive.But things are not so good for Mooney, who took early retirement last week as part of the GM corporate re-shuffle. He is promising to be back and, at 53, still has plenty of good years to contribute somewhere in the motoring world.

The Toyota four cylinder eclipsed the Holden Commodore by just 35 cars last month to become the biggest seller. It is the fourth time in 18 months it has turned the tables on Holden's locally built big six. The Japanese carmaker sold 3856 Corollas versus 3891 Commodores last month.The Corolla led a modest small car sales spike last month as buyers continue to chase economy purchases over large sedans. Apart from small cars, the latest VFACTS industry sales figures for July reveal that sportscars and off-roaders also recorded positive sales gains.Small car sales were up 2.7 per cent in July compared to the same month last year. Sportscars increased 10.3 per cent while medium and luxury off-roaders were up 2.4 per cent and 7.2 per cent.The FCAI's sales figures show that 75,333 vehicles were sold last month, 8643 fewer than the same month last year. Year-to-date 530,556 new vehicles have been sold, down 15 per cent or 96,115 vehicles, compared to the same period last year.Toyota continues to dominate as sales leader. It has sold 110,897 vehicles so far this year to secure a dominate overall market share of 24 per cent. Toyota's lead is almost double that of its nearest rival, Holden with 66,418 sales with Ford in third spot with 54,239 sales.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive, Andrew McKellar, said the Federal Goverment's business tax stimulus continued to have a positive knock-on effect on sales.Despite overall sales being down 10 per cent last month compared to the same month last year, business sales remained strong, he said. There was evidence of a flow-on from the very strong June sales result with strong demand for work vehicles, he said. "Particularly from buyers accessing the business tax break on new investments," he said.Some dealers are also reporting waiting lists of several months on certain models because of a backlog of orders on work utes and light commercial vehicles.Top Ten sellers (July) 1 Toyota Corolla 38912 Holden Commodore 38563 Ford Falcon 28344. Mazda3 27855 Toyota HiLux 25636 Hyundai Getz 21477 Mitsubishi Lancer 21298 Hyundai i30 20459 Holden Cruze 198210 Toyota Camry 1717Top Ten brands (July) 1 Toyota 16,6642 Holden 10,2663 Ford 77834 Hyundai 62265 Mazda 60246 Mitsubishi 41667 Nissan 37568 Subaru 28079 Honda 265710 Volkswagen 2361

And it signals that Holden and Ford's new battle ground will be at the bowser. GM-Holden yesterday fired a salvo across Ford's bows by launching what it describes as the most fuel-efficient Australian-built six cylinder car available. It has unveiled two new hi-tech six-cylinder engines for the Commodore range just a week after Ford said it would build a four-cylinder Falcon. GM-Holden chairman, Mark Reuss, said Holden was going to ‘out-engineer’ its rivals with cutting-edge technology. "Dropping cylinders would be the last resort," he said. The new direct-injection 3.0-litre and 3.6-litre V6 engines will hit showrooms next month in the face-lifted Commodore and Statesman range. Not only is Australia's best-selling family sedan now cheaper to run, it emits less harmful greenhouse gases, Reuss said. "We've been listening to what the customer wants," he said. "We've invested in changing what matters most to motorists, increasing fuel efficiency, improving refinement and developing performance." The new petrol engines will be joined by a more economical LPG Commodore engine. Reuss said the new 3.0-litre Commodore was so efficient, families could drive from Melbourne to Sydney, a distance of 870km, on one tank of fuel. "We know because we've done it," Reuss said. "The car we drove actually got 7.5l/100km in actual real-world driving, that's right in there with our four cylinder entries in the smaller car market." Owners will also be able to save $325 in annual fuel costs too, he said. Reuss said the Commodore's direct-injection technology was a big step forward for the local car industry and Australian manufacturing and was applauded by the Industry Minister, Senator Kim Carr. "We are defining our own future, creating our own luck," Reuss said. "It places a more refined Commodore amongst four cylinder competitors while delivering the space and flexibility which Australian car buyers clearly want." Both V6s adopt what Holden calls spark ignition direct injection, to deliver up to 13 per cent better economy and up to 14 per cent lower CO2 emissions, combined with a new six-speed automatic transmission. The new Omega 3.0-litre gets 9.3 litres/100km, more than 13 per cent better than the existing model's 10.7 litres/100km. This engine also produces 600kg less CO2 emissions than the existing engine. Apart from lower fuel consumption, power is up. The 3.0-litre develops 190kW, up from 175kW of the previous engine, while the 3.6-litre develops 210kW, up from 195kW. Holden's popular dual-fuel LPG range will retain the 3.6-litre AlloyTec V6 but it has been reworked for better economy and lower CO2 emissions. Apart from powering local Commodores, GM-Holden plans to export the engines to several other GM plants globally, including Mexico where it is expected to go into a new Cadillac off-roader. New Holden Global V6 direct-injection engines 3.0 and 3.6-litre double overhead cam alloy V6. Uses 91RON ULP, Euro IV+ emissions rating Power: 3.0 - 190kW @ 6700rpm 3.6 - 210kW @ 6400rpm Torque: 3.0 - 290Nm @ 2900rpm 3.6 - 350Nm @ 2900rpm Fuel economy (l/100km)/emissions: 9.3/221g/km - 10.3/245g/km. Between 9 and 13 per cent fuel consumption improvement, 9-14 per cent emissions improvement. Superceded V6 3.6-litre double overhead cam, variable inlet camshaft, 24-valve alloy V6 (High Feature in top-spec models). Power: 175kW @ 6500rpm HF 195kW @ 6500rpm Torque: 325Nm @ 2400rpm HF 340Nm @ 2600rpm (ECE, Nm) Fuel economy (l/100km)/emissions: 10.6/252g/km -11.6/274g/km  

You have to admire any chairman of GM Holden who lands from the USA wearing an HSV lapel pin and then parks a 48-215 in his garage, before upgrading his private ride to a restoration job on an FC Holden.But that is personal opinion and Reuss deserves admiration for what he has done in just 18 months at Fishermans Bend. It's no stretch at all to say he has saved Holden.Reuss rationalised and reorganised the Red Lion brand locally and, crucially, won approval and finance to begin small car production in Australia. The introduction of the Holden Cruze is the key to the company surviving the massive downturn in large car sales in Australia and building a viable future as the Commodore declines.He also cemented the financial plan that allowed the company to survive the global shake-out triggered by GM's move into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. He might be an engineer but the son of former GM president Lloyd Reuss also has a keen ability on finances.Rivals say he can also be a tiger in a meeting.Reuss is succeeded as Holden's chairman by the livewire sales chief Alan Batey, who also began in engineering. He knows what the company needs and what his boss has in place.The only question to be answered now is what Mark Reuss will be doing in the 'new GM' organisation. He heads back to a top-20 job at the company, but his exact post will not be revealed until later today.