Holden Commodore News

Yet there is still no clue to a release date.

Bendigo is Victoria's hoon capital and the Commodore the car of choice, latest police figures show.

After being a smiling model on quiz shows The Price Is Right and Temptation, McGregor has landed a gig hosting the Foxtel reality show, Blood, Sweat & Gears."It was always the next step," McGregor says. "I meet people saying they love Temptation, but it's so hard to get your personality across when you're just smiling in the background."A graphic designer by trade, 26-year-old McGregor spent the past two-and-a-half years in Nine's Temptation family with Ed Phillips and Livinia Nixon.McGregor admits he's not "the craziest car fan," but didn't hesitate when it came to auditioning for BS&G."To be honest, I got a phone call from one of the guys at Foxtel asking me if I would like to audition for it," he says. "I never knock back an audition, even if I don't think I'm suited to it."He may not be a revhead, but the Aussies on the show certainly are."They're absolute nuts. It's like a religion to them. Since I have had the gig, I have had so many people come up to me and tell me a story about their cars," McGregor says.The show pits seven guys and their beloved cars against each other.The contestants are;Andrew: Japanese Import (Nissan 200SX)Andy: American Muscle(Chevy Corvette)Dave: Classic Australian(Holden LJ Torana)Dimitri: Classic Australian(Ford GT Falcon)Dominic: Performance Rotary (Mazda RX7)Jeremy: Australian Muscle (Holden Commodore VL HDT)Mohamed: High Performance European (Ferrari 350 Modena)Official judges are Ian Luff, a former race driver, and Nathan Luck, a motoring journalist. Each week, the revheads and the cars will be put through a series of tests. While the drivers will know who wins each stage, they never find out their placing on the leaderboard. McGregor says it adds to the tension."They don't know who is doing well and the challengers get a little angry and eaten up inside," he says."These guys think their car is the best. But they find out a few things about themselves as drivers - maybe they're not as good as they thought. I think it will get people into the show."While McGregor is enjoying his debut as TV host, he is unused to seeing himself as a presenter."You're always your own biggest critic and it is still kind of strange when I see myself. But I love hearing feedback, even when it's bad. It makes you better at what you do."

Holden Commodore is safe as Australia's favourite car, according to Toyota.Commodore has just extended its run as No.1 on local roads to 12 straight years and Toyota says there is no chance it will be able to end its showroom success.Toyota's Corolla finished 2007 as No.2 in the sales race and one of five Toyota models in the top 10, but a global shortage and saturation of the Australian market means it will not challenge for top spot this year.“It will not happen. No chance,” Toyota Australia executive director of sales and marketing Dave Buttner says.“We cannot get enough cars. And anyway, the gap is too big.”The Corolla trumped the Commodore several times last year, but the final result was a margin of 57,307 to 47,792 in favour of Holden's billion-dollar baby. It was a turnaround from the overall sales result, which Toyota won by 236,647 to second-placed GM Holden on 146,680.Its margin of almost 90,000 was strong, but Toyota trounced Ford, which finished 128,000 vehicles behind in third place.The result shows a 50 per cent increase in Toyota Australia's sales in the past five years and an 87 per cent improvement in the past 10 years.Toyota is already planning for another year at No.1, which would make it six in a row, though Buttner says the company has nothing major in the way of new models this year.“We anticipate Toyota expanding its 2007 result to at least 250,000 sales this year,” he says.“Every major product has been replaced or significantly upgraded in only three years — most of them in the past 18 months."“But this year will be quiet. In the Toyota range there are no significant new model launches.”Buttner, along with most other industry experts, is predicting a sales total of more than one million cars again this year, but only about 10,000 more than the record 1,049,982 set last year. 

Less than 20 per cent of Australians are now buying Australian, with imported vehicles taking 81 per cent of the record 1,049,982 vehicle sales last year.The Holden Commodore was still the country's favourite car for the 12th straight year, but the swing to imports was reflected in the Ford Falcon's slide to a lowly fifth place in the ranking of best sellers.It was beaten by the Mazda3 and the Toyota Hilux pickup.The Mitsubishi 380 did not even make the top 10.The strong performance of imported vehicles came as many more Australians turned to small cars and four-wheel-drives, which rebounded after the fuel shocks of 2006, in preference to locally made family cars.Sales of 4WDs were up 16 per cent against an industry average of 9.1 per cent, while sales of light cars priced below $15,000 improved 10.2 per cent.Toyota dominated the new-car results last year, taking its run at No.1 to five straight years, with a margin of more than 90,000 over second-placed GM Holden and a 128,000-car gap over Ford in third.Toyota also lifted its sales to more than 200,000 and is aiming for 250,000 in 2008.The one-million-vehicle milestone was a first for the industry but is expected to be bettered this year with sales of at least 1,060,000, according the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, which compiles the official VFacts sales results.“Last year the motor vehicle market grew at approximately twice the rate of the economy as a whole,” FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar said.“One million new motor vehicles in a country of 21 million people is an impressive achievement."“The Australian motor vehicle market has now grown in six out of the last seven years, driven by the strength of the labour market, rising asset values and improving vehicle affordability.”Though Australia's sales rate of about 1 in 20 people was even better than Britain's 1 in 25, Mr McKellar sounded a warning.“Although economic fundamentals remain strong and consumer confidence is proving to be robust, we think future growth will be more closely aligned with trends in overall domestic demand,” Mr McKellar said.The industry also faces a review of federal government policy this year, with local carmakers arguing for an extension of the existing arrangements, including support from the Automotive Competitiveness and Investment Scheme.They will point to the growth in exports in recent years, with overseas deliveries by GM Holden and Toyota now totalling more than $5 billion a year.Toyota said the domestic sales of its Camry and V6 Aurion, which totalled close to 50,000 cars last year, were easily beaten by exports of more than 90,000 cars.   Our top 10 favourite carsRanking 2006 2007Holden Commodore: 56,531 57,307Toyota Corolla: 46,256 47,792Toyota HiLux: 36,885 42,009Mazda3: 32,432 34,394Ford Falcon: 42,390 33,941Toyota Yaris: 29,663 27,990Toyota Camry: 24,221 26,336Toyota Aurion: 3380 22,036Hyundai Getz: 20,853 21,166Holden Astra: 19,364 20,588 

Want V6 or V8 performance and economy? It sounds like a motoring conundrum but technology now exists to have two engines in one. Holden has hinted that it will offer a V8 next year — that switches to a V4 when outright power isn't required, such as cruising on a highway.And Honda is driving down the same route. It will soon have a V6 Accord that will switch to a V4 or even run on three cylinders to save fuel.Holden, which ironically is enjoying a boom in V8 sales, says it is “seriously looking at” the so-called active fuel-management system for its V8 models next year. The car will switch off alternate cylinder banks when not under load, turning the engine into a four cylinder.Holden engineers say that doesn't equate to a halving of fuel consumption, but the savings will be substantial. Holden won't talk about which models it will be used in, but it has its new Sportswagon ready for the market — a model it hopes will swing buyers away from all-wheel-drive sports utility models.Meanwhile, Honda's Thai-built Accord is being billed as having three engines in one. It's coming to Australia in February. The 3.5-litre V6 will feature Honda's Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), allowing the car to run on six, four or three cylinders depending on road speed and load conditions.Honda says the engine runs on all cylinders during acceleration or under high load, and seamlessly switches to four or three cylinders for cruising or low-speed running. They say the change will not be obvious to the driver.With three operating modes, the VCM system can tailor the engine's displacement to match the driving requirements. The system automatically cuts fuel and closes both the intake and exhaust valves of the cylinders not needed.When operating on three cylinders, the rear cylinder bank is shut down.When running on four cylinders, the left and centre cylinders of the front bank operate, and the right and centre cylinders of the rear bank operate to maintain balance. The spark plugs continue to fire in inactive cylinders to minimise plug temperature loss and prevent fouling induced from incomplete combustion during cylinder re-activation. Clever stuff.

Holden has just recorded record sales of V8s, while NRMA Insurance claims more than 40 per cent of southeast Queensland drivers are deliberately downsizing to a more fuel-efficient car.Meanwhile, the VFACTS industry figures show Queenslanders bought fewer light cars than the national average, but more medium and large cars and more large and luxury SUVs.Holden claims strong sales of its top-end VE Commodore models, such as SS, SS V and Calais V, pushed V8 Commodore numbers past the 2003 record of 10,982 by almost 500.Sales of V6 and V8 Commodores to private buyers were also up 35 per cent on 2006.However, NRMA Insurance Queensland manager Brett Robinson said drivers aged 45 and over were the most likely in southeast Queensland to have bought a greener model.The company released a study conducted by Woolcott Research in August-September of 400 southeast Queensland households, which showed only 28 per cent of people aged 25-34 would buy a more fuel-efficient car.That figures rose to 38 per cent in the 35-44 years category and 46 per cent over 44.The southeast Queensland region with the highest percentage of fuel-efficient car ownership was the Sunshine Coast with 52 per cent, followed by Gold Coast with 47 per cent, Brisbane on 31 per cent, compared with southeast Queensland's average of 40 per cent.Those figures include used cars, not just new cars.If you look at the VFACTS figures for 2007 new vehicle sales, it shows that Queenslanders love a big SUV and a commercial vehicle, reflecting the business growth of the state.While the national rise in light car sales was 10.2 per cent, they rose only 8.4 in Queensland.Small cars grew at the same 5.9 per cent rate as nationally, but medium cars grew 9.3 per cent in Queensland compared with 5.6 and large cars were slightly more enticing here with a 2.9 per cent increase compared with 2.3 nationally.While large SUV sales were down across the nation by 13.6 per cent, they dropped only 5 per cent in Queensland and luxury SUV sales grew at twice the rate of the 9 per cent national growth rate.Tradies' rides, such as two-wheel-drive utes and light commercial vehicles, grew 6.5 per cent in Queensland against a national rate of 15 per cent, while 4WD versions were only slightly up at 23.3 per cent compared with 22.3 nationally. 

On the day it was named as Australia's top selling car in 2007, Holden has recalled 86,000 current model V6 Commodores and Statesmans because of the risk of an engine bay fuel leak that could cause a fire.The recall affects all V6 VE Commodores and WM Statesman and Caprice long-wheelbase models built by the company since the new generation model was launched in mid-2006, following a $1 billion development program.Holden spokesman John Lindsay said the recall was a precaution to prevent a potential fuel leak under the bonnet."We've got a condition where one of the fuel lines in the engine compartment has the potential to rub against a clip on an adjacent hose, so over a period of time this could potentially - and I emphasise potentially - result in a leak in the hose and a fuel smell may become evident," Mr Lindsay said."The chances of this happening are very low but obviously we are erring on the side of caution and we are administering a recall of all (V6) VE and WM Commodores since the start of production..."The fuel leak problem had affected about 20 of the 86,000 cars affected by the recall, Mr Lindsay said.The recall includes about 53,000 Commodores and Statesmans sold in Australia, about 5000 in New Zealand, 27,000 sold in the Middle East and 784 in Brazil.But the lucrative export of its Pontiac G8 version of the car has not been affected because the US models use a different layout under the bonnet.Holden will launch a national advertising campaign to advise owners of the recall. The company will also write to owners individually.They will be asked to contact their Holden dealer's service or Holden's recall advice line - 1800 632 826 - to arrange for a simple repair to re-route the affected fuel line.A similar recall of 1850 V8 models of the same car was announced in October 2006, because of a fuel line in the engine bay that was supplied to Holden by an outside company that could, under certain circumstances, be torn.Then, a month later about 13,000 cars were recalled because of a minor fault in the rear seatbelt buckles on some cars.The recall comes as the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries officially announced the Holden Commodore was Australia's top-selling car last year.Last year was a bumper year for car sales, with more than one million cars sold in Australia in a single year for the first time. 

A hectic 2007 proved to be lucrative for the car industry with a plethora of new cars launched and more than a million sales throughout the year. And there's no indication that it will be slowing down in 2008.AUDI The new A4, to rival the 3 Series and C-Class is expected here about April, while July will see the hot sports wagon, the RS6 Avant and the A3 Cabrio. Extra A5 variants will follow. BMWBMW has a busy year ahead, starting with the 320d and 335i touring this month. The 1 Series Coupe will go on sale around April, followed by the convertible in May-June. But its big one for the year will be the new X6 Sports Activity Coupe, arriving between July and September. It comes with three engine variants, all twin-turbo, an in-line six, a 3.0-litre diesel and a 300kW 4.4-litre V8. Pricing is expected to start at just under $100,000. And the X5 scores a new engine in February, with the first variable twin turbo diesel offered in the range. CHRYSLER/JEEPJanuary will be a busy month for Chrysler, with the Sebring Cabrio and Grand Voyager people mover both arriving in Australia. The Jeep Cherokee will also get a total makeover. CITROENBased on the C4 Picasso, but bigger and better equipped, Citroen will introduce the Berlingo van between July and September, with a mainly diesel range. This will make room in the line-up for the new Nemo small van mid-year. The C5 will also get a new V6 diesel engine.FERRARIDeliveries of the exquisite F430 Scuderia, priced at about $550,000, will start mid year. Only about 40 will come to Australia and New Zealand. FIAT The reincarnation of the 1960s Bambino will arrive in March, but Fiat has already sold the first four months' supply. The new Fiat 500 will have three engine choices, a 1.2-litre petrol, a 75kW 1.4-litre petrol engine or a 56kW 1.3-litre turbo diesel. Pricing is expected to start from $22,000. The new Ritmo will join the Fiat 500 in March with pricing from $30,000. FORD One of the biggest launches for the year will be the new Falcon. Ford will release details of the new model in February and it's expected to be followed by an unveiling at the Melbourne motor show in the same month, with the official launch around May.FPV FPV will start the year with a new model, the hot turbo Territory, known as the F6 X model. It's the first non-Falcon model from FPV, with 270kW and 550Nm. The FPV Falcon range will also arrive this year. HOLDEN/CADILLACWith Ford's big year planned, you can't expect Holden to keep quiet. But so far, Holden has only announced it is expecting the VE Sportwagon, due in the first half of the year. GM-Holden is also introducing Cadillac with the first model due late in 2008. HONDA Honda will start the year with the new Accord model, due to be launched in February. The small Jazz is also getting an update after the middle of the year. Details on the new generation will be released closer to the launch. The Accord Euro is also expected to arrive later this year. HYUNDAI No big launches just yet, although an upgraded Sonata is expected mid year. JAGUARJaguar's major release for the year will be the new XF in June, with pricing expected to start from $105,000. It will be available in a V6 diesel, as well as a V6 and V8 petrol. KIAPreviewed at the Sydney motor show last year, Kia will launch its new seven-seater Rondo crossover in February. It is expected to start from as low as the mid-$20,000 mark. LEXUSNew for Lexus will be the LX570 around April or May, followed by the IS-F towards the end of the year. Details still to come. MAZDAThe second-generation Mazda6 will go on sale at the end of February with pricing from less than $30,000. It will be powered by a 2.5-litre, four cylinder engine, with 125kW and 226Nm.MERCEDES-BENZThe first arrival for Mercedes-Benz is expected to be the C 63 AMG in mid March. It will be followed by the S 320CDI, priced at $189,874 and the C-Class wagon, which will carry a $3000 premium over the sedan, coming in just under $60,000. MINIAnother new version of a 1960s cult car is also headed our way, with the Mini Clubman launched in February. The modern successor of the Morris Mini Traveller, the Austin Mini Countryman and the Mini Clubman Estate won't get into showrooms until March or April. Pricing will start in the mid-$30,000 area. MITSUBISHIMitsubishi will release two turbocharged Lancers this year. The top-level Lancer Evo X GSR will be here in April and sell for about $58,000. The 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo engine pumps out 200kW and 422Nm. Joining it will be the detuned version in the Ralliart all-wheel drive, at about $40,000. NISSANNissan's first addition for the year will be the all-wheel-drive wagon, the Dualis. Starting at $28,990 and stretching to $35,990, it's powered by a 102kW, 2.0-litre engine. PEUGEOTThe big launch for Peugeot will be the 308 replacing the 307 range, which will start with the 308 hatch in February in both petrol and diesel guises. The touring will follow in June or July, with the 308cc model a prospect for late 2008 or early 2009. PROTONProton has announced the Persona, based on the Gen2 hatch platform, will make its debut at the Melbourne motor show in late February, going on sale in March. It will be priced around the mid-teens. The Gen2 will also get engine updates and minor styling changes. RENAULTThe all-new Laguna will go on sale mid-year with a 2.0-litre diesel engine. SAABJune sees the arrival of the Turbo X AWD. SSANGYONGThe South Korean company will go completely diesel in 2008, with no more petrol engines on offer in Australia. SMARTThe new Fortwo arrives in Australia in February. The one-model brand will get both the 52kW and 62kW models, in hatch and cabrio, being bigger than the current models. SUBARUThe star WRX STi comes in February with a 2.5-litre turbocharged engine, although pricing is still to come. The third generation Forester arrives in March. SUZUKIFebruary's proving to be a busy month, with Suzuki also launching its Grand Vitara diesel. TOYOTAAfter a big year in 2007, Toyota is expecting a quiet year, with only the TRD Hilux due to be launched in April-June. VOLKSWAGENVolkswagen will kick off the year with the SUV, the Touareg R50, to be released in April. It's powered by a 258kW V10 TDI engine. The Tiguan also arrives about October.  VOLVOThe recently launched XC70 arrives in showrooms this month, joined by the C30 diesel also in January. It's priced at $43,950. A base model C30 will also enter the line-up, at $34,450. A 3.0-litre six-cylinder engined V70 will arrive in March. 

Specialist car builder and former racer Erich Bitter has been using General Motors cars for some time and from this month is making a performance Bitter Vero model from a Statesman donor.Holden exports variants of the VE and WM sedan ranges around the world, mainly as Chevrolets and Pontiacs.However, GM Holden media relations national manager John Lindsay said Bitter bought the cars directly from them."I believe he was a friend of (former Holden boss and now GM Europe's product planning head) Peter Hannenberger which is how the relationship was established," he said."We just sell him the cars and he then customises them and resells. We don't get involved in the tech or design side."At the 2003 Geneva Motor Show, Bitter displayed a Holden Monaro/Pontiac GTO based coupe, called the CD II.However, the prototype, which was rumoured to have a V12 engine, never went into production.Bitter this year took the wraps off his Statesman-based Bitter Vero in his former hometown of Schwelm. The company also unveiled a new philosophy, 'Bitter Horsepower.'Under the sculpted hood sits GM's six-litre V8 engine, which produces 270kW of power.The all-aluminium power plant is mated to a four-speed automatic and from May 2008 a six speed automatic will be an option.The biggest visible modification is the new nose with a large, low-mounted grille and massive Bitter logo.Bitter has also modified the suspension, brakes and interior.The Vero can only be ordered directly from Bitter in Germany where it will cost almost as much as a Maserati Quattroporte.