Holden Commodore News

Once shrugged off as a minor irritant, the subject of fuel economy has become one of critical interest to the Australian heartland.Getting your vehicle, be it petrol or diesel, to go as far as possible on the least amount of fuel is ultimately going to put dollars back in your pocket ... but how do you do it?Most people think of fuel-economy driving in terms of special cars crawling along, with highly trained drivers gently brushing the accelerator only when absolutely necessary.Not true, says Holden engine management engineer Scott Doughty.Doughty is part of the team responsible for ensuring there is that balance of economy and performance real-world customers demand in their Commodores."The general rules for efficient fuel economy in everyday driving don't just apply to our cars," Doughty says. "Much of it is commonsense and the technology in modern engines is pretty much industry standard."Some of the golden rules are applicable to everyone: Keep the gears up, get into the high gears as early as you can, keep the engine revs down, all those sort of things."Many people, particularly those who have been driving for a long time, think that by driving with lower throttle openings but higher engine speeds they are saving fuel and putting less stress on the car."In fact the opposite is true. Lower engine speeds and greater throttle-opening — that is, a higher gear — is far more efficient so get to the higher gear quickly and stay there as much as you can."Increasing mass and drag is another sure way to spend more time in petrol stations."People fill their cars with all sorts of stuff and drag it around all over the place or they bolt a big roof rack on the roof — anything like that is going to make the aerodynamics less efficient and add to drag," Doughty says."I just don't think they realise the amount of fuel they are using. They don't need to do that. It is as simple as unbolting the roof rack or unloading the boot."However, the fuel-saving strategy is not restricted to high-tech or smaller engines. He says: "There is a degree of improvement you can get from any engine. You can achieve some pretty good economy, even on V8s."To prove that point Holden has each year run an efficiency drive from Sydney to the Gold Coast; almost 1000km of real-world driving. Each of the cars is set a fuel and speed target for each stage over a variety of conditions, ranging from city and highway to mountainous backroads.Some of the results are truly surprising — with V6 models returning figures in the 7.5L/100km range and V8s under 10L/100km.While the obvious purpose of the exercise is to show benefits of the Holden models, there are lessons to be learned for owners of most brands. Key to the results from the V6 engines was the Alloytec's throttle-off fuel saving technology; something that is now common in current-generation engines.Before the advent of the latest engine control units (ECUs), the use of gears to force engine braking brought no fuel benefit. With the new technology, the same behaviour will put dollars in your pocket.Doughty says idling in neutral or lifting off the throttle in high gears where the revs fall below 1600rpm is not going to aid fuel consumption significantly."Fuel is still being fed to the engine to keep it running. But if you throttle off and use the gears to keep the engine revs between 1600rpm and 2100rpm, the ECU cuts fuel to the engine, allowing the engine to be turned over by the drive wheels rather than fuel ignition in the cylinder chambers," he adds.The ECU re-opens the fuel feed when engine revolutions are moving out of the nominated range or the throttle is depressed.Doughty says that with variable valve-timing, cam-phasing, electronic throttle control and modern electronic control units the strategy can be used without negative effects on the engine."It may take a bit of an education program but it is certainly something that can be used on a daily basis," he says.While loath to quantify the possible dollar savings from more efficiency-conscious behaviour, Doughty has no doubt that most people could benefit significantly: "Fuel economy becomes 100 little things that together to make a significant improvement."Keep to the golden fuel rules1. Keep the car in as high a gear as possible and get to the higher gears as quickly as possible.2. Have a light touch on the throttle. For most applications 25 per cent throttle is quite adequate. Hard acceleration is the enemy of fuel economy.3. Look ahead and read traffic conditions. Plan to maintain momentum, reducing the need for excessive braking and subsequent acceleration.4. Monitor tyre pressures. Low pressures increase rolling resistance of tyres and use more fuel. You should keep to the manufacturer's specifications.5. Stick to the speed limit. High speeds use more fuel.6. Reduce mass and drag. You would be surprised how much unnecessary equipment accumulates in the boot of a car. Roof pods, racks and extended wing mirrors all minimise the efficiency of a car through the air. More weight and drag equals less economy. Remove the bits when they are not being used.7. Avoid idling as you are wasting fuel going nowhere.8. Keep your vehicle in shape; clean air filters keep impurities in the air from damaging the engine and can improve fuel economy.9. Don't turn on the airconditioner as a first response to heat; even the most efficient airconditioners expend a fair bit of fuel.10. When buying a car, consider its fuel economy.

Small, economical cars powered record January sales, 9.9 per cent up on the same month last year. VFACTS show it was a close contest at the top of the chart, with the small Corolla beating the big Commodore by 11 sales — 3485 to 3474.Holden played down the defeat — five months after the new model went on sale — noting that few businesses buy cars so early in the year."In January, fleet sales are softer so it is no surprise that the whole large-car segment is slightly down," GM Holden marketing manager Alan Batey says.He says there is a strong future for Holden's best-selling car, despite the surge in sales of small cars, such as the Corolla."The Commodore remained the best-selling car in the country last year for the 11th year in a row," Batey says.There were not many smiles at Ford either — it sold only 1974 Falcons last month, despite a drive-away deal and free six-speed automatic and stability control.Ford Australia says the Falcon result is the worst since 1990, when it began to keep accurate sales records.Ford Australia spokeswoman Sinead McAlary says the drive-away Falcon deal was not successful.Sales in the light-car segment (which includes models such as the Toyota Yaris) were up 14.3 per cent on last January.Sales of small cars (including models such as the Corolla) were up a huge 26.3 per cent, and large cars were down 0.9 per cent.The Mazda3 continued to sell strongly; January sales of 3347 put it third on the chart, 138 behind the Corolla. Other small cars to make the top 10 included the Astra (2239) and Ford Focus (1665). Mitsubishi's Lancer finished just outside the top 10 with 1527 sales, the company's best-selling car.The Hilux (2781) and Yaris (2498) were strong again, but Toyota's larger cars were off the pace. The Camry did not make the top 10 with 1347, and the new Aurion continued its slow start with 1125.The Falcon ute struggled with 834, but outsold Holden's Commodore ute with 697.Ford's Territory responded to a $4000 cashback deal to notch 1343, in front of the Holden Captiva (577) and Toyota Kluger (389). WHAT'S SELLINGTOP 10 MAKES1 Toyota 16,2382 Holden 11,2583 Ford 75014 Mazda 66275 Honda 54356 Nissan 50857 Mitsubishi 45548 Subaru 30979 Hyundai 306710 Volkswagen 2034TOP 10 MODELS1 Toyota Corolla 34852 Holden Commodore 34743 Mazda3 33474 Toyota Hilux 27815 Toyota Yaris 24986 Holden Astra 22397 Ford Falcon 19748 Nissan Navara 18749 Ford Focus 166510 Holden Barina 1563

Motorsport guru Tom Walkinshaw has opened a new aftermarket "fun factory" specialising in turning Commodores and Astras into fast track and street machines.Walkinshaw Performance was launched last week with a range of upgrades, including superchargers, sports exhausts, AP Brakes packages, and suspension and lowering kits.The new division is completely (and deliberately) separate from Walkinshaw's official Holden-based performance company HSV, operating from the same Braeside factory as the Elfin sports car company.Walkinshaw Performance CEO Chris Payne, formerly of HSV, says there is no clash between Walkinshaw's aftermarket add-on department and HSV. He says the new department is for more extreme modifications than a manufacturer such as HSV is allowed to do."You could say that HSV has created this thriving aftermarket industry of copy and replica high-performance Commodores."HSV customers, like Commodore customers, have been buying the extra stuff from hundreds of tuning shops, so Walkinshaw Performance is an alternative to those aftermarket shops."Modifications start from $590 for lowered sports springs to $11,690 for a supercharger kit fitted to a VE Commodore V8.All upgrades are supplied and fitted by the company rather than handed over to do-it-yourself home mechanics. Most of them are performance-related.GM Holden spokesman Jason Laird says people will have to consult the carmaker before fitting any aftermarket product."The warranty on the parts and quality of workmanship is 12 months, so we don't support any better warranty than the best aftermarket companies out there," he says."In a lot of cases, the customer is not overly concerned about that because they are just looking for ways to make their cars a little bit sweeter, look a bit more aggressive, to handle better and to have a better exhaust note," Payne says."Some of those things may not affect a new car warranty, while in some cases we are doing older cars close to warranty expiry anyway."Unlike some tuning shops, all products have been tested by Walkinshaw Performance and racing drivers Rick and Todd Kelly."Quite often in the backyard operations, the customer's car is actually the prototype. In our business we run development cars," Payne says."This is aftermarket but it is designed with a mind to OE (original equipment). It's not just about kiloWatts because we look at reliability, durability and the total car. With every product you have to own it for five years — still going to the track, but also down the street."

Jack Perkins, 20, will contest the V8 series alongside another 20-year-old in Shane Price, even though the boss concedes his rookie son lacks experience."No he's not ready, but when is anyone ready? You have to do something for the first time at some stage," Perkins Sr says."I believe another year in the development series would have been just marking time. To move up to the main series standard you have to practise, qualify and race with the best drivers."Perkins Sr chose to go with the youngsters after talks broke down with experienced drivers, and he warns that ballooning driver salaries are damaging the sport."The problem for the V8 Supercar teams is we can all hire top-shelf drivers, but only one of the 10 will win, and that makes nine losers."I tried top-shelf drivers last year and it didn't give me race wins even though the machinery was good enough to win."The V8 Supercar bubble is about to burst, but team managers are too stupid to realise it. The sport's two most important sponsors, Holden and Ford, are on their knees and cutting costs. You can't afford to spend huge salaries on racing-car drivers."There are, of course, some downsides with the lack of experience: the performance level and the potential for more crashes. But Shane and Jack will only get better, not worse."Perkins Jr says he is a bit apprehensive about the promotion. He had expected to contest the development series again after finishing third last year behind Adam Macrow and Price."I'm really excited because this has been my dream as a kid, and it's happened much quicker than I expected."But I'm nervous about it too because I don't want to make a fool of myself."Obviously (sponsor) Jack Daniel's would prefer some sort of lead driver, but they have said they are happy with me," Perkins Jr says.Perkins Sr received a belated Christmas present when he was able to buy a second licence to run as a two-car operation this year. But the delay means the Jack Daniel's team will struggle to complete two VE Commodores in time for the Clipsal Adelaide 500 in March, potentially forcing Jack to run the previous model VZ model at the season opener.

General Motors product chief Bob Lutz confirmed the high-performance Commodore SS, the sporty V8 version of Australia's favourite sedan, would sell as the Pontiac G8 in the US, with the export car due to be unveiled at the Chicago motor show next month."We're seriously planning to import a lot of Commodore SSs in the guise of Pontiac G8s," Mr Lutz said at the Detroit motor show yesterday. "It's such a logical thing to do."The export drive comes at a critical time for the nation's vehicle industry, which has been hit by a sales slump as consumers, mindful of higher petrol prices, shift to smaller imported cars.This has forced three of the four big local manufacturers - Mitsubishi, Ford and Holden - to cut jobs in response to tougher market conditions and search for cheaper parts overseas.Mr Lutz, a prime mover behind the Monaro export scheme, said GM's global strategy now required every model to be feasible for any market. He said the flipside for Australia would be an increasing variety of vehicles imported from the US, including the new Camaro.He refused to say when Commodore shipments would begin, but the February unveiling in Chicago suggests work is well advanced.The Monaro sold beyond expectations in Australia but failed to reach sales forecasts in the US, where it was criticised as being too bland to resurrect the famous Pontiac GTO muscle car.Exchange rates, with the rising Australian dollar, were another problem. "With the GTO we made a mistake because we passed on the deterioration in profitability that we took through the appreciation of the Australian dollar," Mr Lutz said.However, the Monaro had helped change thinking at the car giant."While the GTO program may not have fulfilled all our hopes and dreams in terms of volume and profitability, it did break the ice on global programs," he said. "It got everybody in North America understanding that the engineering groups in the other regions can do excellent vehicles for the North American market."

After a dramatic Middle East debut at the Bahrain International Circuit, Kelly has held onto a seven-point championship lead despite crashing in the second race.Before the crash he appeared to have one hand on the trophy with a 90 point buffer.Ford's Jason Bright emerged King of the Desert after an entertaining three days of racing, claiming his first individual round win at Ford Performance Racing, while Holden's Todd Kelly and Garth Tander completed the round podium.But while the battle up front was enthralling, all the focus was on former three-time series champion Lowndes and his pursuit of 23-year-old Kelly.The wheels appeared to fall off Kelly's title drive when James Courtney's Falcon blocked his path and he was ploughed into from behind, then banished to the rear of the grid for the final heat.With only a 14-point lead heading into the final race, Kelly was expected to end the round ranked second but the HSV Dealer driver produced one of the best drives of the year to burst through the field from 28th and finish fifth, maintaining a slender title lead.The result means Kelly now has 3068 points with Lowndes' fourth place for the round moving him to 3061 while Ford's Mark Winterbottom fell out of contention after gearbox drama today, back on 2792 points.Lowndes said the battle for the title now resembled his memorable and emotional Bathurst win in October when he and Kelly duelled all the way to the line.Lowndes turned dup the heat on Kelly by saying the youngster would cop all sorts of pressure over the coming weeks as Holden had not won the series title for four years."It all hinges on him," said Lowndes."I have been around long enough to not worry about (the pressure), whether Rick has I don't know."He has a strong car but we believe we can do it."We'll see what happens and see what the weather does."Kelly said he won't have any trouble coping with the pressure and anticipation of the finale, saying he had plenty of pressure to perform in today's final race and delivered in spades."I want it more than anything. I showed that with the way I drove in that last race," said Kelly."We know we can't just sail into the sunset and it won't be easy."He will be very difficult to beat down there. He was strong there last year but our car is very good this year."It is going to be a fair dinkum battle."Lowndes said a series win this year would be the best of his career and finally put the seal on his famous move to Ford in 2001 when he left Holden for a $1 million per season deal.Already this year Lowndes has delivered Ford a Bathurst win, their first in eight years, and another series crown would fit comfortably in his trophy cabinet."I think to win would be pretty memorable and one of the better (titles) I have won," he said."The whole reason I moved to Ford is to do what I hope to do at Phillip Island and win the championship."It has taken longer than I have wanted. But we have won Bathurst for the first time for Ford and now I hope I can do the same for the championship."AAP

Holden will introduce its new VE Commodore at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide in March while Ford's BF Falcon will also make its debut the same weekend. Both models have passed rigorous testing over the past several months to be allowed to contest next year's V8 series - with Holden Racing Team supplying the Commodore and Triple Eight Racing the Falcon for recent aerodynamic testing at Woomera. All Ford teams next year must adopt the new BF Falcon, with the current BA model only allowed in the development series. Holden teams however will be permitted to run either their VE Commodore or current VZ model - but it is expected every team will have the new version built and ready to go for the season opener in four months. While the BF Falcon is considered a basic cosmetic change to the front end of the vehicle, with new front splitter, side skirts and greater rear wing adjustability, the VE Commodore is almost a complete redesign. Kelvin O'Reilly, the chairman of the Touring Car Entrants Group (TEGA), said the streamlined process of the testing had allowed for a new-look start to next year's 14-round series. "It was a very streamlined and efficient process," he said. "The two manufacturers and the teams were tremendous in preparing the cars, assisting the process and ensuring that final approval was seamless. "It's fantastic that because of this the championship will present a whole new look for the start of the 2007 season." Ford driver Jason Bright believes the Falcons will start 2007 at an advantage for only having superficial changes to deal with while Holden, like its road model which has been recalled twice, could have some early teething difficulties with the new Commodore. "It's always good to keep some stability," said Bright. "There's a lot of good things in what they've been able to update on the Commodore, whether those teams can make the most it's hard to say." Bright has been criticised for his decision to quit the flourishing Ford Performance Racing outfit next season to race in his own team Britek, one of the current series backmarkers. But Bright says the naysayers could be eating their own words very quickly next year. "We have got a lot of work to do," he admitted. "Up until now we've not really had the budget to do what we needed to do but now the budget for next year is twice as big as what it has been because we have been running two cars off less money for the last two years whereas now we've got more money and only one car to concentrate on. "That allows you to do a lot more things and I think the speed will come quicker than what people think." AAP

Kelly, who has a narrow 73-point series lead, arrived yesterday with only time to grab some sleep before today's practice session. The actual races are tomorrow and Saturday.Both his main rivals, Craig Lowndes and Mark Winterbottom — and indeed most of the field — had arrived days earlier to acclimatise.As Kelly tried to get some rest yesterday after an 18-hour flight via Singapore, rival drivers were trying to sneak some experience at the new $33million track in the middle of the Bahrain desert.Many walked the 3.6km circuit earlier this week, and offered a variety of opinions.One, experienced Ford driver Brad Jones, reckoned the course designed for F1 racing would favour the leading V8 Supercar teams.Holdens Jason Richards disagreed, suggesting the opportunity was ripe for a surprise or two in the Top 10.The rugged Paul Morris promised a better show than the F1 for the Bahrain fans experiencing V8s for the first time and predicted some of the drivers who hadn't featured much all year would relish the chance to get stuck in at the Bahrain circuit.

Holden young gun Kelly assumed the lead of the V8 title race at the Tasmanian round earlier this month and heading into the penultimate round in the Middle East, the 23-year-old said he won't be resting on his 73-point lead over Ford champion Lowndes.Kelly said the fact HSV Dealer teammate Garth Tander, and older brother Todd Kelly, had already done a few laps around the Bahrain International Circuit as part of the Formula One grand prix earlier this year would put the Commodores at an advantage."One of the strong points of our team is how we get together and nut out a track," Kelly said."We have been doing our homework and Garth has given us some idea of what to expect."I reckon it will probably take the other drivers about two laps to get back on par with Garth and myself. That's how long it normally takes to dial in to a new track."The only real advantage that Garth and I might have is that we can word up our engineers on how to set the car up for the first session."Even though Kelly has yet to win a V8 round this season he said he won't risk the best shot of his short career at claiming the coveted series trophy in the selfish pursuit of a round win."We've just got to do what we've done all year - be consistent and make sure we don't do anything silly," he said."There are still 660-odd points up for grabs so it's a long way from the end."The championship remains our priority. Our second priority is to win the Manufacturer's Championship with the other Holden teams, and then the Teams' Championship for the Toll HSV Dealer Team."I'd like to think we can not just keep our championship lead, but extend it."Holdens dominated last year's first big offshore venture of the V8s, running in the top four places in Shanghai.But Tander, winner of the most recent round in Tasmania, said the Middle East is nothing like the Asian circuit although he still expects Commodore's to get the places sorted ahead of Ford."Bahrain should suit our cars better as it is more like a traditional circuit in several corners," he said.The Bahrain Desert 400 will have a practice session on Thursday.Qualifying, top 10 shootout and a 100km first race take place on Friday with two 140km races on Saturday.AAP

According to research and statistics, it seems they are making pretty sensible buying decisions.In a national survey of young drivers, 93 per cent rated value for money as an important factor when buying a car, followed by safety and security (85 per cent).More than half (52 per cent) of the 1053 drivers aged 18-25 years polled in the Just Car Insurance survey rated environmental friendliness as a key factor.Items such as brand, colour and how the vehicle looks to others rated lower on the scale.It comes as no surprise that the most popular car for young drivers is the Holden Commodore.Except for a couple of months this year and last year during high petrol prices, the Commodore has also been the biggest-selling car over the past 10 years.That very fact means there are a lot out there and that reduces second-hand prices, making them more affordable and attractive to first-car buyers.Commodores make up about 8 per cent of the 32,000 vehicles registered for road service under the RACQ's free2go youth membership program.Second favourite is also no surprise. The Toyota Corolla, which was the car that pipped the Commodore for sales and is consistently the second-highest seller, accounts for 6.25 per cent for free2go members.Next were the Ford Laser at 5 per cent and Hyundai Excel at 4.75 per cent.The financial realities of first car ownership is reflected in the average ages of those vehicles: an average 12.1 years old for the Commodore, 14.8 years for the Corolla, 15.7 for the Laser and 9.2 for the Excel.The average age of the top 40 models driven by free2go members is 12.4 years, with the Toyota Corona — number 20 on the list — soldiering on at an average 21.4 years.The free2go program offers free RACQ membership for three years to all Queensland residents from the age of 17 or school year 12.Roadside assistance on any vehicle being driven by a free2go member is included in the first year. In the second and third years, members can opt to nominate a vehicle for road service at half the full RACQ membership fee; or simply maintain access to all other standard RACQ services at no charge.While sensible factors are top-rating among young people in the Just Car Insurance survey, car image still plays a major role with 27 per cent believing you can tell what somebody is like by the car they drive.The poll also found 30 per cent saying they are more likely to take notice of somebody who has an expensive car.However, 38 per cent claim the look of the car doesn't matter — it only needs to get them from A to B.Sex appeal is also important with 18 per cent more attracted to someone who drives a nice car and 40 per cent claiming a nice car helps attract the opposite sex.Some of the results differed between the sexes and overall the guys were more interested in vehicle style and the impression it gives: 57 per cent rated how it looks to others as important versus 40 per cent young women; 91 per cent of women were more interested in safety and security compared with 79 per cent of men.Contrary to the perception that youth drive modified vehicles, 72 per cent drive standard vehicles without modifications.Almost two-thirds (62 per cent) believe young drivers are unfairly criticised for their driving.