Holden Cruze News

The Australian-built Holden Cruze sedan and hatch range has received a refresh for 2015 and promises better value than ever before. Along with additional equipment, the updated Cruze features a redesigned front bumper with LED daytime running lights on certain models and a more modern grille that’s reminiscent of recent Chevrolet concept cars and the VF Commodore. The Cruze Equipe gains new 17-inch alloy wheels and side mirrors with integrated turn signals on top of already standard features like MyLink infotainment system with seven-inch touchscreen, rear parking sensors and Bluetooth phone and audio. The 2015 updates add LED daytime running lights and fog lamps to the Cruze SRi in addition to the Equipe’s standard features, while the range-topping SRi-V packs 18-inch alloys, rain-sensing wipers and suede seat inserts. The remote start functionality first seen on the VF Commodore is also now being introduced on the Cruze SRi-V. Satnav with live traffic updates and voice activation is also now standard on the Cruze CDX wagon, in addition to the keyless entry, push button start and rear view camera already offered. Drivetrain options in the Cruze include two petrol and one diesel engine, depending on the trim level, while transmission options include a six-speed auto, six-speed manual and five-speed manual with availability being model dependent.  All SRi badged models are powered by a 132kW/230Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine which is mated to either a six-speed auto or manual gearbox.  The Equipe uses a 104kW/175Nm 1.8-litre naturally aspirated four-pot as standard with either a five-speed manual or six-speed auto transmission. The more powerful 1.6-litre turbo engine or 120kW.360Nm 2.0-litre turbodiesel unit can also be optioned should you require the extra punch, but both are only available in auto guise. Z Series models can only be had with the less powerful 1.8-litre engine with either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox.The CD and CDX Cruze Wagon variants are offered with either the 1.8-litre petrol or the turbodiesel four-cylinder with the six-speed auto being the only transmission choice. The new revised Holden Cruze is now on sale across Australia. 

There are plenty of deals on wheels in the race to the end of the year.The two best-selling cars in Australia -- the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 -- are in a neck-and-neck race to become Number One for the year.The Corolla leads the year-to-date tally and Toyota as a brand is trying to eclipse 200,000 sales for the 10th time -- as market leader for a record 12th year in a row.The reigning champion Corolla overtook the Mazda3 in the year-to-date tally in July by just 21 sales -- but the pair have swapped the monthly lead three times in the past four months.The Mazda3 landed the most recent punch, outselling the Corolla in November and closing the gap to top spot and now either brand could win for the year. In decades of Ford versus Holden rivalry the finish was never this close.Even if these two cars are not on your shopping list this is still good news because their discounting has dragged other brands into the battle, giving buyers more bargaining power than usual.December and January customarily make for sharp buying because dealers are trying to clear 2014-built stock.But the tight battle at the top of the charts has increased the pressure in the biggest segment of the market. Here are the best deals we found this week, in order of each car’s popularity on the 2014 sales charts.Toyota CorollaThe discounts are hard to find online but they’re available at the dealer if you go in with a reasonable target price rather than a made-up one.Toyota is trying to walk customers up to the Ascent Sport ($23,990 drive-away for manual and $25,990 drive-away for auto) but the best deal is still on the most affordable model.Aim for $21,990 drive-away for the Corolla Ascent hatch or $22,740 drive-away for the sedan. Both come with seven airbags but the sedan gets a standard rear-view camera and parking sensors.Mazda3Mazda is being discreet with its discounting and dealers will try to upsell you to the dearer models. Once again, the cheapest models are the best buying. The website says "free on-roads", which effectively means you can take the RRP and turn that into a drive-away price. Aim for $19,990 drive-away for a manual and $21,990 drive-away for an automatic.Hyundai i30The Hyundai i30 hatch comes with a $1000 EFTPOS card, but you can turn that into a $1000 discount. Aim for $19,990 drive-away for a manual or $22,540 drive-away for an auto -- if you don’t take the spending card. There’s also a finance offer: no deposit or repayments until 2016, but be sure to check the interest rate.Holden CruzeThe Australian-made Holden Cruze is struggling, sales are down, and it is on track to go out of production at least one year before the Commodore (when Holden will import the new generation Cruze). Which is why Holden has an epic deal: $19,990 drive-away with automatic transmission plus a five-year warranty. The only catch: metallic paint is $550, the dearest of the mainstream brands.Vokswagen GolfThe German brand wants to overtake Toyota for global sales leadership by 2018 and is dropping Golf prices the world over. At $22,990 drive-away for the manual and $24,990 drive-away for the automatic it is about $4000 off the full RRP. But the best buying is the Jetta sedan (an updated model is due early next year). The price is an unbelievable $19,990 drive-away for a manual and $22,990 drive-away for an auto, about $7000 off the full RRP.Ford FocusThe Ford Focus Ambiente sedan and hatch have been trimmed to a super-sharp $18,490 drive-away for a manual or just $19,990 drive-away for an auto -- once you take up the $1000 discount or “cash back” offer funded by Ford.Nissan PulsarThe Nissan Pulsar is the sharpest buying in the small car class: $18,476 drive-away for a manual or just $19,476 drive-away for an automatic if you ask politely. There is just one catch: Nissan wasn’t very good at clearing stock this time last year, so these deals are on 2013-built cars.Even though they’ve been sitting around for at least a year, the dealer will prep them so they’re as good as new and the three three-year warranty starts the day you take delivery. But it’ll be marked down slightly at resale time because you’re trading in a 2013 model, not a 2014.Mitsubishi LancerGiven that the Lancer is one of the oldest cars in the class (it has been with us in this guise for seven years) its discounting could be a little sharper than this: $18,990 drive-away for a manual and $21,490 drive-away for an auto -- once a $1000 cash back is taken into account.Hyundai ElantraRecently given a freshen up the Elantra can be had for the same money as the Hyundai i30 hatch: aim for $19,990 drive-away for a manual or $22,540 drive-away for an auto if you don’t take the $1000 spending card. Not the sharpest deal around but not the worst.Kia CeratoLast but certainly not least, the Kia Cerato is among the sharpest deals out there, especially when you consider the market-leading seven year warranty: $19,990 drive-away for a manual or an automatic (yes, same price for both), about $4000 off.

The industry does not know what to make of Gerry Dorizas' sudden departure but time will reveal all.Time will tell us why Gerry Dorizas left the top job at Holden suddenly.In the meantime the dealers that have carried the brand with outdated cars will need to do even more heavy lifting.Mr Dorizas had barely been in the top job at Holden for more than a month when he boldly declared that the once proud brand would return to Number One and topple Toyota by 2020.It was a big call because Holden sales had just hit a 20-year low, and it hadn’t been at the top of the charts for 11 years.Behind the scenes, Mr Dorizas began blaming dealers for the company’s woes.In one of his so-called motivational speeches to the dealer network, he told them to sell more cars. If only it were that simple.The dealers quickly got off-side, but they continued to slave away selling a model line-up that has been left largely unchanged over the past few years.Sure, Holden sales are up 1.3 per cent year-to-date in a market that is down 2 per cent. But most of that growth has been disguised by the Commodore’s bounce back from the previous year’s record low.Holden has a handful of ‘new’ cars coming next year; but they’re simply rebadged versions of selected Opel models that were withdrawn from sale last year after just 11 months. Another monumental General Motors misstep.Holden won’t have any all-new-from-the-ground-up cars until early 2016. That’s when the new Captiva is due to arrive, ahead of the imported version of the second-generation Cruze sedan.In the meantime, Holden dealers will be pushing out the same metal it has been trying to move for the past few years — against competition with newer models and a more diverse range.Holden dealers don’t deserve the blame for the company’s current predicament. They deserve a medal, because without their tireless efforts with an ageing product range Holden would be in much worse shape than it is today.

The end of Australian car manufacturing in 2017 after almost 100 years has some sections of the community – and the government – concerned prices will rise once we become entirely dependent on imported vehicles.But in fact a perfect storm is likely to see Australian car buyers spoiled for choice – and strong competition will continue to keep prices affordable.That's the analysis from the Paris motor show this week, the biggest European car show of the year. Customarily, the weird on wheel takes centre stage at Paris. But this year the talk was all about the market slowdowns in Europe and parts of the Asia-Pacific.Even though the car industry shut dozens of factories in Europe and North America in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis – to cut over-capacity – production levels have crept up and, once again, too many cars are being made for too few buyers.In the past month several big brands have announced temporary factory shutdowns, known as "down days", to try to match factory output with falling customer demand. However, problems abroad mean that Australia will continue to become the car industry's pressure valve, absorbing excess production – as long as our currency remains strong and exchange rates remain favourable.The other important factor in our favour: once Ford, Holden and Toyota no longer have to protect their locally-made cars, they will go all-out and get the best possible imported cars to make up for lost sales.Ford has been the most public and the most aggressive about its plans so far. Ford will have completely overhauled its showroom line-up by the time its Broadmeadows car factory and Geelong engine and stamping plants are closed in October 2016. And it's starting by introducing the iconic Mustang in Australia this time next year.Ford was the only one of the US car makers not to take its foot off the accelerator during the Global Financial Crisis. It was cashed up because it sold its foreign luxury-car brands and borrowed enough money to invest in a completely new global line-up just before the world's finance system collapsed.Given that it takes about five years to take a car from a sketch pad idea to a showroom, Ford is about to reap the benefits while the others play catch-up.Ford will have at least five SUVs in its showrooms by 2017, including the pint-sized EcoSport (designed for the city), the Edge (for young singles), the Kuga (for young families), the Explorer (the seven-seat replacement for the locally-made Ford Territory) and the Everest (a seven-seater for the outdoorsy types who really get off the beaten track).While Ford has some other surprises planned, insiders say the next generation Mondeo will replace the Falcon. Ford also believes it needs to attract a new generation of buyers if it is to remain successful."We have a very established customer base that is largely (centred) around established Australian families, but there is a dynamic element of new blood in Australia," Ford Australia spokesman Wes Sherwood told industry journal motoring.com.au this week. "But we've got to find ways to attract this newer, first-generation Australian (customer) who don't have a connection with the brand here."As with Holden, Ford also wants to make a dent on Toyota's 11-year sales dominance, "You're going to hear a lot more about us ... taking on Toyota or Mazda, because that's where customers' mindsets are. We've got to get on that shopping list," said Mr Sherwood.Holden, meanwhile, is about to transform its business and begin sourcing cars from all corners of the General Motors world. The company this week announced that at least one third of all new Holdens will come from its Opel affiliate in Germany, while the rest will come from Thailand, South Korea and North America.For now, Holden is still playing catch-up after its head office, General Motors, hit the brakes during the Global Financial Crisis and stopped or delayed key models. Much of the Holden line-up is long overdue for replacement and all-new vehicles are still a little while away. In the meantime, Holden has sharpened prices on existing stock and dealers are pushing hard to move metal.But come 2017, Holden will be a very different company to what it is today. As emotional as the Holden brand is, the end of manufacturing has given the company a chance to wipe the slate clean and cherry-pick the best models from the GM world, now there's no local factory to protect.The president of General Motors, Dan Ammann, admitted at this week's Paris motor show that Holden had lost focus on growing segments of the new-car market because it had spent the past decade trying to protect the Commodore as customer demand faded."If you looked over the last few years with the benefit of hindsight, having the strength that we've had in Commodore has probably taken the focus off some of the other areas where we could have been stronger and had more product in the market," said Mr Ammann.But General Motors had emerged from the Global Financial Crisis in 2009 with a new way of thinking and was planning to build more cars for right-hand-drive markets, he said.Left-hand-drive cars such as those sold in China, North America and Europe are left-hand-drive and account for 75 per cent of all cars sold globally. Customarily, right-hand-drive cars cost more to build on a per unit basis because they only account for 25 per cent of cars sold globally.But Mr Ammann said General Motors has started to integrate changes for right-hand-drive cars at the very beginning of the planning stages, to increase the number of right-hand-drive cars in its portfolio. It means Holden showrooms could stock the iconic Camaro muscle car and full-size pick-ups from the US within five years – in addition to cars from Europe, Korea and Thailand."We have all sorts of great cars around the world that we can bring in," said Mr Ammann. "We are totally committed to Holden." "As a company we haven't done a very good job about being systematic about right-hand-drive cars. We will be much more expansive in our thinking on that going forward." Mr Ammann said the changes "won't happen overnight" but "as we get into the next generation of these (vehicles) there will be more good things to come".Mr Ammann, originally from New Zealand, said Holden now had friends in high places in Detroit who would unlock the doors to a host of US and European cars that have previously been off limits to Holden.Former Holden boss Mark Reuss (2008 to 2009) is now in charge of global vehicle development, and his successor at Holden, Alan Batey (2009 to 2010), is now the executive vice president of General Motors in North America."A lot of the senior leadership in (General Motors) have an association and a strong affiliation with Holden," said Mr Ammann. "There is a disproportionate amount of emotional attachment to Holden. Watch this space. We have more to come."The next generation Commodore will be sourced from Opel in Germany. Holden has not confirmed this, but well placed sources say Holden executives have already driven early prototypes of the car. It is, essentially, the new generation Opel Insignia (also sold elsewhere in the General Motors world – China and North America – as a Buick).There is much debate about whether or not the car will be called a "Commodore". Holden apparently wants to keep the nameplate but diehard fans say it doesn't deserve the Commodore badge. The new model will be a front-wheel-drive car with four-cylinder or six-cylinder power. There will be a sedan and wagon, but no ute and no V8.Holden will also boost its SUV range with a new Captiva seven seater and an as-yet unnamed model to replace the Captiva 5 compact SUV.Meanwhile Holden will have a two-model strategy for small cars: the all-new Cruze sedan and wagon, and the European-sourced Astra hatch. The Holden Astra will return to local showrooms next year, starting with the performance variants and the Astra-based Cascada convertible.But selected models from the regular Astra range are due to follow in late 2015 or early 2016 as Holden winds down production of the locally-made Cruze small car. Holden is currently studying a business case to import the Opel Corsa (the same size as the baby Barina) but it may be difficult to price at the bargain basement end of the market given it will come from Europe rather than low-cost South Korea.Toyota is also well placed to respond with a wider range of models but, to be frank, Toyota has more to lose than gain because it already has the biggest range. Nevertheless, it won't stop Toyota from trying to fill every possible niche, such as the city-sized SUV concept unveiled at this week's Paris motor show.Meanwhile, although the Camry will be imported rather than made locally by 2018, Toyota will still actively chase fleet business. Toyota's biggest threat, however, is the Japanese currency. The Japanese government currently deliberately undervalues the Japanese Yen to boost exports. If that changes, so does Japan's advantage. And brands from other countries will be there to swoop.With 64 car brands on sale, Australia is the most competitive market in the world, given we only buy about 1.1 million new cars each year. The US has about 50 brands selling to about 15.6 million buyers annually. The passing of the Australian car manufacturing industry will be a truly sad day. Once it's gone, it'll be gone forever.But the fact remains that strong competition, a strong currency, weak overseas demand – and a lack of local factories to protect – will continue to put new-car buyers in the driver's seat. Literally.

It's rare for car prices to go up these days but Holden has broken ranks. Price rises are more than rare are in Australia today. Or should that be less? In any case, we have all become much more familiar with price cuts than price rises as 67 brands battle to shift cars and make money down under.The sales slowdown over recent months means there has been far more dollar dealing, from special prices to run-outs on cars that still have many months to live, with no sign of widespread pressure to lift the bottom line.There is an occasional upward change but it's generally just a slight shift to coincide with a new-model introduction.So, when Holden makes an across-the-board move to raise prices - although the slow selling Volt escaped - it makes news.To provide some perspective, the last Hyundai increase in showroom stickers was $2000 on April 1 for the i30 Tourer, a move that came because the baby wagon is made in the Czech Republic. And it only applied to a single model."The increase was, unfortunately, a necessary one," says Hyundai spokesman, Bill Thomas."Generally, price planning is very much a long-term game, so we don't usually react to exchange rate fluctuations."If we did, we'd be altering prices every day."So, how does Holden justify its increases? "Pricing is made up of a range of factors," Holden spokesman George Svigos says."It's not on everything but it's not specific to imports or locally-made models. Commodore has gone up." Svigos says he is limited in what he can say because Holden cannot be seen to be trying to influence or manipulate the car market.That's unlikely with an upward push, which is in total contrast to its recent boost to warranty and servicing costs. "Holden is not trying to push the industry. It's more an accurate reflection of its recommended retail pricing," Svigos says."There is always competition and always someone doing a deal." So, does that mean Holden is just doing some paperwork, perhaps as part of a global change at General Motors, without expecting any genuine change to its transaction prices in Australia?"We continue to offer great value across our whole range. It's not like we're an expensive product. We're not Hyundai, but we're not Mazda or one of the premium brands," says Svigos."On pricing, there are a range of things to look at, from RRP to drive-away prices, special offers, factory bonuses, cashbacks..."CHOICES HOLDEN CAPRICE: 4/5 PRICE: From $54,990ENGINE: 3.6-litre V6 LPG, 180kW/320Nm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed auto, RWD THIRST: 12.1L/100km THE LOWDOWN: Standard LPG engine, 6.0-litre V8 as an option: says everything about the people who are buying the Caprice. It's mostly chauffeur drivers, or people who worry about the price of petrol, but who want all the luxury you can get in an Australian-built car. The Caprice is great and will be sadly missed.HOLDEN BARINA SPARK: 3.5/5 PRICE: From $12,890ENGINE: 1.2-litre 4-cyl, 59kW/107Nm TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive THIRST: 5.2L/100km THE LOWDOWN: The cheapest Holden is cheap to buy, service and run. Cabin quality is not the best, the engine is not the best and the four-speed auto is not the best - but it's still a car worth considering if you're on a tight budget.HOLDEN CRUZE: 3.5 PRICE: From $19,890ENGINE: 1.8-litre 4-cyl, 104kW/175NmTRANSMISSION: 5-speed man/6-speed auto, FWD THIRST: 7.0L/100km THE LOWDOWN: The Cruze got off to a slow start in Australia but later changes at the factory in Adelaide and in the car itself have made it a better drive and better to own. It's still not a serious threat to the Mazda3 or Volkswagen Golf, but it's solid and sensible.SECOND-HAND HOLDEN COMMODORE: The first Commodore in 1978 was a winner, the latest one is the best Australian car of all time.Somewhere in the mix there is sure to be a pre-owned Commodore that ticks the boxes for most people.The big Aussie six might be thirsty, unless you go for LPG, but the rest of the package combines lots of space with affordable prices. A sporty Commodore, from the SV6 right through to an HSV hero, is also a top drive and incredible value against anything from Europe with similar grip and go.

Just 21 cars separate Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 in the 2014 new-car sales race.New-car bargains are set to continue as sales slowed for the sixth month in a row and dealers remain overstocked.Affordability may be at a 38-year-high and prices already at 20-year lows, but new-car deliveries are down by 2.1 per cent in the first seven months of this year (to 649,818 deliveries) compared to the same period last year.Figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show new-car sales dipped by 0.4 per cent in July compared with the same month last year, with 89,867 vehicles finding new homes.Experts say the downturn could be a "hangover" from last year’s all-time record, with 1,136,227 vehicles reported as sold.Industry insiders believe the official data has been distorted because a number of big brands declared cars as sold last year even though they hadn’t actually been delivered to customers.At least one company, Nissan, has admitted it is delivering more new cars this year than what it is reporting to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, so that it can balance its books. Mitsubishi and Honda are believed to be doing the same."If you look at (the official sales figures) it may look like we’re falling behind, but the truth is we’re clearing stuff that was already counted," Nissan Australia boss Richard Emery told industry journal GoAuto."So the (official sales figures) you’ve been seeing from us is understated compared to what we’ve actually been putting across the (kerb)." One source who asked to remain anonymous told News Corp Australia: "The industry has digested most of the cars declared as sold last year, even though they were still in dealer stock, so you will start to see the reported sales numbers pick up later in the year."With the Australian dollar likely to strengthen later in the year, according to economists, and with interest rates remaining at record lows, sharp deals are expected to continue across most makes and models.At the top of the sales charts the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 are in a tighter battle than the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore ever were.The last time the Ford Falcon outsold Holden Commodore in a month, in September 2003, it was by just 48 sales (7409 versus 7361).The Toyota Corolla -- last year’s top seller -- has taken the lead in the new-car sales race for the first time in 2014, just 21 cars ahead of the arch rival Mazda3.The Mazda3 was Australia’s favourite car for two of the past three years and ended the Holden Commodore’s 15-year winning streak in 2011.Official sales figures for July show the Corolla was the top selling car for the fifth month in a row, but it is the first time it has topped the year-to-date tally after the Mazda3 posted an unusually high number of "demonstrator" deliveries at the start of the year.However, only four of the Top 10 brands posted sales gains, and Holden’s 10th month in a row of sales surges came to an end, posting an 11 per cent drop in July compared with the same month last year.The Holden Commodore has also posted its first monthly sales decline for the first time since the new model went on sale a year ago. But at least there was a silver lining for Holden: it had three cars in the Top 10.As a sign of the changing times, in the luxury segment Mercedes-Benz’s AMG division has outsold Holden Special Vehicles so far this year; figures show HSV sold 1056 cars to June (with the supercharged HSV GTS accounting for almost half of the brand’s sales) compared with 1208 AMG Mercedes-Benz cars.Top 10 cars in July 2014Toyota Corolla 3800 -- down 3.7 per centMazda3 3421 -- down 1.2 per centToyota HiLux 3140 -- up 5.6 per centHolden Commodore 2469 -- down 12.7 per centHyundai i30 2434 -- up 6.3 per centFord Ranger 2023 -- up 13.5 per centMazda CX-5 1895 -- up 15.7 per centToyota Camry 1806 -- down 12.4 per centHolden Cruze 1747 -- down 29.2 per centHolden Colorado 1443 -- down 14.8 per centTop 10 brands in July 2014Toyota 16,486 down 5.4 per centHolden 8990 down 11.3 per centHyundai 8351 up 4.3 per centMazda 8048 down 5.6 per centFord 6210 down 7.8 per centNissan 5451 up 7.5 per centMitsubishi 5042 down 10.4 per centVolkswagen 3991 up 0.6 per centSubaru 3121 up 0.6 per centHonda 2708 down 1.4 per centSource: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, percentage change compared with the same month last year.

Holden issues 11th recall so far this year, more than any other brand.Holden has issued its eleventh safety recall notice this year -- more than any other brand or any other time in Holden's history.Toyota has the second-highest number of recalls with six bulletins issued so far this year, while among the other Top Five brands Mazda and Hyundai have issued two each and Ford has issued one.The latest Holden bulletin is an expansion of a recall issued in January for the Barina Spark, at $13,990 drive-away the cheapest car in its range.In January, Holden recalled 102 Barina Sparks because the transmission mount "may develop a fracture" which could cause the manual gearbox to be unsupported and "lead to a loss of control of the vehicle".The latest recall has added 385 Holden Barina Sparks to the number of cars affected, bringing the total to 487 vehicles.Holden said it is a precautionary measure and there have been no reports of failures in Australia, "however we will always err on the side of caution … to ensure customer satisfaction and safety".It is the second recall for a separate issue for the Holden Barina Spark; last month it was recalled because the steering knuckle bolts may not have been tightened correctly and the steering could fail.Meanwhile, the Holden Commodore has been recalled five times in three months, the Holden Cruze has been recalled twice (one of which was the third recall for the same fault initially reported last year), and the regular Holden Barina model has been recalled once.The recalls.gov.au website has issued 11 Holden safety bulletins this year but, in a move likely to confuse consumers, it has removed the first one issued for the Barina Spark in January and replaced it with the latest one issued in August for the same fault.The Commodore and Cruze are made at Holden's factory in Elizabeth on the outskirts of Adelaide, but the Barina models are made in South Korea, where Holden is likely to source more cars from once it closes its Australian factories in 2017.Holden already sources most of the vehicles in its line-up from South Korea or Thailand but the company says in the future it will source vehicles from several divisions across the General Motors world.The next Commodore is likely to be sourced from Opel in Germany, say insiders, and Holden executives have already driven early prototype versions of the 2018 model.It means the Commodore will have come full circle; the first Commodore introduced in 1978 was an Australian-ised version of the large Opel sedan at the time.However, Holden is yet to confirm the new front-wheel-drive car will be called a Commodore.When asked why Holden had issued so many recalls, spokeswoman Kate Lonsdale said: "This is consistent with the approach being taken across (General Motors)."In North America, General Motors has come under fire for being slow to respond to a recall of defective ignition switches that have so far been linked to at least 19 deaths -- even though the company knew about the fault for 10 years.It has prompted US Senators to propose "life in prison" for car executives who try to hide recalls, and has led to a class action lawsuit against General Motors by at least 650 owners of the affected cars.Meanwhile, the Holden Commodore has narrowly avoided what could become Australia's biggest ever recall.The Chevrolet Camaro -- which shares its underbody and core components with the Holden Commodore -- has also been recalled because of a faulty ignition switch but Holden says the Commodore does not have the same defect even though it uses the exact same part.Holden Barina Spark recall

Holden Commodore resurgence means the factory won't close early. Holden says there are no plans to shut its factory earlier than 2017 even though sales of the Cruze small car have fallen sharply this year and hit a new low last month. The Holden Cruze, which is built alongside the Commodore in Elizabeth, has struggled against imported cars buoyed by the strong Australian dollar and Japanese brands boosted by an artificially devalued Yen. The tally of 1346 deliveries is the lowest since production of the Cruze switched from South Korea to South Australia four years ago. A statement from Holden said: "Over time, Cruze has been a very strong seller both for Holden and GM globally. Holden has just released (special edition) models and there have been no changes to our manufacturing plans." The locally-made Cruze is expected to be phased out about a year before the Commodore because it is due for a model change-over.  However, Holden is yet to decide if it will extend the life of the locally-made Cruze to boost efficiency at the Elizabeth car factory, or replace it with an imported model and manufacture only the Commodore through to the end of 2017.   In the meantime, the Commodore has once again become the driving force behind Holden sales.  The company has been propped up by a resurgence of the Commodore -- sales are up 60 per cent after last year's record lows -- and a boost in Holden's imported vehicle line-up.  Holden was one of only three brands in the Top 10 to post a sales surge in May as the rest of the new-car market recorded its fifth month in a row of decline. The Commodore, which until three years ago was Australia's top selling car for a record 15 years in a row, managed to maintain fourth spot behind the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 small cars and the Toyota HiLux ute. The Commodore was the best-seller of the locally-made cars (2648), with sales of the Melbourne-made Toyota Camry down by 21 per cent (to 1522 deliveries) and the Ford Falcon flat-lining with just 700 deliveries (the same as last year), putting it well outside the Top 20. Despite the Commodore's recovery, General Motors will not reverse the decision to end local production because it is not selling enough to keep the Holden factory running efficiently. Although the Commodore's fourth placed result is commendable given the buyer preference for small cars and SUVs, it is still only selling at only a quarter of its ideal production rate. The rest of Holden's sales surge in May relied on imported models, as the company prepares for a future without locally-made vehicles. Last month was a record May for Holden Colorado ute sales and the best ever result for Holden Trax compact SUV. Despite record low interest rates, sales of new cars were down again in May, after a hitting a two-year low in April and starting 2014 behind last year's sales rate. Official figures released Wednesday show 94,562 new vehicles were delivered in May, a decline of 2.3 per cent compared with the same month last year. Top 10 brands in May 2014Toyota: 17,246 -- down 9.2 per centHolden: 9012 -- up 8.7 per centHyundai: 8403 -- up 4.7 per centMazda: 7751 -- down 4.7 per centFord: 6950 -- down 4.0 per centNissan: 6281 -- up 6.0 per centMitsubishi: 5780 -- down 17.6 per centVolkswagen: 4918 -- down 11.0 per centSubaru: 3202 -- down 8.6 per centHonda: 2539 -- down 30.0 per cent Top 10 cars in May 2014Toyota Corolla: 3871 -- up 6.3 per centToyota HiLux: 3313 -- down 9.5 per centMazda3: 3291 -- up 7.8 per centHolden Commodore: 2648 -- up 60.8 per centHyundai i30: 2553 -- up 1.6 per centFord Ranger: 2317 -- up 35 per centVolkswagen Golf: 2301 -- up 46.1 per centMitsubishi Triton: 2254 -- down 13.5 per centMazda CX-5: 1715 -- down 3.5 per centHolden Colorado: 1689 -- up 22.5 per centNissan Navara: 1541 up 2.5 per cent 2014: The year so farJanuary: down 3.7 per centFebruary: down 3.8 per centMarch: down 0.1 per centApril: down 5.2 per centMay: down 2.3 per cent Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, all percentages compared to the same month the previous year.

Australia is still a nation of gas-guzzlers even though new data shows tailpipe emissions have fallen to their lowest since records were first calculated 10 years ago. Small-car specialist Suzuki topped the latest car emissions study while Jeep ranked last among the Top 15 brands.Figures released by the National Transport Commission show the average emissions for all new cars sold last year fell to 192 grams per kilometre compared to 252g/km in 2002.But our cars are still pumping out 45 per cent more carbon-dioxide compared to those in Europe (132g/km) and we’re not far behind the gas-guzzling capital of the world: North America (231g/km).Although small cars and SUVs have overtaken the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon as our family favourites, Australians have been relatively slow to adopt more efficient vehicles because we are the fourth cheapest developed country in the world for petrol and the sixth cheapest for diesel.“There’s no doubt that one of the biggest factors that drives the European result is their substantially higher fuel taxation,” said the executive director of the Australian Automobile Association, Andrew McKellar.For example, the petrol price average in the UK last year was 217.3 cents per litre compared to 146.6 cents per litre in Australia. Fuel excise in Australia is also among the cheapest in the world: 38.1 cents per litre versus the UK’s 59.3 cents per litre.“Australian car buyers still tend to favour size, power and performance over fuel economy,” said Mr McKellar. However, the study should not be a “black mark” for motorists because Australians are more reliant on the motor vehicle.“In Europe, when you want to travel between cities it’s not uncommon to catch a high-speed train,” said Mr McKellar. “Australia obviously doesn’t have that network so we depend more on cars, and ones that can be driven comfortably over long distances.”The NTC figures also reveal private buyers are doing more to save the planet than are government and businesses. The average emissions of vehicles bought by private buyers last year was 186g/km compared to 198g/km for businesses and 210g/km for government fleets.This is partly because government purchasing policies have favoured Australian-made vehicles, which aren’t as efficient as equivalently-sized imported cars.Toyota has the most efficient locally-made cars, with the Camry and Aurion sedans producing an average of 179g/km, ahead of the Ford Falcon sedan and Territory SUV (213g/km).Despite manufacturing the Cruze small car alongside the Commodore, Holden’s emissions were the highest of the local makers (237g/km), according to the report.Indeed, none of Australia’s three manufacturers figured in the Top 10 list of the most efficient car brands.Top honours went to small car specialist Suzuki, whose average fleet emissions was 158g/km, ahead of BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai.Toyota, Ford and Holden ranked in the bottom of the Top 15 brands, with Jeep ranked highest among the group (226g/km).Toyota may have the largest hybrid model range but it was penalised by its high proportion of commercial vehicles and SUVs.Meanwhile the locally-made Ford and Holden six-cylinder cars outweighed the improvements in with their imported four-cylinder cars.The study covered only the Top 15 brands as they represented 92 per cent of vehicles sold in Australia in 2013.Meanwhile, Australia’s regulations for carbon dioxide vehicle emissions lag European standards by more than six years.The latest “Euro 5” rules, as they are known, aren’t due to be enforced in Australia until November 2016; they were introduced in Europe in September 2010.Europe is targeting even stricter standards by 2015 (to an average emissions rating of 130 g/km) before limboing to just 95 g/km in 2020.The European target for light commercial vehicles such as utes and vans are 175 g/km in 2017 and 147 g/km in 2020.The Top 15 most efficient car brands in AustraliaSuzuki 158 g/kmBMW 158 g/kmVolkswagen 162 g/kmMercedes 165 g/kmHyundai 175 g/kmHonda 176 g/kmSubaru 181 g/kmMazda 184 g/kmKia 184 g/kmMitsubishi 191 g/kmNational average 192 g/kmToyota 203 g/kmFord 205 g/kmNissan 209 g/kmHolden 212 g/kmJeep 226 g/kmAverage CO2 emissions by brand in 2013.Source: National Transport CommissionThis reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling

Holden has added showroom sparkle to its Cruze small car lineup, with new Z-Series models to replace the existing CDX and Sri-V sedan and hatch variants.With extra features applied to both versions, Holden is kicking off the new models with drive away pricing on manual variants until the end of May.  Priced at $22,990 drive away for the manual Z-Series sedan, and $27,990 drive away for the manual Sri Z-Series sedan or hatch, the introductory offer represents a $1000 and $1500 increase over their respective list prices.List pricing is otherwise identical to equivalent CDX and SRi-V models, and adds Z-series badging, floor mats and sill plates, and dark finished versions of the existing alloy wheel designs.The Z-Series sedan also adds a lip spoiler, and the SRi Z-Series gets alloy pedal covers and a spoiler added to the hatches. The Cruze Sportwagon will not be available in Z-Series guise, and continues in existing CD and CDX guises.Holden Cruze sales have dropped 22 per cent to date compared with 2013, so Holden will be hoping the Z-Series models will help combat fresh segment rivals like the new Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla sedan in the 2014 sales race.