Holden Statesman 2007 News

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 new three year, multimillion-dollar export program will deliver a left-hand-drive Chevrolet-badged version of the 307kW/550Nm, six-litre HSV ClubSport R8; to be known as the Chevrolet Special Vehicles CR8.The company has shipped 150 cars to the region and expects at least that many to be delivered in each of the following two years.They will sell for about $49,000; about $12,000 cheaper than in Australia.The Middle East has been Holden's biggest export market, having sold more than 200,000 vehicles in the region since 1998.The VE Commodore and WM Statesman/Caprice ranges are sold in the region as Chevrolet Lumina and as Caprice.GM Holden executive director sales and marketing Alan Batey said the expanding product range in the region illustrated the growing maturity of the Middle East market.“Holden has been able to partner its expertise in tailoring vehicles for the Middle East with the high-performance expertise of HSV to deliver a vehicle that will make a great driving experience,” he said.Holden's export sales for last year totalled 46,074, with more than 31,000 going to the Middle East; a record export year to the region for the company.New HSV managing director Scott Grant said the announcement added another HSV export market to the Vauxhall program in Britain.“HSV is already a well-known brand among car enthusiasts in the Middle East, many of whom are fans of the Aussie high-performance cars and our racing activities,” he said.“The initial response from dealers has been exceptional,” he said.The launch of the new export program is timed to coincide with the Desert 400 V8 Supercar round in Bahrain. 

It is fitting that GM-Holden's engineering guru, Tony Hyde, drives the car that best represents his work; a 2006 Holden Monaro CV8.Hyde and his department were responsible for the modern reincarnation of the venerable Monaro coupe, the modern version of which started as a concept car at the 1998 Australian International Motor Show.As GM-Holden's executive director, engineering, for the past seven years, Hyde has been responsible for some of Holden's most exciting products; Monaro among them.Now, after 39 years' service he will vacate his engineering role to retire at the end of the year.“It was an outstanding project and experience,” he says of the Monaro.Boasting an annual engineering budget of more than $300 million and counting 1250 people on the engineering staff, Hyde hopes he'll be remembered most for allowing his staff the freedom to push the boundaries.“From a management point or leadership point of view, I think I've tried to let the team push the boundaries and, to a certain extent, the Monaro was a bit of that,” he says.“I think that the people who have worked for me have hopefully enjoyed the amount of freedom I've given them."“From a project point of view, I'd say the work I've done on the original disc brakes for Holdens back in the mid-1970s ranks as a piece of work as an engineer that I remember fondly.”Hyde's brake work actually appeared on the Torana A9X concept car from the 1970s.With the new VE Commodore and WM Statesman and Caprice models now bedding in and the arrival of the just-launched VE Ute, Hyde says it's time to go.“I'm 60 in February and I just really think it's about time,” he says. “We're getting to the point of saddling up for the next all-new products and I'm certainly not going to be here for that so I think it's appropriate for new leadership for the team.”The quietly spoken Hyde started with Holden in July 1968; as a technical report writer in experimental engineering.His most favourite Holden is, perhaps not surprisingly, the latest VE Commodore and WM Statesman.“It's perhaps trite to say that but I would, on the basis it is 100 per cent Australian,” he says. “They are our technical tour de force."“However, the VM (Commodore) enabled us to break away from the copies of European vehicles and we were able to get back to the large cars we previously did.”Hyde has held several positions with the company within its engineering organisation, including three overseas postings.Early in his career he had a two-year scholarship to General Motors' Institute in Michigan in 1971; where he was subsequently awarded an overseas fellowship with GM.This was followed a few years later by a two-year assignment with Opel in Germany.After a brief interlude in 1984 in the role of manager, technical services, Hyde was promoted to chassis transmission and drivetrain engineer, which led to the role of manager, mechanical engineering in 1986.In recent years Hyde has expanded the breadth of his portfolio within Holden in other engineering and planning roles.In August 1997 he was promoted to the position of director, engineering and design, at GM Holden before taking on his current position as executive director, engineering, in 2000.One of his tasks has been to take Holden engineering to the GM world, by making Holden responsible for rear-drive platforms for GM.In 2002, he was also appointed to the Holden Special Vehicles board.Apart from his jet-black Monaro, Hyde also has a 1976 Chevrolet Corvette in his garage to tinker with in retirement.When he's not driving on the road, he'll be on the golf course trying to better his 3.5 handicap.Hyde will be replaced by Greg Tyus, who is currently general director, engineering and product planning, at GM Canada.Tyus will begin transitioning into his new position next month. 

The shipment of Commodores, rebadged as Chevrolet Omega, also marks the 10th year of Holden exports to Brazil.Brazil joins the US, Middle East, South Africa and New Zealand as markets for the VE Commodore and WM Statesman.China, where the previous long-wheelbase Statesman was sold as the Buick Royaum, is expected to be next on the list.Holden has actively positioned itself as a global manufacturer to help underpin the continuing viability of its local operations.Holden and Toyota are the only local carmakers with an active export program, though Ford has export plans for next-generation Focus, which will be built here from 2011. It expects to ship 15,000 cars a year overseas.Mitsubishi had hoped to enter an export program with Proton for its 380 sedan, but that deal fell through.From next year, cars built by Holden will be sold around the world by five brands.GM-Holden chairman and managing director Chris Gubbey says the company was able to get the investment needed for the VE program because of its export opportunities.Apart from Brazil, VEs rebadged as Pontiac G8s are soon to be sold in the US.Gubbey says VE and WM Statesman and Caprice were specifically developed with design hardware and suspensions that can be easily adapted for different markets.“VE and WM are generating a great response from our global GM partners, so much so that we expect to export 50 per cent of the vehicles we make by the end of next year,” he says.Brazil's media has already praised the Omega after a preview last month.GM Holden export manager Kristian Aquilina says the ethanol E24-capable Omega is sold as Chevrolet's flagship model in Brazil.“The Omega's position as the top model in Chevrolet's line-up confirms Holden's ability to produce a world-class product,” he says.Holden has exported more than 9000 vehicles there since 1998.The Holden export program started in 1954 with a small shipment of FJ Holdens to New Zealand. Last year 46,074 Holdens were shipped, taking the tally to more than 700,000. 

Chris Gubbey, pictured, executive vice-president of Shanghai General Motors, will take up the position in August.Outgoing GM Holden boss Denny Mooney said Gubbey had been involved in the export of WL long wheelbase Holdens to China.“Chris spent a fair amount of time down here . . . so he also has some good familiarity with our operation. I think he is going to be a big benefit to the operation here as we continue to rely more on exports and . . . integrated business worldwide,” he said.“I don't know that it's a renewed focus (on China), because I think the focus has always been there.”GM Holden has been exporting engines to China for some years and recently announced a V6 export program.“China is now the second-largest car market in the world and it's great to have a partnership and a business relationship, and I see where Chris can strengthen that and help us find opportunities.”Gubbey began his career with Ford in 1979, has worked for Toyota and Vauxhall, and has been in Shanghai since 2000.Mooney has been appointed GM vice-president of global vehicle systems and integration based at GM's headquarters in Detroit.The American executive has a background in engineering and will have global responsibility in body, chassis and electrical engineering for GM. Mooney said Australia would now “have a friend” in Detroit.He was appointed to GM Holden in 2004 and during his time here has overseen the launch of the new VE Commodore and WM long-wheelbase Caprice and Statesman and development of the new-generation ute.The billion-dollar program for the large rear-wheel-drive cars was the biggest in Australia's history.During his time, Holden dropped from first to second in sales behind Toyota. He also presided over the termination of the Monaro model and the withdrawal of Daewoo from Australia in 2004. Six months later he brought back Daewoo small cars rebadged as Holdens to capitalise on record fuel prices.

These iconic Australian-made cars will exit a rapidly-changing market, with consumers demanding higher-technology and smaller-displacement engines in the premium sector.The long-wheel base versions of the Falcon have suffered a sales decline over the past five years, while its main opposition - the Holden Statesman/Caprice range - has increased export sales to offset slowing local demand.The Melbourne-based car maker said the decision coincided with the arrival of the medium-sized Mondeo, returning to the Australian market after a six-year absence.Ford said there was a major decline in sales of vehicles in the upper large-car segment.Industry observers have pointed to Ford’s product planning as being partly to blame, suggesting that Ford may have diluted the original premium perception of the Fairlane and LTD by reducing the specification of the models to bring them into reach of a broader market.

Holden's new long wheelbase WM models got put to the pace this week, as I made my mark on the Adelaide roads, while enjoying the green, hilly scenery so different to my usual busy Sydney life. But firstly there was a quick visit by the Prime Minister, a browse at the human-like robots in the Elizabeth plant and before long the wind was blowing in my hair and the power roaring at my foot. The WM is made up of the Statesman and Caprice models, both available in a 195kW 3.6-litre, V6 and a 270kW 6.0-litre V8 engine. The new Caprice has a price drop from the previous WL model, with the V8 at $69,990 and the V6 at $65,990. The Statesman gets slightly dearer from its predecessors, with a $58,990 price point for the V6 and $62,990 for the V8. In looks, performance and comfort, the WM models gets two thumbs up. The car is surprisingly easy to manoeuvre, despite its large size and offers awesome interior space in the front and back. The brakes and the horn particularly got put the test when an Adelaide bus driver showed they also have crazy drivers, as he unexpectedly and with no indicator, decided he liked the lane I was driving in better, much to the fear of the Holden engineer I was driving with. But we came out the other end, unscathed and survived to tell the tale of the good handling ability of Holden's new luxury models. The launch of the new long wheelbase luxury sedans is the result of a $190 million investment, on top of the $1.03 billion VE program. Ashlee Pleffer is CARSguide staffer whose work appears in The Daily Telegraph on Friday. A version of this review, plus other news and analysis, will appear in The Daily Telegraph’s CARSguide on Friday.

The CARSguide test team is in the cars today and currently driving through the Adelaide hills to assess performance and ride. Stephen Corby will be the first motoring journalist to file his report here, with more in-depth reports to follow. For now, we have the following run down of what you can expect in the WM Statesman from Holden. Reports and specs will also follow on the WM Caprice. Check back for updates as they break.

It may not punch-on as hard as say, a GTS, but the WM Caprice looks pretty imposing and can still dominate the road. Like the Statesman, this model of Caprice is about performance, luxury and safety – the best package Holden can muster in all three areas. The Caprice might once have been an old-man's car - the kind of car you get once you retire the Clubsport - but the WM series has enough sense of bling to make it cool, plus some a 260kW V8 to back up any challenge. Of course, Caprice drivers are past still proving themselves on the streets. Full performance reviews of both the WM Statesman and Caprice are forthcoming.

Really, I ought to be ashamed of myself.An invite to drive the latest Holden Statesman and Caprice should have been something to look forward to, but I was about as excited as a man who's just been told a new double DVD pack featuring extended versions of Sleepless in Seattle and Steel Magnolias is in the living room, ready to watch.I blame my non-motoring colleague, who, when told where I was off to, made a sympathetic face and sighed "Ohh no, how boring, that's the sort of car my dad would buy. Or maybe my grandad."Of course I was partly at fault myself, because I really never expect too much from our local product.I imagined something slow, clunky and slightly cringeworthy - much like an Australian film.But the new WM Statesman - the first of the new VE tranche of Holdens I've been able to try - was more like Crocodile Dundee, unexpectedly enjoyable and surprisingly close to world class.For years, Australian cars have had half-decent powertrains, let down by clunky, steam-age transmissions and cheap and not leerful interiors.The exterior styling of past Statesmans, in particular, has also been slightly obese and stodgy.But the WM range is pretty much instantly impressive, with bold, chunky looks that complete the stylist's almost impossible mission - making a very large car look good.While the side strakes are pure BMW M5 rip off, the rest of the car has the slab-sided, get-off-my-road presence of a Chrysler 300C, but none of the cheesiness.This is the stereotypical Big Car for a Big Country, but carried off in a way that few have achieved before.Personally, I'd go so far as to say it's the first Statesman I've ever seen that didn't make the word "ugly" belch forth unbidden.The stylistic flair is carried on in the interior, which is cavernous in the back seat (with child pacifiers, aka DVD screens in the rear head rests, standard on Caprice).While the chic sheiks who will buy this car in the Middle East will not want for rear leg-room, the front is also a pleasant place to be.Finally, Holden has lifted its game, with a pleasant, uncluttered style to the dash, a functional display screen and a steering wheel - with track-ball style whirligigs to operate functions - wisely borrowed holus bolus from an Audi A8.Australian companies have claimed in the past that they've been benchmarking their cars against European brands, but in this case, I actually believe them.Ride and handling were rated against BMW's fabulous 5 Series (albeit the last model, rather than the current one) and the Holden engineers have done a laudable job.The Statesman is more softly sprung than the Caprice, but not disturbingly so.Over lumpy roads it will develop a kind of low-frequency wallow, with a slightly tidal effect, but generally it's surprisingly well sorted, with none of the understeer you'd expect from such a big-nosed vehicle.Steering feel is also of an almost Audi standard, even if it still falls well behind class-leading BMW tillers.Step up to the Caprice and the ride/handling balance is even more impressive - firm and capable, yet still as luxurious as a car like this needs to be.When it comes to the automatic transmissions, the five-speed in the V6 Statesman is a big step forward from the old days, while the six-speed auto in the V8 Statesman and Caprice is simply light years ahead.Changes are smooth, almost imperceptible, and gear hunting is rare. As for the engines, the 3.6-litre V6, with 195kW and 340Nm, does a reasonable job of hefting an 1805kg vehicle, and never sounds overly strained, either.But the engine this car was clearly built to house, the 6.0-litre V8, is far more impressive. Its 270kW and 530Nm of torque make the Caprice an effortless cruiser.The only shame is that the cabin's excellent sound proofing blocks out much of this refined eight's rumble.The big engine never seems to be struggling, yet it can propel you towards the horizon with almost indecent haste.The overall impression is of almost European quality.The Statesman and Caprice are capable, unflustered and comfortable highway cruisers, and yet they manage to perform beyond what I thought we were capable of, even in enthusiastic driving.Perhaps the only fault, when pushing on hard, is a lack of lateral seat support, but then you don't expect Recaro race seats in a limo like this.The engineering effort might be enough to make you shake your head, and re-evaluate some old prejudices, but what really blows your mind are the prices.The V6 Statesman is just $58,990 while the V8 is $62,990.The big daddy V8 Caprice is $69,990, a staggering $5400 less than the outgoing model. The V6 Caprice is $65,990, some $4700 less than the old one.No matter which model you're looking at, it's a hell of a lot of car for the money.Compared to its European competitors, in fact, Holden is virtually giving them away.So can you feel the differences between Aussie luxury and the European versions?Well, obviously, yes. Every now and then the orchestra plays a bum note - a downchange from the transmission that's a bit harsh, a bit of plastic-wood that feels too cheap to even be allowed in the same city as a BMW factory.Then there's the design of the handbrake, which looks like an upended golf putter and just feels totally wrong.The indicators are also roughly 400 per cent louder than is absolutely necessary.And yet these foibles are not so foul that they would bother you as an owner.Indeed, this is, in some ways, as close to taking on the Europeans as we've ever come.It makes a little Aussie heart swell with pride.Of course, it should be noted that this car only really exists because of the Middle East market - which will buy more than 80 per cent of the WM cars Holden builds.Without those oil-rich buyers, in fact, the Statesman probably wouldn't exist, or at least not in this form.Still, the pay off is that, in building a car that's well and truly good enough to export, we've got a world class product for our domestic market.It remains to be seen how many people will buy them here. As impressive as the Statesman is, I'd have to really, really like my regular rear-seat passengers before I bought a vehicle that big.But it's a big tick for Holden that I'd even consider the question.The Statesman and Caprice are worthy flagships for the brand indeed, and all those who sail in them should be well satisfied.More reports from the CARSguide test team will follow during the week.Stephen Corby is a senior roadtester for the CARSguide team whose work appears in print in the Sunday Telegraph. A version of this review plus more news and analysis will appear in this Sunday's newspaper.