The Future Of The Holden Commodore, In One Image

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

You might be thinking that in a fit of absent-mindedness, I’ve mistakenly put a photo of a Opel Insignia or Buick Regal as the main image – and technically, you’re right. But the car above, though it’s difficult to see, is actually wearing a Holden badge.

As Just-Auto reports, the very first Holden Insignia VXR has just been built at Opel’s factory in Germany. Although the Insignia VXR is intended to be a low volume model for now, it won’t last long.

The next Commodore will be based on a front-drive GM platform, almost certainly the Epsilon II architecture that underpins the Insignia and other D-segment GM offerings. The rear-drive layout, along with the V8 engine, will be jettisoned for transverse 4 and 6 cylinder engines. Meanwhile, other Opel products will trickle into Holden’s lineup, along with products from GM Daewoo and other global divisions, as part of Holden’s transition into a “sales and marketing” company, rather than a producer of domestic automobiles.

Sad as it may be for the enthusiast, mourning the loss of the rear-drive Commodore is like crying over spilled milk. Sales of the Commodore are nowhere near their peak levels, and Australia is moving away from large sedans into SUVs, pickups, crossovers and smaller, more fuel-efficient compact cars. Where the Commodore and Falcon once reigned, the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 have taken their place.

On the other hand, we’ll be lucky to get a Commodore that isn’t made in China.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Compaq Deskpro Compaq Deskpro on Feb 10, 2015

    It stinks someone couldn't take responsibility, whether its unions, workers, handout taking car companies, and instead lets 1000's of jobs go down the drain.

    • See 1 previous
    • RobertRyan RobertRyan on Feb 11, 2015

      Yes I suspect a big problem in the two Australian States involved

  • RHD RHD on Feb 10, 2015

    Part of the reason to buy a Holden was the perception of its Aussie heritage. That advantage is now entirely gone, and tragically, this brand will diminish into an also-ran.

    • See 2 previous
    • RobertRyan RobertRyan on Feb 11, 2015

      @redav Not the US. People here still refer to the Cruze as "Korean rubbish" after Holden stopped making it

  • Ydnas7 Ydnas7 on Feb 10, 2015

    Chevy is not the brand for Australia, its even more bogan than Holden. Chevy, will compete with Mitsubishi, but Mitsubishi at least has Japanese quality. anyway, the market here is so fragmented that dropping Holden just makes a bad decision worse. Currency rates, the swings of the Aussie dollar helped kill the industry, now with a weaker dollar, the better Aussie factories would be profitable, perhaps Toyota's anyway.

    • See 1 previous
    • Manic Manic on Feb 11, 2015

      @RobertRyan “Astra and Insignia are renowned in Europe for their boringness and beginner sales rep. vehicle credentials" -there, I fixed it.

  • Festiboi Festiboi on Feb 11, 2015

    Being both an Australian and a car enthusiast, this is a very sad sight to see. Growing up, I longed for a Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon. Both were fast, roomy, solid, and unique in the world; aside from the US, nowhere else were rear wheel drive, V8 (or straight six) family cars being built. The last few generations have also been very stylish. The rest of the world seemed to pumping out mostly soulless appliances. There was a sense of pride in having an Australian designed and built car. We're a small country in terms of population, and the fact that we could support ourselves brought a sense of pride. However, it was inevitable in a global market that this would happen. Designing and building separate models for a country with the population of Texas was not financially feasible. Sales of the Commodore have slipped, and the Ford Falcon, once the top selling car in Australia for decades, is not even in the top 20 anymore. Australians are an urban population and most of us live in cities. There's no need for a large car that can easily eat up miles of desolate road in the Outback. The writing has been on the wall for some time. The logical part of brain says that this makes sense, but the emotional part is dying knowing that the world will soon be without a true Commodore, Ford Falcon, or any utes. Part of everyday Aussie culture is about to disappear

    • RobertRyan RobertRyan on Feb 11, 2015

      Instead we are replacing them with SUV's and Pickups in a urban environment

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