Holden Confirms Commodore Will Return To the US Under Chevrolet
11-20-2010, 01:13 PM
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Holden Confirms Commodore Will Return To the US Under Chevrolet Holden on to the American dream
The Commodore is set to return to the US wearing Chevy badge
BRUCE NEWTON
November 20, 2010
www.drive.com.au
The Commodore looks set to regain its drawl, with US exports of the iconic Australian large car imminent, writes Bruce Newton.
The Holden Commodore appears odds-on to return to the US with a Chevrolet badge and it should happen within the lifespan of the current model.
A senior engineer for General Motors, Al Oppenheiser, confirmed to Drive at the Los Angeles motor show this week that negotiations were under way to sell the Commodore in North America as a Chevrolet sports sedan.
"We are definitely looking at that, although we have made no official announcement as yet," Oppenheiser said. "We are definitely looking at doing something with Holden for the retail market."
Advertisement: Story continues below Another GM source, who did not wish to be named, went further and said the export deal had been approved. "But you didn't hear me say that," the source said.
The VE Commodore was previously exported to the US as a Pontiac G8 with V6 and V8 engine options. That program ceased when GM crashed into bankruptcy last year and the struggling Pontiac brand was killed off.
The axing of the deal cost Holden millions of dollars in lost exports and placed the future of the Elizabeth plant and Holden itself in danger.
"What we are looking at is bridging a gap in the performance sedan market that was vacated by the Pontiac G8," Oppenheiser said. "With no Pontiac, the obvious performance brand is Chevrolet.
"So the Commodore Zeta 1 architecture offers us so much with rear-wheel-drive performance. The synergy between motor compartment packaging of the Commodore and HSV products versus what we do here with Camaro and Corvette means the opportunities are endless."
A spokesman for Holden, Jonathan Rose, is circumspect when asked about a new Commodore-based export program.
"We have made no secret of the fact that we're pursuing new export opportunities for our local product," he says. "At this point in time our focus is on exporting the Caprice to North America as a law enforcement vehicle ... beyond that we don't have anything to add right now."
But Holden's stocks in the global organisation have soared in recent years with the appointment of two former Holden managing directors to senior positions within the GM global empire.
Mark Reuss is president of GM North America, while his successor in Australia, Alan Batey, is head of sales and service for Chevrolet.
With homologation work on a left-hand-drive Commodore largely completed through the Pontiac G8 process, legalising the Commodore for North America would be relatively painless. Exchange rates, currently at parity, present a bigger stumbling block.
While Holden has developed a long-wheelbase performance model for the US police market, based on the Caprice, Oppenheiser said it is more likely that a car for the retail market will be based on the short-wheelbase Commodore.
"The police told us they wanted the long-wheelbase in the rear for the crooks but I have a hand in what we do with Holden and I don't think we would do long-wheelbase [for the private market]."
He also rejected US media reports that the rear-wheel-drive architecture would be pressed into service in GM's other passenger vehicle brands, Cadillac and Buick.
"No, we have other architectures coming for those brands," he said. "The Zeta platform is basically going to be Chevrolet and Holden only."
Oppenheiser, who is the vehicle chief engineer for Camaro, was at the LA show launching the convertible version of the iconic car. Like the hard-top coupe, it is based on the Commodore's Zeta architecture. As with the coupe, it won't be converted to right-hand-drive.
"That's one of the disappointments of my tenure here, that we didn't do a right-hand-drive version," Oppenheiser said.
"We had two goes at it and it got cancelled twice. It's a pity, because the UK wants it too."
The Commodore is set to return to the US wearing Chevy badge
BRUCE NEWTON
November 20, 2010
www.drive.com.au
The Commodore looks set to regain its drawl, with US exports of the iconic Australian large car imminent, writes Bruce Newton.
The Holden Commodore appears odds-on to return to the US with a Chevrolet badge and it should happen within the lifespan of the current model.
A senior engineer for General Motors, Al Oppenheiser, confirmed to Drive at the Los Angeles motor show this week that negotiations were under way to sell the Commodore in North America as a Chevrolet sports sedan.
"We are definitely looking at that, although we have made no official announcement as yet," Oppenheiser said. "We are definitely looking at doing something with Holden for the retail market."
Advertisement: Story continues below Another GM source, who did not wish to be named, went further and said the export deal had been approved. "But you didn't hear me say that," the source said.
The VE Commodore was previously exported to the US as a Pontiac G8 with V6 and V8 engine options. That program ceased when GM crashed into bankruptcy last year and the struggling Pontiac brand was killed off.
The axing of the deal cost Holden millions of dollars in lost exports and placed the future of the Elizabeth plant and Holden itself in danger.
"What we are looking at is bridging a gap in the performance sedan market that was vacated by the Pontiac G8," Oppenheiser said. "With no Pontiac, the obvious performance brand is Chevrolet.
"So the Commodore Zeta 1 architecture offers us so much with rear-wheel-drive performance. The synergy between motor compartment packaging of the Commodore and HSV products versus what we do here with Camaro and Corvette means the opportunities are endless."
A spokesman for Holden, Jonathan Rose, is circumspect when asked about a new Commodore-based export program.
"We have made no secret of the fact that we're pursuing new export opportunities for our local product," he says. "At this point in time our focus is on exporting the Caprice to North America as a law enforcement vehicle ... beyond that we don't have anything to add right now."
But Holden's stocks in the global organisation have soared in recent years with the appointment of two former Holden managing directors to senior positions within the GM global empire.
Mark Reuss is president of GM North America, while his successor in Australia, Alan Batey, is head of sales and service for Chevrolet.
With homologation work on a left-hand-drive Commodore largely completed through the Pontiac G8 process, legalising the Commodore for North America would be relatively painless. Exchange rates, currently at parity, present a bigger stumbling block.
While Holden has developed a long-wheelbase performance model for the US police market, based on the Caprice, Oppenheiser said it is more likely that a car for the retail market will be based on the short-wheelbase Commodore.
"The police told us they wanted the long-wheelbase in the rear for the crooks but I have a hand in what we do with Holden and I don't think we would do long-wheelbase [for the private market]."
He also rejected US media reports that the rear-wheel-drive architecture would be pressed into service in GM's other passenger vehicle brands, Cadillac and Buick.
"No, we have other architectures coming for those brands," he said. "The Zeta platform is basically going to be Chevrolet and Holden only."
Oppenheiser, who is the vehicle chief engineer for Camaro, was at the LA show launching the convertible version of the iconic car. Like the hard-top coupe, it is based on the Commodore's Zeta architecture. As with the coupe, it won't be converted to right-hand-drive.
"That's one of the disappointments of my tenure here, that we didn't do a right-hand-drive version," Oppenheiser said.
"We had two goes at it and it got cancelled twice. It's a pity, because the UK wants it too."
Didn't want such a nice car dying off so quick.
11-20-2010, 01:52 PM
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11-20-2010, 10:10 PM
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The Caprice they are selling to the cops is the long-wheelbase version of this car and considered a different model. This car has a short-wheelbase and was sold here originally as the Pontiac G8.
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11-22-2010, 08:51 AM
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Yea they'll have to do something with the name. I dont see the "commodore" name sticking in the US nor do I see how this is even possible if there already exists a midsize 4door car in chevrolets lineup. It would seem that "Impala SS" would only be the logical choice
11-22-2010, 09:40 AM
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Yea they'll have to do something with the name. I dont see the "commodore" name sticking in the US nor do I see how this is even possible if there already exists a midsize 4door car in chevrolets lineup. It would seem that "Impala SS" would only be the logical choice
11-22-2010, 09:43 AM
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I don't want to see them stick it with a name that conjures up memories of the late 80's/early 90's when quality was ****. I think it would be better served with a new name than trying to draw on heritage that is either unfamiliar or unflattering to many modern car buyers.
11-22-2010, 11:08 AM
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I agree that using a Lumina or Caprice name would be detremental to the image of the car. Aside from that I think this would be a perfect platform for the new gen 5 motors. I hope thay are also working on weight reduction as well, the G8 was a great car but a little portly. I'm excited to see it.
11-22-2010, 01:25 PM
#17
For the love of God leave that name alone. No one these days can be creative. Movies are all remakes of old titles, songs are all rehashing of old ones, and car makers can't come up with a new name other than some gay alphanumeric garbage so they dig up old names to throw on cars that don't deserve them.
11-22-2010, 01:58 PM
#18
For the love of God leave that name alone. No one these days can be creative. Movies are all remakes of old titles, songs are all rehashing of old ones, and car makers can't come up with a new name other than some gay alphanumeric garbage so they dig up old names to throw on cars that don't deserve them.
Ford, Dodge, GM, even others will use whatever marketing they think will actually help sell a car.
Let's just call it a Biscayne then! LOL (just kidding).
11-22-2010, 02:24 PM
#20
They should just call it the 'VE' and the 'VE SS'.
Those are names that Americans dont have preconceptions about and its a throw back to the Oz origins the cars have.
Biscayne... i could almost see it but i dont think the name will ring like it used to.
Those are names that Americans dont have preconceptions about and its a throw back to the Oz origins the cars have.
Biscayne... i could almost see it but i dont think the name will ring like it used to.