Next Holden Commodore Begins Testing In Australia

[William Maley]

We're one step closer to learning about the next-generation Holden Commodore as the automaker has begun testing the new model in Austraila. This news comes from Stefan Jacoby, General Motor's Executive Vice President Consolidated International Operations.

“We are driving this car already in Lang Lang,” said Jacoby.

“I love that proving ground [and] the Holden engineering team will have a part to integrate this vehicle into the Australian market. It is very obvious that the successor needs to be stronger than today’s model, and we understand that better than anybody else, and we will do everything we can, with modern technology.”

The new Commodore is expected to switch from the rear-wheel drive layout it has used for the majority of its life to a new front-wheel drive platform from the next-generation Opel Insignia. But Jacoby says the Holden version will look and drive differently than its platform mate. The Australian design team who played a key role in the design of the Buick Avenir and Chevrolet Bolt concepts will have a say in how the next Commodore will look like. As for the move to front-wheel drive, Jacoby said this;

“I’m coming from a front-wheel-drive group, the VW/Audi group, and with this company we don’t believe there is a true disadvantage between a front-wheel-drive Audi at the time with BMW rear-wheel drive. I think it depends on how much you can bring to the road, in respect of sportiness, and active driving and not necessarily a decision on whether it is front- or rear-wheel drive.”

Source: CarAdvice.com.au, Drive.com.au

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[David]

Very interesting comments in regards to the comparison between Audi and BMW. The world will tell soon enough when they finally bring this FWD auto to the masses. 

 

If done right and the Commodore customers are happy then they will have delivered.

[ocnblu]

Aussie dude is full of crap.  He's towing the line.  Of bull.

[Drew Dowdell]

the FWD v. RWD debate aside for the moment... I see a bigger issue than that.

 

SIZE!  How can they get from the nearly Full-Size Commodore to the nearly compact Insignia and keep the name!?

 

Even going to the Lacrosse would be a bit of a jump down..... 

 

The only way I could see them moving to FWD for the Commodore and keeping true to the rest of the car would be to build an Aussie Impala. 

[hyperv6]

How can they do this? Well there is more to the story than they are telling you I my hunch.

While they will do a smaller FWD car we still have one more to arrive in the Holden version of the Avenir.

I expect Holden to get a version of this car since for one they did a lot of work on it. Also that it was shown in a Holden commercial along with a smaller FWD like car at is spoken of here.

 

I also expect the Buick to show up as a Vauxhall too.

 

The only mistake I see is putting the Commodore name on a FWD. They should have used a different name. 

 

Keep in mind Australia is much like our market was in the 70's - 80's where the Asian cars have come in and forced the local Automakers to change their ways. With such a small market it has made it difficult to do their own thing anymore so they are being force into a global market. In a bad way they will lose jobs but in a good way they will get cars they never would have seen in the past.

 

The key here is the Aussie market is no longer a RWD market anymore. The best selling car is the Mazda 3 and Toyota is dominating the market with their cars and small trucks. ford has already pulled out the RWD car and may only have a Mustang there it that.

 

The Zeta RWD has been a good seller but the numbers have been in decline and it is not where the market is heading. A lower volume Omega would give the market a RWD AWD car that they could support and make money with. Also it would leverage out the Omega more to help GM recover the cost on several lower volume models globally.

 

So the long and short of this is let GM roll out the whole plan as the devil is in the details you yet not know.

 

I see Holden getting the best of the global product GM will have and they will let Holden still do a little tweaking to make thing right for their markets. I see the Corvette may be there and at some point I would not be shocked if the Camaro may show up there some time in the future. We will see also the best of Opel/Buick there too.

 

My next guess is they will get a RHD version of our new Colorado too as  second gen model.

 

GM may have stopped building the Zeta there but they have not abandon the market there.

Edited January 24, 2015 by hyperv6

[Camino LS6]

Bleh.