Goodbye Holden Commodore?

[FG_Frodza]

Spotted this article going through the news this morning.

Says the article was posted early this morning.

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/...cument&src=rss

The iconic Holden Commodore will be replaced within five or six years, as parent company General Motors seeks to revamp the Holden brand in an effort to protect its Australian manufacturing base, according to The Australian Financial Review.
Tim Lee, the Shanghai-based president of GM's international operations, told the newspaper the Commodore would be succeeded by a "global" car with a wider appeal within Australia and abroad.
“It’s still an outstanding motor vehicle and one that we intend to produce for a long time,” Mr Lee said.
“But if you look at the motorway here in Melbourne, you see a lot of small cars. You see a lot of more fuel-efficient vehicles on the roads than Commodore.”


Mr Lee said the decision wouldn't affect the roll-out of the new-generation Commodore VE, which will be released next year.

[Dr Smith]

The story has also been mentioned on 3AW this morning. I think it's more a case that a car VE-sized won't be built after VF rather then "no Commodore at all". Can't wait to see the Holden PR machine hose this one down and keep it positive, especially while waiting to reach an agreement for funds from the feds.

[FG_Frodza]

Wonder where they will make this new 'global' car? I doubt they will make it here in Adelaide, probably Korea..

[Rastus]

Just heard this on the radio myself.
Now, I wonder what the spin will be from particular media outlets? All Doom & Gloom negative gear like we get when anything to do with Falcon's future is mentioned?

[FG_Frodza]

Originally Posted by Rastus

Just heard this on the radio myself.
Now, I wonder what the spin will be from particular media outlets? All Doom & Gloom negative gear like we get when anything to do with Falcon's future is mentioned?

Doubt it, probably more like 'Holden are going to re-invent themselves' or something along those lines.

[Polyal]

If they beat Ford to the punch with a GWRD car, a proper one, ill hurl.

[blk6t]

I think the Falcon will be gone before the Commodore, having said that, I don't think the Commodore will dissapear. As mentioned I think Holden will produce a smaller Commodore in Aus but still keep the car bigger than the Cruze.

[Mr Hardware]

why don't they just build a torana, RWD with a 2.8L DI straight six outputting 170kw and 280nm, with a tiny bit of brake regeneration just for elec power steer and aircon, doing 6.5L/100klms?

[EDManual]

In our dollars at the moment, what they could produce a commodore or falcon in thailand for? Its just lucky they dont, or we wouldnt be making either of them thats for sure.

[Kryton]

it isnt hard to glue a Commodore badge to a Cruze and call it a Commodore.
They glued Holden badges to Daewoos and suckers still bought them thinking they were Holdens.

[falconnut]

Thank god.

Current Commodores are kinda stale.

Some fresh GRWD cars would be great.

[Professor Farnsworth]

Commodore = Chevy Malibu
Falcon = Fusion/Taurus

there, now check back here in 4 or 5 years.

[mik]

he`s right about one thing, you look in the car parks and 5 out of ten are small/medium cars, the other 5 are suv`s and big cars, if the cost of living keeps going we will probably end up driving these.

[Cheese3]

both locally made falcon and commodore will be gone by 2017. Its going to happen, deal with it.

[Chilliman]

Interestingly there is very little in the automotive media about it. Maybe the 'pro-holden' journalists and editors belive that if they ignore it the bad news will go away

Of course if the story was about the Ford Falcon, everyone would be in on it, laying the boots in!

[LTDHO]

I'm sure the government will bail them out... again.

[Trevor 57]

Most of the Commodore bits are already made in China and shipped out here for assembly, with the exception of the engine.

[Chilliman]

Originally Posted by Big Trev

Most of the Commodore bits are already made in China and shipped out here for assembly, with the exception of the engine.

Most of the bits for the V6 engine are also made somewhere else and shipped here for assembly. The V8 is shipped here, pre-assembled, in a crate.

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by Professor Farnsworth

Commodore = Chevy Malibu
Falcon = Fusion/Taurus

there, now check back here in 4 or 5 years.

I reckon your right, except it should be Mondeo/Fusion

The 2012 Mondeo/Fusion has similar dimensions to the Falcon

The Malibu, which will be released in Oz soon, has similar dimensions to the Commodore.

Why?

[turbodewd]

This Tim Lee is an idiot. The commodore has been number 1 or 2 in Aus sales for years!

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by turbodewd

This Tim Lee is an idiot. The commodore has been number 1 or 2 in Aus sales for years!

Except he's looking at the future and even Holden has openly stated they don't expect the Commodore to be No. 1 again. No where in the world are FG/VE sized cars big sellers anymore. And one could argue that the VE hasn't pulled in the profits anyway. The new Malibu is based on a 2008 platform (iirc) so it wouldn't be too far out that an all-new design Malibu is needed just before an all-new Commodore replacement is also needed.

[xe351]

Originally Posted by Chilliman

Interestingly there is very little in the automotive media about it. Maybe the 'pro-holden' journalists and editors belive that if they ignore it the bad news will go away

Of course if the story was about the Ford Falcon, everyone would be in on it, laying the boots in!

ah so true!!!

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by Dr Smith

Except he's looking at the future and even Holden has openly stated they don't expect the Commodore to be No. 1 again. No where in the world are FG/VE sized cars big sellers anymore. And one could argue that the VE hasn't pulled in the profits anyway. The new Malibu is based on a 2008 platform (iirc) so it wouldn't be too far out that an all-new design Malibu is needed just before an all-new Commodore replacement is also needed.

I have read somewhere that someone did a stack of research and discovered (remarkedly) that the "BIG" cars (FG/VE) actually are not that different in size to many "MID" sized cars, I am not sure who or where but it was very interesting reading, he collated all the data on car specs.

[HBWC]

holden have been their before look at the h series then the early commodore
it almost failed ford boomed with the x series

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by Chilliman

Interestingly there is very little in the automotive media about it. Maybe the 'pro-holden' journalists and editors belive that if they ignore it the bad news will go away

Of course if the story was about the Ford Falcon, everyone would be in on it, laying the boots in!

“But if you look at the motorway here in Melbourne, you see a lot of small cars. You see a lot of more fuel-efficient vehicles on the roads than Commodore.”

If it was a Ford story the headline would be "Ford international boss slams Falcon economy".

[Trevor 57]

Interestingly, last week or the week before their Union was sprouting about a $22 per week pay rise - YAHOO!!!, and nothing to off-set the payrise, no productivity sell-offs, nothing - hmmmm?????

I bet next year (or the year after) GM will come out and say "sorry the Australian operations are now too expensive, we are moving everything off shore"

I reckon that the Unions have played straight into GM's hands, giving them the excuse they needed to shut up shop in Australia.

[Chilliman]

Originally Posted by Big Trev

Interestingly, last week or the week before their Union was sprouting about a $22 per week pay rise - YAHOO!!!, and nothing to off-set the payrise, no productivity sell-offs, nothing - hmmmm?????

I bet next year (or the year after) GM will come out and say "sorry the Australian operations are now too expensive, we are moving everything off shore"

I reckon that the Unions have played straight into GM's hands, giving them the excuse they needed to shut up shop in Australia.

I fear that you could be right - Ford on the other hand are just flat out refusing to advertise the Falcon and will be using the "no one buys them any more" excuse when they close down Broadmeadows

[csv8]

Holden will bring in the Daewoo Chairman, badged as Holden!!!!!!!!

[Nikked]

Meh, we'll se what happens...

Its annyoing seeing a artical like this every two weeks.

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by csv8

Holden will bring in the Daewoo Chairman, badged as Holden!!!!!!!!

...... and because of that reason it will be number 1 ~