THIS JUST IN……... THE Holden Commodore of the future will have an Australian accent even though it will be made in Germany. News Corp Australia can exclusively reveal one of Holden’s most senior engineers has been based in Germany on a top-secret assignment for the past four years working on the car that will become the next Commodore. Marinos Panayiotou, who worked at Holden from 2001, has been based at Opel in Germany since 2010 as the Lead Program Manager. In car industry terms this means he is the person in charge of taking a vehicle from a design sketch to production.he Commodore of the future will be a rebadged version of Germany’s Opel Insignia sedan, which is also sold as a Buick in China and North America. Holden was working on the design of the Chinese version of the new sedan until the company announced last December it would end manufacturing in Australia in 2017. The change of plans means Holden will now take the next generation Opel Insignia from GermanyWhile the new German-made Commodore may be a world-class car, there will be no V8, no ute and it will not be rear-wheel-drive, a characteristic that has made the Commodore fun to drive for its entire 36-year history. Instead, the new Commodore will be front-wheel-drive like a Toyota Camry, have a choice of four-cylinder or V6 power, and be available only as a sedan and wagonWhy is there no V8 in the new Commodore? Because it is front-wheel-drive, and strict European emissions mean that engines are downsizing. Most V8s are being replaced by V6 engines, and V6s are in turn being replaced by four-cylinders. Why is there no ute version of the new Commodore? Because “car-derived” utes such as the Commodore and Falcon are a dying breed; the market has shifted to dual-cab “body-on-frame” pick-ups such as the Toyota HiLux. The pick-up category is now the third largest segment of the market behind small cars and SUVs. Will Holden call the new car a Commodore? For now,Holden says the new car will be called a Commodore. But insiders say opinion within the company is still divided. Diehard fans believe the new car has changed so much that it should not be called a Commodore and the name should be retired (just as Ford will retire the Falcon nameplate). Others want to cash-in on the Commodore name because it’s better known among private and fleet buyers. What will happen to Holden Commodores in V8 Supercars? No change.New rules mean that car makers can run a sedan body in V8 Supercars even if there is no V8 available in showrooms — like Volvo and Nissan in this year’s series. Holden could in theory still run the new German ‘Commodore’ in V8 Supercars even though the showroom versions only have four-cylinder or V6 power.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 09:40:37 +0000
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