Holden targets premium brands with new Commodore

The next generation Holden Commodore has been designed to take on the likes of the BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Mark Adams, the man in charge of Opel design and responsible for overseeing the new Insignia which will be badged as the Commodore in Australia, says it has been pushed upmarket on purpose.

Speaking at the 2017 Geneva motor show where the Insignia made its public debut, Adams said he wants the new sedan to push back against the increasingly more affordable models from the premium brands that have begun to encroach on traditional mainstream models such as the Insignia in Europe.

It is a stance backed up by Volkswagen which launched its Arteon model in Geneva, the replacement for the CC which will be positioned against prestige rivals in Australia.

"For us in Europe our key role - just to play the other side of this because we're trying the balance the other side of this - was we've had the premium brands coming down into our space for a while now," Adams explained. "We felt this is a car we needed to push back a bit. Why do we always take it that they're coming into our space? We think we've got a car that projects that aura of premiumness at a much better value proposition. So as long as you're not a brand snob then you can find a better balance there. We thought that was important and also fits what Holden needed to do as well."

Adams explained the design of the new Insignia/Commodore features several elements aimed at giving it a more premium appearance, such as the longer wheelbase which was done to create the impression that it is rear-wheel drive.

While the Commodore has never competed against the premium brands in Australia, Adams said the mainstream car makers shouldn't back away from the fight.

"I think we've got to," he said. "What do we do? We shrink and say 'oh yeah, come into our space, we're all good', no, we're not going to take that. We know we do great products and we want to fight back a bit. We think this is a great vehicle that can do that. There are other vehicles that we think we can stand tall on and we don't need to worry in that context. In this particular segment you do need to worry about that because the premium executive cars play a big role in that space so we've got to be able to perform in that."

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