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It may be wearing a Buick badge but this is the best look yet at the next generation of performance-orientated Holden Commodores.
This leaked image of the Chinese market Buick Regal GS previews the look of the range-topping V6-powered Commodore, which will sit above the predominantly four-cylinder range. The image shows the V6 getting a unique front bumper and alloy wheels to give it a sportier appearance to go with its more powerful engine.
The 3.6-litre V6 will produce 230kW of power and 370Nm of torque, well short of the current Commodore SS and it's 304kW V8, and is expected to be paired exclusively to a nine-speed automatic transmission.
What badge the new generation V6 Commodore will carry is uncertain at this stage. The previous Holden Insignia model carried the VXR name, a reference to General Motor's British brand Vauxhall. Another possibility is SV6, which has previously graced the Australian-made Commodore.
What's certain is it won't wear the SS badge, which Holden is retiring with the V8 engine.
The sporty Commodore is expected to get a unique interior treatment too, with sports seats and a flat-bottom steering wheel among the design touches.
Holden and Buick were instrumental in General Motor's decision to develop a V6 engine for this new generation Commodore/Regal/Insignia. German division Opel, which led the development on the car, originally wanted a strictly four-cylinder range.
Holden will compete with a turbocharged V6 version of the Commodore in the Supercars racing series, replacing the current V8, but it is understood a road-going version of the same Cadillac-sourced engine does not fit inside the road car's engine bay.
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8 Comments
Really Drive, you can do better. This is not an SS replacement, at most it's the SV6 replacement and in case you missed the news, Opel are already testing OPC version with Twin turbos, which would be the SS replacement if and when it comes out. The stupid thing with Opel, is they originally said hot version coming, then said no it's dead, now it's back from the dead. Maybe they realised the competition will fill the gaping chasm they leave behind if they don't offer something hot. I'll bet Stinger had a lot to do with this reversal of the decision.
There's a lot of confusion around this car. Are GM making it under licence to Peugot? Or are Peugot making it for GM? Where are the Australian models going to be sourced? And how long do GM have an agreement with Peugot on this model? 1 year or 10 years? And what happens when that agreement is up? Will this car just switch over to Opel and GM bring out a completely different Commodore? Where will you get parts in future? Chevy Australia would need to come up with some answers to these questions before I bought one.
Not only doesn't this look like a Commodore, it doesn't even look like a car. That grill treatment is awful. This car is the result of market research gone wrong, attempting to please Holden fans and Opel fans and fans of whatever else this car will be badged. This car is a lemon on wheels. The decision to close Holden manufacturing, the decision to cancel an Australian designed and made Commodore is going to blow up in the faces of those fat cat General Motors executives. The fact is, this car is completely irrelevant in 2018. The world is now moving to fully electric cars, Tesla is about to launch the Model 3 which competes fairly and squarely on price and design which Tesla wins by a factor of 1000. Sorry this is the end of the line for Commodore and Holden. It's been an exercise in complete mismanagement. The next car that will be parked in my garage is fully electric and it will be a Tesla Model 3 not a Commodore gas guzzling pollution emitting compromised car. And it's a real shame because Commodore had a roadmap for fully electric cars many years ago that never progressed to production. This Drive article could've been written up with two short sentences: RIP Commodore. RIP Holden.
The front of this new 'Commodore' looks very Falcon-esque.
The rear door glass design should be improved.
Maybe, as with the Kingswood name being retired with the Commodore, the Commodore name should have been retired. The new car has nothing in common with the outgoing model and may be short lived if Peugeot decrees that Opel ceases to make such a car or reserves the car for the Peugeot, Citroen or Opel nameplate.
I'd take the Buick over the Commodore, although it could do with bigger rims. But, once again another Holden that doesn't look anything like any other Holden. It's just a grab bag of whatever they could dredge up from around the globe. From the ugliest SUV on the road, the Captiva, to the equally ugly-fronted Colorado pickup, they are missing the mark unfortunately.
Hardly in the same price bracket as a Model 3. You need to calm down and go and have a nice cup of tea.