Commodore

[sean sherry]

What now for the Commodore Name. Now that Peugeot own/control Opel/Vauxhall.. Fiat/Chrysler. ?? Second only to the VW conglomerate.

 

[BenzBoy]

I reckon it's cactus. Oh hang on; that should be Cactus now PSA and FCA and playing together.
If Holden struggles on; unlikely in my view, then is may be a left over Chevrolet that we get. How sad to see the Lion as an critically endangered species; such expertise and skill lost from the nation.
Regards,
Brian

 

[c107]

Yes the powers that be in Detroit will have noticed the dismal sales figures.
I expect the brand to be gone in the next 5 years, replaced by Chevrolet. We will probably get most of the models sourced from Asia rather than the united states.

 

[Patrick_R]

A sad end to a great brand, sales figures and a market share that will never be seen again regardless of brand.

As Brian mentioned, The uniquely Australian engineering “can do” attitude & know how is also gone.

The tragedy of it, was that the last VF Commodore was probably the best car Holden, and definitely the best car world wide GM had ever produced.

 

[c107]

The tragedy of it, was that the last VF Commodore was probably the best car Holden, and definitely the best car world wide GM had ever produced.

That's the great irony of the whole thing, some of the cars they made when sales were strong were not all that great, but by the time they made a truly world class car, nobody wanted to buy it.

 

[Patrick_R]

Spot on Bryce.

The end started way back in the 60’s when the first Tiara, and then Corolla rolled off the line in Victoria.
For the first time a small car that was not a Holden, was ultra reliable, could handle Australian conditions, and was half the price of a Holden.

The home grown Holden was certainly more reliable and cheaper than other imports from the USA or England.
Even the earlier locally assembled cars from these countries suffered in our conditions.
The very first Falcon (XK) even failed dismally on our roads until local engineers, rebuilt the entire suspension system for our conditions.

This coupled with the union driven assembly plant workers, where they were the highest paid in the world, ensured the end would come minutes after the government pulled their subsidies of the factories.

 

[SEL_69L]

Any Australian V8 Commodore is very likely to hang onto it's current market value, at whatever condition level it happens to be in.
I see excellent long term investment potential in Commodore V8's of all types, and especially those in top condition - even better than my E55 AMG, due to continued availability of parts.

At least in that regard the name 'Commodore' will live on for many decades among classic car drivers, enthusiasts and collectors in Australia.
Even people who have no interest in cars at all know what a 'Commodore' is.

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So far as the continued marketing of the 'Commodore' name is concerned, perhaps World wide GM has got it right.
Somehow, the concept of a hybrid or electric Commodore is just weird to my way of thinking.

 

[Patrick_R]

Agree SEL, the name will go on for a long time, and as you said, any example will continue to increase in value.

It will be interesting to see if any get to the eye watering prices some 60’s and 70’s models pull.

 

[Styria]

We see the Holden Commodores taking a hammering in the Sales figures. Unfortunately, the new car market has changed incredibly in the last few years. It's not only the Commodores - there are also Falcons and, in general, Sedans that are being overtaken by all manner of SUVs and also the small cars produced by Asian manufacturers.

In my opinion, SUV's and small hatches perform most tasks that an average Australian car owner is looking for. For whatever reason, even SUV's and hatches bearing the Holden name are struggling - Holdens are no longer competitively priced, and are being outsold by other Asian brands. I don't know what the answer is in reviving a reliable and desirable Holden badged car. Regards Styria

 

[Patrick_R]

Styria,

One of the main issues, re the alarming falling sales are that Holden cannot or will not match the types of warranties, and capped price servicing offered by the Koreans.
Even the Japanese can’t match them.

Nearly every OEM will offer only 12 months bumper to bumper on cars and trucks, out of the factory, this will even include tyres and batteries in most cases, but after this, the selling country will subvent the cost of the extended warranties & free servicing.
After 12 months, battery, and tyre issues are directed straight to the manufacturer.

The Chinese are offering huge extended warranties, some even offer free servicing and road side assist at no extra charge for the length of the warranty.
Some are up to 7 years.

This is what people are looking for, anything that does not cost the owner extra, while owning the car.

In the truck world, we are offering a 1.5% finance rate on a $300k truck at the moment, but if the warranty, and some type of free, or capped servicing isn’t included as well, they are simply not interested.

 

[sean sherry]

Ah yes, I remember the "Product Improvement Program " in the first Falcons as Ford called it. We had to chisel out the ball joint rivets and bolt in replacement Ball Joints and fill them with supplied Molly Bond Grease.
Australian conditions .... the streets of downtown Manhattan would have given them a run for their money.
Interesting the first Morris Minors ( 1950) had a similar Improvement Program
The screw type top ball joints wore out at an alarming rate and were replaced by tough rubber bushes where them were attached to the suspension strut. It was my first year apprentice first job. After the first dozen I got good at it !!

 

[Oversize]

They should’ve retired the Commodore name with the VF. No way is a proud Aussie going to buy the current model with its ugly design & FWD. Other manufacturers are offering a far better product. Holden must introduce some radical changes to turn things around.

BTW my AU Ford has lived almost all its life in the harsh Aussie climate & the dash still looks brand new. Even Benz couldn’t match that in the 116 or 126 with huge cracks developing & door trims fading & cracking too. MB tex weathered far better & it makes you wonder where they went wrong. They certainly weren’t shy about introducing new parts for specific markets, yet they couldn’t get it right. If I ever had to recover my Benz dash in vinyl I’d track down who produced the AU dashes...

 

[Styria]

Mark, you must have a few cars with cracked dashes.........am I right ? You do however raise some very valid points. Leather back seats on the Ch. 116 cars - diabolical. Front Door trims with collapsed foam - ditto. There are a few things to be sure. Regards Styria