Next-Generation Holden Commodore To Be Sold As A Buick In America?
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As we reported yesterday on news that the next-generation Holden Commodore may neuter itself as a front-wheel-drive commuter box, we’ve just been tipped the complete opposite, and more. Because according to sources, the Holden Commodore that will appear beyond 2016 will indeed utilize a global architecture: the Alpha architecture. The same RWD architecture that is flexible enough to underpin the Cadillac ATS, CTS, Chevrolet Camaro and even future crossovers. This will give the VF Commodore more than a worthy successor, while sizing itself to be more of a mid-sized vehicle than a large one, with the base model featuring a four-cylinder engine.
What’s more, sources have indicated that a variant of the next-generation Commodore will be sold in the United States, but not as a Chevrolet. Instead, the future Holden will be placed in the upmarket Buick brand — perhaps as the next-generation Regal. Evidence pointing to this also includes Australian outlets reporting that the next Commodore will be sold outside of the country as a Buick, along with our discoveries of the recent trademark filings of the GNX and Grand National nameplates. Both of which have historically been performance models of the Regal family. This is probably the most excited that many of you have been for a Buick vehicle in a while. But we can’t help but wonder how this vehicle will position itself when the next-generation Cadillac CTS is right around the corner.
After all the effort to bring the Caprice in for Police dept around the country, is Chevrolet really going to walk away?
Especially if it can now be built in the US avoiding all the foreign exchange problems?
GM needs to be careful. If they start making performance Buicks, then people will turn away from Cadillac for a close substitute in Buick for a cheaper price. Cadillac could fall again and that would be awful considering its recent success and what it has planned.
I likw the idea of having a performance Buick once again but do agree with others on the front of canabilizeing from Caddy. But think about it, the Cadillac CTS-V has the same engine as the Corvette ZR1 but with different tunning set up thus putting out different horse power numbers. All GM has to do is keep Caddy as the top performance over Buick. Its all in the packageing, such as some like the Terrain over the Equinox or vice versa. Its different from old GM, mostly since its not rebadgeing the car, its totally different on the outside. The words we NEED to learn are platform sharing.
Even though a new top performance GNX/Grand National would be cool in a legacy standpoint, this whole story just reeks of redundancy and cannibalized products if General Motors mis-markets this car.
I don’t know what the reasoning would be, as I don’t think Buick-GMC dealers are screaming for a new “Pontiac G8″ (under whatever guise they want) after sales of that car fell short of what was expected the first time around.
As long as this Holden turned Buick doesn’t overpower the Cadillac CTS, it should be an OK sale. Cadillac is going to be the Ferrari and Porsche fighter. Buick can have RWD but they need to stay focused on competing with “soft” luxury brands like Infiniti, who has a RWD midsize sedan themselves: The G35.
Kris — Cadillac is a MBZ, BMW and Audi competitor. Even Infiniti is closer to all those than you think, especially with the G series. And nowadays, Lexus is moving in that direction, as well.
Luckily, Buick can still serve the market Lexus is leaving behind. In that regard, the GN/GNX/Commodore would be a direct competitor to the Lexus GS series of the 90s and early 2000s. Today, the GS is a formidable 5er competitor (and maybe even beater).
Grand National, GNX!!!…they can co exist with cadillac because this allows cadillac to move further upmarket giving them more prestige and a sense of exclusiveness but not hurting caddy’s sales overall as their aggressive global approach comes to fruition over the next few yrs..so what does this mean for SS, will we still have a commodore or will we get a NA designed and built alpha rear wheel drive vehicle..btw has there been any new info for the omega platform??…gm has that thing under lock and key!
This can work only with maximum differentiation between a future Buick Alpha and a Cadillac CTS. It needs to have completely different designs inside and out, suspension and steering calibrations, and perhaps even different powertrains. This way GM has no excuse to short Buick on luxury, while making the driving characteristics handle very unique from the Cadillac. Buick could/should keep with eAssist with a V6 as a no-cost option, and a twin-turbo V6 in the GNX variant.
The CTS, meanwhile, can go turbo I4, V6, and V8. These engines would all provide superior power numbers on paper compared to the BMW 5 Series, and if there are seven or eight-speed transmissions in the works, the fuel economy targets should be easier to hit. The impending next-generation CTS-V would have a force-fed small block, of course.
I thought that GM had done away with cross-badging between brand lines…
Until now it appears as if GM does badge-engineering Holden-Chevrolet, ending badge-engineering between Holden and Opel. On the other hand, GM is introducing the Opel brand with cars which are being offered as Buick in North America and China.
So the rumor-mill thinks that GM will dive back into the hodge-podge of brand mix-up?
I hope Buick does receive the new Holden As the Next gen Regal. It will be one engine swap away from being a true GS.. Even though Buick may not market it like this, God bless the GM performance catalog you can make it what ever you want…
Grand National anyone?
doesn’t buick of china sell the current holden as the park avenue why not the new car in the u.s. as the park avenue
Not quite. The Park Avenue is the Holden Caprice, the Long-Wheel-Base luxury version of the Commodore. The next Caprice will be even more luxurious than the Calais. You could sell both the Calais and the Caprice as Buicks in North America. Have them as Short and Long wheel base versions of the same car.
This is great news…Buick needs some true performance hopefully with AWD not just RWD. If they use the Grand National & GNX names instead of say GS Stage 1 & 2, then hopefully Buick will get a NASCAR model at some future date. A hi-output V6 with E-assist & a twin-turbo V6 would be good engine choices. If the GNX namep
late is used offer a gun-metal gray color with silver accent not just black. Also offer some optional GM performance upgrades for ECM tuning & exhaust systems. A 2-door version would be welcome too if demand exists. Buick loyalists are just waiting to get excited by real performance models coming sooner rather than later.