Although we remain hopeful, yet pessimistic, about Guido Dumarey’s Hail Mary attempt to save local manufacturing for the Zeta-based Holden Commodore, we must keep our feet planted on the ground.
And, until Dumarey overcomes some major hurdles, we’re going to expect the 2016 Holden Commodore Series II to expire in late 2017. Thankfully, Holden knows the car holds a special place in customers’ hearts, and it has confirmed one final special edition for the model.
Speaking to Performance Drive, Sean Poppitt, Holden Director of Communications, confirmed the brand won’t let the rear-wheel drive Commodore go quietly into the night.
“We have a few tricks up our sleeve, a few exciting options on the table. I’m not in a position to talk specifics as you can understand,” he stated.
The model would likely be very limited production and incorporate unique styling cues and features, and possibly revive a badge from the past.
Ford has introduced a similar final edition for the locally-produced Falcon sedan: the Falcon XR6 and XR8 Sprint, which included healthy power hikes.
It’s unlikely the 6.2-liter LS3 V8 will undergo similar power increases in the standard Holden Commodore. That’s for Holden Special Vehicles to take care of with its own farewell to the VF Series II based Gen-F2 lineup of performance sedans.
Comments
Would the special edition model be only exclusive to the Australian market… or is there a possibility of it making it’s way to the United States as well? I’ll be curious to see what changes would be in store for this model, when it becomes available
If you’re asking about being able to buy a Commodore stateside… no, nigh impossible.
It took many meetings just to let Holden-badged floor mats be delivered stateside.
Ha, I reckon that’s hilarious! The young blokes over here take the Holden badges off and put Chevy badges on their Commodores! And there were no meetings at all! Maybe they could mail them all over to you! haha!!
Boy would I like to know what Holden has in store for this upcoming, final, special addition Commodore! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for an LS7, track-focused model. Or perhaps an LS9-powered super sedan to rival FCA’s Charger HellCat. Whatever it is, I just hope it has lasting appeal, and does the job of properly sending off the VF Commodore!
It still hurts my feelings to see such a stellar performance sedan cease production; with no viable alternative to grace the lineup! Let’s face it folks. RWD-based performance is now a premium option. And will remain such until an inexpensive alternative with a 50+ mpg rating hits the market !!! We’ve got turbo-4 Mustangs and Camaros and whatnot, that are decent in power delivery, but just don’t bring the exhilarating experience that a V8 can bring! I do like the inline-6’s, such as the one’s used by Porche and BMW, but they’re far too pricey for duty in an affordable vehicle. And I don’t see GM employing Cadillac’s 3.0L and 3.6L turbo-6’s for duty in any sub-50K RWD vehicle.
Farewell, GM RWD-based sedans that aren’t Cadillacs!
A Brock Special?