Holden Raises Prices On VF Commodore Series II To Combat Fears Of V8 Shortage

Holden sales and market share may be down, but VF Commodore Series II sales remain hot. That’s especially true of V8-powered variants like the SS and SS-V Redline sedan, sportwagon and ute as enthusiasts scoop up the last locally-built variants of the nameplate.

However, Holden seems to have a slight hiccup on its hands. The Advertiser has gotten hold of a confidential dealership bulletin, and the brand is worried it may not have enough V8 engines to match demand for the 2017 VF Commodore Series II.

To combat this, Holden has raised prices on the Commodore SS by $2,500 AUD ($1,886 USD) as dealers scramble to locate and sell the hot models. Employee discounts on V8-powered Commodores have also officially been banned by the company.

The report states dealers are so worried that they’ve begun to purchase near-new, ex-Holden company Commodores at auction for full retail price, rather than at the $5,000 AUD discount normally seen.

“It’s gone nuts,” said one major metropolitan Holden dealer.

“Now that we’ve seen exactly what we’re getting, reality has set in, and it’s not enough. Why they didn’t build more so we could stockpile into next year is anyone’s guess. We’re more than happy to sell the V8 into next year, but we’ll be lucky to make it to the end of this year at this rate.”

Holden director of sales, Peter Keley, confirmed the possible shortage stating, “We’ve advised dealers of their allocation of Commodore for the year and there is a perception stock will be tight.”

Over the VF Commodore’s lifecycle, V8s have accounted for one-third of purchases by consumers. That figure has crept up to one-half of Commodores sold. Holden is unable to build additional V8 engines and it placed its final order for 6.2-liter LS3 engines last year.

Holden revealed three limited edition VF Commodore Series II variants as its send off for the Australian-built vehicle and placed production caps on them as well.