Holden Commodore update on way

The company last week announced plans to suspend production of the car for two weeks in July and August to run out the current model and make way for a refreshed Commodore.

Apart from engine tweaks and an E85 model, the Commodore is set to get a new interior. But the next Commodore’s crown as best could be overtaken by the rising star in the GM-Holden ranks.

New GM-Holden chairman and managing director, Mike Devereux, says the chance of the Cruze small car knocking off the Commodore as the nation's best-seller will be decided by buyers.

"It really comes down to consumer preferences," he says. "You have to follow what people want. People want great style, value and quality and fuel efficiency is obviously becoming important. Our SIDI engines in Commodore are critical to that, we've got ethanol Commodores coming... but Cruze versus Commodore, that's going to be up to the marketplace."

In recent years the Commodore sedan has often been beaten by the Toyota Corolla in the monthly sales race. By contrast, the Korean-built version of the Cruze has been a strong seller since its introduction last June with the company regularly selling more than 2000 a month.

Devereux, who has just taken over from Alan Batey, says Holden is on track to launch the locally-built four-cylinder Cruze early next year. After the Cruze was launched, Batey was bullish about the small car's potential. "I can see a time when Cruze will be eating Epica's lunch," Batey said. Since then it has consistently outsold the Epica.

The Cruze is currently imported from Korea but GM-Holden is on track to start local production early next year. Apart from the sedan, it is well advanced with a hatch version to compete in the hotly contested small car segment, which is traditionally a strong hatch market.

However, Devereux is not too worried about the Cruze ending the Commodore's 14-year reign as the country's best selling car. "If folks want to buy more Cruzes than Commodores then I guess that's okay but it will be up to the marketplace," he says.

Last month, Holden sold 2125 Cruzes, about half the number of Commodores retailed. The Commodore still remains overwhelmingly the most popular Holden. So far this year 11,364 Commodores have been sold versus 6418 Cruzes.