Advertisement

Holden prepares business case to sell Commodore under different GM brands

 
9 2,046 views May 1, 2009

Selling the G8 through more successful GM brands would provide it with the advertising dollars it needs to be a top seller

Selling the G8 through more successful GM brands would provide it with the advertising dollars it needs to be a top seller

Enlarge Photo
Pontiac's demise has left a lot of people in the lurch, including General Motors’ own Australian subsidiary Holden, which lost a vital contract for the supply of its Commodore-based G8 sedans to the North American market. The Aussie subsidiary is not giving up on bringing the Commodore Stateside, however, as Pontiac’s demise may allow Holden to sink its claws into a more successful GM brand.

Exactly how Holden will go about accomplishing this is uncertain, especially considering GM CEO Fritz Henderson has confirmed that the G8 won’t be sold under any other brands in North America. One possibility that has a strong chance is the G8 being sold as a Chevrolet to different law enforcement agencies around the U.S. Another possibility that is starting to gain credence is the Pontiac Sport Truck (ST), a model based on the 'ute' class of vehicles popular in Australia, being sold through GMC as a niche model.

Other avenues for Holden into the U.S. market include attaching itself Cadillac. Both GM brands are associated with large rear-wheel-drive cars and smaller customer bases than mainstream brands such as Chevrolet. According to GoAuto, Holden has gone so far as to develop business cases for the GMC and Cadillac deals but any green light is still a long way off.


The story doesn’t end there as Holden is also reportedly looking to export small cars to the U.S. through GM's Delta platform, the new global architecture underpinning cars like the Chevrolet Cruze and Volt as well as a new compact sedan to be manufactured in Australia by Holden. Whether or not this will help Holden’s case for bringing its Commodore back to the U.S., however, remains unclear.





Tags:
Posted in:
 
 

Have an opinion?

  • Posting indicates you have read this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • Notify me when there are more comments
Comments (9)

  1. ma_Elmo187 avatar Elmo187 Posted: 5/1/2009 6:41am PDT

    can you say the return of Darth Vader's personal ride?

    replace the grill with the crossbar grill from Chevy, stick an Impala emblem and badge on it, then throw an SS in there for good measure. and guess what, if they do that, NASCAR will be racing cars that can be somewhat closely related to their production counterparts.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  2. ma_Laz avatar Laz Posted: 5/1/2009 6:58am PDT

    Good call Elmo187 on the Impala SS! The Commodore/G8 would make a much better Impala than the current choices. How about the Lumina SS as the Chevy nameplate?
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  3. ma_gazzed avatar gazzed Posted: 5/1/2009 7:30am PDT

    Discontinued Pontiac Sport Truck aka Commodore VE ute for GMC and the sedan version to "maybe" replace aging Crown Victoria as next LAPD squad car plus parts sharing with Cadillac is quite desperate.

    Second option of small car export is a bit more viable., what could that new compact car look like?.. will it be the rebirth of Torana?
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  4. ma_NoNameDenton avatar NoNameDenton Posted: 5/1/2009 3:43pm PDT

    And yet there is a nasty rumor that the Cadillac sub-CTS model is going onto Epsilon 2, ugh, GM is annoying me
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  5. ma_hmph avatar hmph Posted: 5/1/2009 7:46pm PDT

    The new car will not be a new Torana. It is far more likely to be the next gen Astra. Ford is set to build the new Focus down here, so it would make sense for Holden to do the same thing to cut manufacture costs, as the focus will likely be cheaper if produced locally. The only other car that Holden could build and successfully export to the states is the Coupe 60, to be sold as a new Monaro, which was imensely popular over there in the previous gen.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  6. ma_Elmo187 avatar Elmo187 Posted: 5/1/2009 8:25pm PDT

    And yet there is a nasty rumor that the Cadillac sub-CTS model is going onto Epsilon 2, ugh, GM is annoying me

    what's so bad about the Epsilon II platform? considering the Saturn Aura (2008 North American Car of the Year) was on the previous Epsilon platform, i'd say its a pretty good platform. they're basically improving on something that was already good in the first place. hell, they even built a high performance Insignia on top that platform.

    but if you are thinking like i am, they WERE going to use the Kappa platform for this sub-CTS car. which would of put the M3 in Cadillac's crosshairs. just think if they ever did use the Kappa platform. 6.2L LS3 straight from the Z51 C6 Corvette. would of been one helluva competitor for the M3, C63, RS4, and IS-F.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  7. ma_crslmn avatar crslmn Posted: 5/2/2009 2:57pm PDT

    It's already sold as an Impala in the middle east.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  8. ma_Aiman avatar Aiman Posted: 5/3/2009 4:19am PDT

    The Commodore is already sold in the Middle East under Chevy Lumina LS, LTZ, S, and SS. There is also a LWB version of the same car that is sold as Chevy Cprice LS, LTZ, SS, and Royal.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  9. ma_NoNameDenton avatar NoNameDenton Posted: 5/3/2009 7:15pm PDT

    And yet there is a nasty rumor that the Cadillac sub-CTS model is going onto Epsilon 2, ugh, GM is annoying me

    what's so bad about the Epsilon II platform? considering the Saturn Aura (2008 North American Car of the Year) was on the previous Epsilon platform, i'd say its a pretty good platform. they're basically improving on something that was already good in the first place. hell, they even built a high performance Insignia on top that platform.

    but if you are thinking like i am, they WERE going to use the Kappa platform for this sub-CTS car. which would of put the M3 in Cadillac's crosshairs. just think if they ever did use the Kappa platform. 6.2L LS3 straight from the Z51 C6 Corvette. would of been one helluva competitor for the M3, C63, RS4, and IS-F.

    Actually Kappa was not going to be used, they were developing a better rwd platform called Alpha for the 3 series fighter. The plan was to make many body styles and use forced induction engines. I have nothing against the Epsilon 2 platform, it is a great plaform for mid-size sedans and such. However if I am gonna pony up money for something the size of a 3 series, I want rwd.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

 

Have an opinion?Join the conversation!

Contribute
Send us a tip Comment Contact the editor
Follow Us

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Research New Cars

Go!

Related Used Listings

Browse used listings in your area.
Listings Powered by


More from High Gear Media

 
 
MotorAuthority
  • Follow Us
  • Twiiter
  • Facebook
 
 
© 2013 MotorAuthority. All Rights Reserved. MotorAuthority is published by High Gear Media. Stock photography by Homestar, LLC. Send us feedback.