With Holden set to cease production in Australia in 2017, any replacement for the brand’s local hero, the rear-wheel-drive Commodore, will have to be imported. It was previously reported that the replacement would come from China, but it appears the plans have changed as the latest reports claim Holden’s Commodore replacement will be built in Germany.

Holden’s only official comment on the matter is that it will offer something to fill the void of the Commodore, with the new model almost certain to be a front-wheel-drive sedan with the option of all-wheel drive. According to Carsguide, the new sedan will be built by fellow General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] brand Opel. The Australian publication also reports that Holden execs have already driven early versions of the sedan in Germany.

It’s thought that the sedan will either be a version of Opel’s next-generation Insignia, which will once again reach China and North America as a Buick Regal, or a larger sedan with coupe-like styling. This larger sedan will share a platform with the new Insignia and may serve as the replacement for the LaCrosse or be sold alongside it in North America.

The larger sedan will also be built in China but GM’s Chinese plant is expected to be at capacity so won’t be able to build any additional units for export to Australia. Hence the reason to source the Holden version from Europe, where GM's plants are still below capacity.

The first Holden Commodore, the VB, was launched in the late 1970s and was actually based on the underpinnings of an Opel model. So, with the car’s replacement once again adopting an Opel platform, the Commodore will have come full circle. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance Holden will drop the Commodore name for the new sedan as no Commodore has ever been built outside Australia and slapping the badge on an import may not sit well with Aussie car buyers. There will also be no replacement for the Commodore Ute, sadly.

Importantly for the North American market, the current Commodore’s demise in 2017 means our version of the car, the Chevrolet SS, will be in need of replacement. The current thought is that GM will launch a new SS based on the Alpha platform and build it in the U.S.

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