By the end of next year, the Australian-built Holden Commodore will be no more, concluding almost four decades of homegrown production. The Commodore nameplate isn’t facing the grave, though. Holden parent General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] has confirmed a new Commodore will be launched in 2018, though this time it will be a rebadged version of a car from one of the American auto giant’s other brands.
There was plenty of speculation on what it could be. However, the boss of GM’s European division Opel, Karl-Thomas Neumann, has let slip that the car in question will be Opel’s new Insignia due to be revealed later this year.
Speaking to media at this week’s 2016 Geneva Motor Show, where Opel showed off the GT sports car concept and Mokka X crossover, Neumann confirmed that the next-generation Opel Insignia will be sold Australia. The current Insignia is already sold in Australia in limited numbers and with its own name, but with the next generation of the car growing in size the Commodore nameplate will be attached.
Karl-Thomas Neumann
Speaking in Geneva, Neumann said the new Insignia is "coming soon," and that the Australians will “like this car a lot.”
Sadly, this means the end of the road for rear-wheel-drive Australian muscle sedans as the Insignia will be a front-wheel-drive car with available all-wheel drive. There will also no longer be a V-8 on offer. The Commodore’s arch rival, the Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] Falcon, bows out of production for good at the end of this year.
As for the new Insignia, it’s a crucial model for GM. Not only will it be sold as a Holden Commodore, it will also be the basis of the next-generation Buick Regal (the current Insignia and Regal are also twins). The car is based on GM’s E2XX platform and will offer four-cylinder and V-6 options. A hybrid option is also expected at some point.
For more from the Geneva Motor Show, head to our dedicated hub.
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