The Commodore model's future was questioned in the aftermath of Holden's announcement last week regarding changes to its production shift. Affecting output of the Cruze small car and Commodore large sedan, GM-Holden chief Mike Devereux was quick to point out that it was still basically business as usual.
With the arrival of the EcoBoost four-cylinder engine for the Ford Falcon, Devereux admits his company is keeping a close eye on the competition but cut short any speculation on a similarly powered Commodore.
"I watch sales of everything sold in this market... whether it's Mazda3, HiLux or Triton sales. We watch everything," he said. Figures for the Toyota and Mitsubishi models draw Devereux's interest due to the upcoming launch of the new Colorado, which he anticipates will "be spectacularly successful".
Meanwhile, Devereux is "pretty happy with what we've got at this plant" regarding current powertrain options applied to the Cruze and Commodore at Elizabeth.
"We've got a great four-cylinder Cruze lineup, and we've got a great new six and eight [cylinder] Commodore lineup. That's the way it's going to be."
Holden is releasing a dedicated LPG Commodore this month.
Ford is clearly struggling to leverage fleet buyers for the company's locally manufactured product range, since some fleets have a policy of buying four-cylinder cars only. That's the principal reason Ford is shortly to introduce its EcoBoost Falcon with a turbocharged four-cylinder powerplant. Holden need not worry about missing out on four-cylinder fleet business, since the locally-manufactured Cruze can home in on that share of the market. Hence Devereux's mention of the small car built on the same production line.
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