The Holden Commodore that spawned the Chevrolet SS and Caprice PPV for the United States market is dead. Done. Finished. The next Commodore will be a badged version of the Opel Insignia/Buick Regal, which we imagine is like kicking every Holden fan dead-square in the junk a couple of times, just to drive the message home. There will be no V8, and no rear-drive version will be available, so that makes the rendering of this Gen2 Supercar racing spec version of the upcoming NG Commodore, created by GM Design Australia Exterior Design Manager Peter Hughes, even more of a cynical take on the subject. Or is it?
For the 2018 season only, Holden will run the car with the current V8 setup already found in the current field of Holdens. But for 2019, a twin-turbocharged V6 that is being developed in tandem with General Motors Performance and Racing Center in Pontiac, Michigan, will be fitted to the racing cars. There is no official word with details on the engine, but we have a suspicion that a form of the LF4 3.6L found in the Cadillac ATS-V is being tapped for duty. Paired with all-wheel-drive and tuned to the 600-horsepower range, the Commodore would be a stomper without question. But the question isn’t about whether Holden can make a fast Commodore out of the new car. The question is, will any of this trickle down to the Regal and Insignia? We can’t speak for the UK market, but there has been a small but vocal group that would love nothing more than for Buick to make another turbocharged terror. If the company would play their cards right, a very small production run of cars could fill a halo car market with little additional cost incurred and the potential for a good profit margin.
We can hope, anyways…
I’ve been to Oz three times, most recently last April. Each time I’ve been I have fallen in love with Holden’s. They are such freaking cool cars, and I especially like the most recent models. How about a 6.0L LS wagon with a 6-speed manual? Yeah, you could get that. Corporate marketing strategies are what they are, but GM made a massive strategic blunder not importing and pushing these cars and their kin Utes, in North America. It’s pure conjecture on my part, but I bet had GM had the brains to see the opportunity in selling these cars in North America, my purely subjective feeling is they would have realized a significant spike in sales and secured Australian vehicle production for at least a few more years. Water under the bridge. However, whoever at GM corporate said “no” to the idea of importing these wicked cool cars to this side of the world, should, in my opinion, suffer a severe public shaming, and be stripped of their stock options.
Man that is one really badass looking car. Holden is one of my favorite brands and this one really hits the mark! I’m a V8 guy myself, but a twin turbo 6 would be pretty badass as well. Sad the Chevy SS is dead, but at least we still have the CTS-V.