Holden Commodore
The
Holden Commodore is an automobile series built by the
Holden division of
General Motors in Australia, available as a sedan, wagon or 'ute' (utility or
pickup truck). Introduced in
1978, the first was the VB Commodore which came with a 2.8L engine and 4-speed manual transmission. The original design was actually a rebadged
Opel Commodore, which was GM's 'V-car', sold in the
UK as the
Vauxhall Viceroy, and the
Chevrolet Commodore in South Africa, but subsequent versions took their bodywork from the slightly larger Senator. Styling changes also gave the Commodore a distinctive appearance, with the
1986 VL featuring pop-up headlights, while co-operation with
Nissan saw the use of engines from that company.
The VN Commodore, released in 1988, was similarly based on the Opel Omega, but this time the European platform was widened and stretched. The Commodore could now match the rival Ford Falcon for size, and for the first time, was available as a ute, the Australian colloquialism for a pick-up truck. The Statesman and Caprice, built on an even longer wheelbase, were positioned against Ford Australia's Fairlane and LTD. The Statesman is used as an official car by government ministers in Australia, and some are also converted into hearses for funerals or limousines.
The VT Commodore, released in 1997, was similarly based on the Omega (GM2800) platform, and saw a coupe version, the Monaro, which resurrected a famous Holden brand name from the 1960s and 1970s, as well as a four-wheel-drive version of the Commodore wagon, the Adventra. A long-wheelbase, four-door ute called the Crewman is also available.
The Commodore was also assembled in New Zealand, but is now exported completely built up. It has also traditionally been also exported to other right hand drive markets in the region such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Indonesia and Brunei. It is sold in South Africa and Thailand, badged as the Chevrolet Lumina. The Chevrolet Lumina is also produced in left hand drive for the Middle East (with the Statesman being branded as the Chevrolet Caprice), and to Brazil as the Chevrolet Omega.
Preceded by:
1990 Toyota Lexcen |
Between 1989 and 1996, the Commodore also was sold by Toyota in Australia, badged as a Toyota Lexcen. Named after the late Ben Lexcen who designed Australia's 1983 Americas Cup winning yacht - Australia II, the model sold in limited numbers, as buyers preferred the original Holden model. Early versions of the Lexcen were only distinguishable from the VN Commodore, by the amber lens indicators.
