Beyond-2017 Holden Commodore to be rebadged Insignia?

Brett Davis 7

The Commodore after the final model rolls off the Australian production line in 2017 has already been revealed to dealers in New Zealand and possibly Australia

The Commodore after the final model rolls off the Australian production line in 2017 will be based on a future GM product, and apparently it has already been revealed to dealers in New Zealand and possibly Australia.

Holden Insignia VXR

Images of the model set to replace the Commodore after 2017 were revealed to dealers in New Zealand a couple of months ago, Holden New Zealand boss Jeff Murray confirmed to New Zealand Herald.

It’s understood the Commodore nameplate will be finished with after the last model, which will likely be a VF Series II or III, with a new name set to join the local stable for the next large sedan.

Specific details haven’t been confirmed, however, Murrary said the car will be sourced from GM’s European Opel division. He said,

“We all know the Commodore is disappearing but we will be replacing it with a Commodore-sized vehicle.”

From this, rumours have been spreading like wildfire. What model will it be based on? Opel is known to be testing various prototypes of the next-gen Insignia, with many experts believing this will be the Commodore replacement.

The current Insignia is built in a number of different forms, or, more accurately, with a number of different badges. There’s the Buick Regal, Vauxhall Insignia, Opel Insignia, Chevrolet Malibu, and even the Holden Malibu. It’s been quite a successful platform for GM, offering good driving dynamics, efficient powertrain options, and some advanced in-car tech.

The main problem we see is the fact that Holden has already confirmed it will be introducing a Holden-badged version of the Insignia in 2015 (pictured above). It seems unlikely that the company would introduce an ‘all-new’ model to replace the Commodore based on a product line that it already has in place.

As for the name? Well, that’s anyone’s guess really. Murray said the decision on the name is expected to be finalised over the next six to eight months.

Holden Australia will close down its manufacturing facilities by 2017, with some critics suggesting this may happen sooner if the current economic climate remains for the struggling yet much-loved Aussie brand.

Whatever the model is, let’s just hope there are performance versions still on the table.

7 thoughts on “Beyond-2017 Holden Commodore to be rebadged Insignia?

  1. The new name should be the Importediva. That can be pronounced “imported diva” to reflect GMH’s arrogance in the process, or as a variation on “imported”. And no, I would not be a GM customer regardless as neither GMH nor Ford seem to have their acts together these days.

  2. WTF is that, That’s all I need to say on that pic and that’s from a Holden fanboy!
    Looks like the VF I have now will be the last no way I would be seen driving this one.
    I seriously hope they get the corvettes or something else over here as a replacement for the RWD V8’s we love now, As I bet it will soon be some econo box 4 cylinder FWD!

    1. of course it does – definitely similar lines as this is where the VF design comes from – just way better than the oversized jittery VF

  3. They’ll be replacing it with a Commodore sized car? Do they not see the lack of sense in this?
    People don’t want big sedans these days. I would’ve thought they had seen that with, you know, the Commodore and Falcon not selling.
    Unless they manage to price it low and still have halfway acceptable quality it’s going to be a failure I’m afraid.

  4. So how does this relate to the Ute and premium Holden Special Vehicles? Will we see an Australian built HSV version of this? What even is happening to HSV?

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