Commodore could live on as Chevrolet

The most senior Australian in General Motors' headquarters in Detroit, North American design chief Michael Simcoe, says the Commodore would "probably make a very nice Chevrolet" -- but he stopped short of saying when that might happen.

Simcoe, who has been based in Detroit for five years, said he believes the future of the Commodore is secure despite its recent significant setbacks.

Last year the Commodore recorded its second lowest annual sales in its 31-year history. The all-time low was set in 1983. In 2009, Holden lost the Pontiac export deal to North America -- which almost equaled the number of Commodores it sold locally. Nevertheless, Simcoe says the Commodore continues to have a future.

"If I thought Australia didn't have a role to play going forward I'd be disappointed, but I know that's not true," he told a group of Australian journalists. "Am I disappointed that [the Pontiac G8 version of the Commodore] isn't [in US showrooms] at the moment? Yeah, because it's one of the best sedans on the road here and there's few and far between that are rear-wheel drive. But it's not dead forever."

Simcoe also said that Holden would continue to play the lead role in the design, development and engineering of the Commodore globally.

"Anything that would be done on VE or a modification of that vehicle would be done by Holden. They own that vehicle."

He added: "Whatever brand was going to be applied to the vehicle, that brand's champion and the studio that works with them, would have input on the car."

When asked directly if the Commodore would be sold as a Chevrolet he said "It would probably make a very nice Chevrolet." He later added: "Do I think it's going to happen? I don't know. It's too early to speculate. It's a very good vehicle and it would be a shame to stop producing it or stop its existence in this marketplace."

Simcoe said despite the tough year in 2009 -- and the continual decline in large cars globally, the Commodore will live on beyond this generation.

"I'm convinced that the vehicle will be around for a long time in Australia."

However, he did concede Holden is reconsidering every aspect of what a future Commodore might look like.

"We're re-thinking everything at the moment. We've been through a little bit of a pull-through lately.

"We've got lots of choice. But Holden Commodore going front-wheel-drive is not on the books right now ... or the foreseeable future that I know about."

He was referring to mounting speculation that the next generation Ford Falcon could be front-drive or all-wheel-drive.

Ford Australia boss Marin Burela regularly praises the virtues of front-drive vehicles and even said that rear-drive Falcons initially came about because Australians wanted to tow boats and caravans. "But now they do that with four-wheel-drives," he said.

One of Simcoe's design colleagues at Holden, Ondrej Koromhaz, told Australian journalists in Detroit that Holden has other solutions to the fuel economy challenges that large cars face -- and will not need to go front-drive.

"We have the same challenge that Ford has," he said. "We have a certain size of car, certain weight, certain requirements, certain engines we'd like to combine those all together and find some solutions.

"But I don't think we're going to go to the extreme that Ford does. I think we have some better solutions to achieve the targets and we would like to protect the size and proportions of the current car.

"Commodore will remain what Commodore has always been. I think there is a future for that type of car in Australia.

"I can't imagine we would ever give up that configuration. Hopefully we can protect it and carry on."

Koromhaz joined Holden nine years ago and helped design the VE Commodore with senior colleague Peter Hughes. Both designers ended up with the final two designs in Holden's internal styling competition for the VE.

After VE, Koromhaz then worked at GM's styling studio in Korea from late 2005 where he worked on Cruze and the upcoming Barina replacement (unveiled in Detroit as the Aveo RS concept car).

In mid 2007 he went to GM's joint venture design studio in China for two years. The former Wheels magazine Young Designer of the Year winner then returned to Holden in Australia in May 2009 where he has been working on the next generation Cruze and Commodore sedans.

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