Five-star safety across Commodore range

Holden's upgraded Commodore range has achieved a five-star rating in ANCAP testing. The crash safety score applies to all Commodore derivatives other than the Ute light commercial vehicle variants. That includes model year 10 (MY10) Commodore sedans, Sportwagon, Statesman and Caprice.

Previously, only the Commodore Omega was deemed a five-star vehicle, based on having the necessary passenger seatbelt reminder -- an item not easily incorporated into the dash design of higher-grade variants.

According to Holden, the 'safer' cars -- the superseded Commodore range was already equipped with the necessary complement of airbags and stability control -- will be introduced with the SIDI direct-injection V6 engines and six-speed transmissions next month.

"We've always been very confident in these vehicles' real world safety capabilities but even so, it is rewarding to receive this third party endorsement," said Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Alan Batey.

"The five-star result reflects our rigorous approach to all aspects of vehicle safety. We are committed to a policy of continuous improvement which is highlighted with the launch of this exciting range."

Holden was not the first to market a five-star safety-rated locally-manufactured car. Ford earned that honour with the FG Falcon, but unlike the Falcon, the result for Commodore also includes LPG passenger-carrying models.

For the present, the LPG (E-Gas) Falcon is a four-star car, based on its lack of stability control at the time the car was tested by ANCAP.

Holden's news comes slightly later than expected, since the Omega achieved the highest crash safety rating as long ago as late last year, but Holden's Product Communications Manager, Kate Lonsdale, did say at the time to expect the rest of the range to comply with ANCAP's requirements from "model year '10, which is mid-2009 production".

As well as the passenger seatbelt reminder, all MY10 sedans and wagons are now fitted with a steering column shroud to protect the driver's knees from injury. Standard safety features for all models include seatbelt pretensioners, load limiters, dual front airbags, side-impact and curtain airbags, a 'ride-down' steering column and 'break-away' foot pedals.

The Commodore was not the only car to reach the top in crash safety in recent months, ANCAP reporting that the Toyota Aurion, Subaru Outback, Subaru Liberty, Alfa Romeo Mito Hatch, Peugeot 308CC, Mercedes-Benz Viano and Vito also earned five-star ratings from the latest round of crash safety testing.

ANCAP Chair, Lauchlan McIntosh, welcomed the achievement by the two locally-manufactured cars -- Commodore and Aurion -- and put aside his earlier criticism of Holden for delaying the introduction of the passenger seatbelt reminder which would have made the car eligible for a five-star rating sooner.

"We continue to see more and more 5-star vehicles on the market for consumers, which is a great thing," he was quoted as saying in a press release.

"The Australian-built Toyota Aurion and Holden Commodore, Statesman and
Caprice models now have the front passenger seat belt reminders that make them
eligible for a 5-star rating."

In addition to the enhanced safety and the 'SIDI' (Spark Ignition, Direct Injection) V6 engines, the upgraded Commodores will score six-speed automatic transmissions, lower-rolling resistance tyres and a higher-efficiency alternator.

The adoption of the high-efficiency V6 engines and the six-speed automatics has resulted in lower fuel consumption, lower CO2 emissions and compliance with the Euro IV emissions standard. Omega, Berlina and Calais variants are now rated at four stars in the Green Vehicle Guide, according to Holden. This was a consequence of the new models sliding in under the threshold of 240g/km of CO2 emissions.

Holden claims that the upgraded models, on the open road, can achieve 7.5L/100km (3.0-litre) or 8.0L/100km (3.6) and that's sufficient for the cars to make the run from Melbourne to Sydney on the one tank of fuel.

Responding to criticism of Omega and Berlina models fitted with the previous port-injected Alloytec engine, Holden has also improved NVH and refinement in the new models.

MY10 cars will offer two new sports colours, Poison Ivy and Wildfire (both pictured).

Cars fitted with the 3.0-litre SIDI V6 will rise in price by $700. Those models affected by the price rise are the Omega and Berlina variants. All other models are fitted with either the 3.6-litre SIDI V6 or the L76/L98 V8.

Holden is planning to introduce the upgraded VE/WM models with a $10 million advertising campaign. This will commence late next month. Production of the new models has already commenced, with effect from August 26, and Holden will begin wholesaling the range early next month, with media drive events scheduled for the first week of September.

We'll let you know more about the MY10 Commodore range at that time.

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