GM boss: V8's time is over

General Motors has a message for Holden fans lamenting the forthcoming demise of the Commodore V8 – move with the times and embrace new technology.

The uncompromising view was delivered by General Motors international operations boss Stefan Jacoby, who is the GM executive who has previously taken responsibility for the 2017 closure of Holden’s Elizabeth manufacturing facility and the end of the locally-developed and built rear-wheel drive Commodore family.

“These kind of traditional powertrains, I know they are very charming and very attractive and I like the sound of the V8 as well, but the times are honestly over,” Jacoby told Australian media at the Frankfurt motor show today.

The Commodore is expected to be replaced by a rebadged version of the next generation Opel Insignia, which will be a front and all-wheel drive sedan with a turbocharged V6 as its peak powerplant.

The move to Insignia is part of a major alignment between Holden and Opel, which also includes the Astra hatch launched today at the show.

The only V8 sold by Holden post 2017 is expected to be the Chevrolet Corvette sports car, which would be priced north of $100,000, whereas a Commodore V8 can be purchased for under $50,000.

The new Chevrolet Camaro coupe has been ruled out as a cheaper V8 option for Holden because the conversion cost to right-hand drive has been judged too expensive. And plans for a US-developed replacement for the Commodore - where it is sold as the Chevrolet SS – have been scuppered by GM too.

Holden sold more than 12,000 V8 Commodore VFs in 2014, or more than 10 per cent of its total sales. The final VF II Commodore has just been launched with a 6.2-litre V8.

But as important as it has been to Holden, Jacoby says the company and its buyers must look forward to a new era.

“The world is obviously changing and the V8 period is coming to an end,” said Jacoby. “And the rear wheel drive is difficult to justify on a single, dedicated architecture for Australia.

“So there are many, many reasons why you should switch to a new technology by really providing the same expectations customers have with today’s Commodore with the next generation.

“Our main intention is to have a true Commodore successor which enables with modern technology the same fun to drive, the same sportiness, the same ‘I’m the commander of the road with the Commodore’ that today’s generation (delivers). That’s the main intention right now.”

Jacoby said modern downsized turbocharged engine technology could replace sheer V8 size.
“It is just a perception from the customer that you need a big engine, with lots of cylinders and horsepower to have the performance.”

Jacoby also made the point the segment was declining and that some form of fuel economy and emissions legislation would come in the Australia, making the V8 ever harder to justify.

Asked how current Commodore V8 owners and buyers might react to his message, Jacoby was defiant.

“They will get exactly what they want based on a different technology,” he insisted.

“The (Australian) market is shifting towards European tastes when it comes to passenger cars, which is not a V8, which is not a Commodore. You can say ‘we want to maintain the last frontier for the V8 drivers’, but is it good in the long run? No.

“The market is also shifting to SUVs and if we are not understanding this as Holden and following what Australian customers truly want then we are making a mistake.”

He also dismissed Ford’s play with the Mustang, which will arrive in Australia late this year in right-hand drive ex-factory with a V8 engine, giving Ford an affordable V8 option beyond next year’s end of Falcon production.

“I don’t need to follow Ford first of all … Ford is Ford and we are General Motors Holden.”