Holden fast-tracks VF Commodore debut

The reveal of Holden’s vital new VF Commodore has been pulled forward into the first half of February.

motoring.com.au understands the move has been forced by the first public test of the new-generation VF-based V8Supercar scheduled for Sydney Motor Sport Park (Eastern Creek) on Saturday, February 16.

The category’s official public test will also host the debut of the 2013 Ford FG Falcon, Nissan Altima and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG V8Supercars built to new Car of the Future technical regulations.

The question is how many days before the 16th will Holden reveal the new Commodore?

Complications to consider include the unveiling of the Commodore-based Chevrolet SS, the reveal campaign for which started with the unveiling of the 2013 NASCAR.

Holden also has to give its V8Supercar teams space to conduct launch events to reveal their new cars. It is believed any team wanting to reveal new sponsors before the production VF is shown will have to use VE sheetmetal and digital imagery.

That’s a particularly important issue for the dominant Triple Eight team, which rolls over from Vodafone to Red Bull primary sponsorship in 2013.

An examination of Holden’s past Commodore launch practises could be instructive here. The VE was unveiled on a Sunday at an embargoed event in Melbourne in July 2006. The idea was to capitalise on a softer news day and high Sunday TV news ratings to give Holden’s locally developed ‘billion dollar baby’ maximum exposure.

Doing that again would mean launching on February 10, or maybe even February 3. Any earlier would probably impinge too much into holiday season.

While the reveal date has shifted forward, the plan for the VF’s roll-out continues to include a mid-May first drive for media and a June on-sale date.

In between the first look and its appearance in showrooms, motoring.com.au understands the Commodore will be subject to a staggered roll-out of its many new features – just as VE was.

Even though VF is not an all-new car, it will present a thorough upgrade of the VE in areas as diverse as fuel economy, driver assistance systems and connectivity, as well as interior and exterior styling.

You can also expect to see a slimmed down range, reflecting the reduced sales expectations for once-dominant locally built large cars.

The VF Commodore is expected to be the last significant update before production ceases around 2017 and it is replaced on the Elizabeth assembly line by a vehicle – expected to be an SUV – based on a global architecture.

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