Holden teases last ever Commodore

GM Holden has teased a pic of the final Australian-made Commodore ahead of its official unveil on Sunday (September 13).

The darkened image shows off the VF Commodore Series II’s nose. From our first look it’s clear there have been minor tweaks to the grille, an all-new bumper design and wider air dam. Look closely and you might also notice a new pair of subtly redesigned LED daytime running lamps.

As well as a revised front-end design the VFII will also come with an updated interior and infotainment upgrades.

The Facebook post comes after the last week’s announcement that GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mark Bernhard, would share his "vision for Holden's" on Saturday (September 12) before unveiling the upgraded VF Commodore Series II at the company's Port Melbourne headquarters the following day.

Described as “Holden's best ever Commodore” the VFII Commodore is primed to go on sale this October.

Further limited-edition specials will follow over the next two years, but the VFII will be the last homegrown Commodore before production finally ceases at the end of 2017.

Holden is expected to stockpile large numbers of the most popular VFII models – especially the V8 versions that account for more than 30 per cent of current VF sales – for sale well into 2018.

The same year will see Holden release its first imported Commodore – almost certainly based on the replacement for Germany's front/all-wheel drive, four/six-cylinder Opel Insignia sedan and wagon.

As we revealed exclusively last October, the biggest change will be reserved for the MY16 Commodore SS, which will upgrade from its existing L98 6.0-litre V8 to an HSV-matching 6.2-litre bent eight.

Since then most media outlets have reported the same story, with one 'exclusively' claiming that the VFII SS's L99 6.2 V8 will deliver 304kW, based on an ADR certification document for the MY15 Caprice, which has since been removed from the federal government's transport department website.

Meantime, other reports insist HSV will upgrade its entire short-wheelbase VFII Commodore-based line-up with a detuned version of the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 in the GTS range-topper.

HSV's current 6.2 LS3 V8 range opens with the 317kW/550Nm ClubSport sedan and Maloo ute, while all other models bar the GTS offer 340kW/570Nm with either six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

Holden's current VF Commodore SS, meanwhile, produces 260kW/517Nm in automatic form, and 270kW/530Nm as a manual.

Apart from a bigger, more powerful V8 – with camshaft phasing as well as Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation and E85 ethanol capability – VFII SS models will finally bring the option of steering wheel shift paddles for automatic models, plus a bi-modal exhaust and rear as well as front Brembo brakes, as per the Craig Lowndes limited-edition.