Reuss rules out Commodore four

Outgoing Holden chairman and CEO, Mark Reuss, has ruled out a four-cylinder Commodore. But, the soon to be Global Head of Development for the new General Motors says smaller sixes are a possibility.

Reuss put a cross through any plans for a four-cylinder Commodore to compete with Ford's planned Falcon Four at yesterday's announcement of the new direct-injected SIDI V6s that will feature across the MY2010 Commodore range.

Asked whether Holden would put a four in a Commodore, Reuss stated the company would listen to the market, but categorised a four as a "last resort".

"The market will tell us that [whether we need a four]. But at this point our planning is all around this [Port Melbourne engine] plant, this V6 that we have -- which is the most advanced in the world --made right out of here. We're going to work on executing high quality today and [work to extract] further fuel efficiency and efficiency out of this vehicle," Reuss stated.

"We're going to out-engineer the competition and dropping cylinders would be the last resort because people still like the power, the performance, the towing [capacity] -- all of those things that we get in Australia with this engine in this car."

That out-engineering doesn't exclude engines smaller than the 3.0-litre V6 launched yesterday that will power the entry-level Omega, however, says Reuss.

Holden currently builds a 2.8-litre version of the High Feature V6 for export. It is used in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions by marques like Saab and Alfa Romeo.

"I'm not saying we'd never go below 3.0 litre, but 3.0 litre we think is the sweet spot for the architecture, the car and the [balance of] fuel economy and the performance," Reuss told the Carsales Network.

"We look at all those things, when we look at what displacement the engine would have and you don't rule out any of that stuff [downsizing or forced induction]. This is the most flexible engine plant in GM making this [engine] so we can always do that and relatively quickly if we want to do that.

"We want to match what we think the performance [fuel, C02 and onroad] with where the vehicle is today. So as we evolve this vehicle and we get more high tech with some of the applications of materials on the vehicle, we then look at the powertrain," Reuss explained.

And sounding a warning to those that might underestimate the rejuvenated General: "None of this stuff is final. We will react to the market and quicker with more high quality and more surprises than any one else in this market. That's our mission."

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