Holden VF Commodore SS V unveiled

You’re looking at what could be the last generation of locally-built Holden V8s.

It’s what Holden calls a ‘show car’ version of the new VF Commodore SS V, which goes on-sale in May along with the rest of the sedan range.

In reality, while handbuilt, painted in a custom ‘Fantale’ metallic and rolling on 20-inch gloss-black alloys, the exterior and interior are a very close guide to what you will see in Holden showrooms.

The lifting of the embargo on SS V follows six days after the public reveal of the VF Calais and comes a day before General Motors North American President Mark Reuss pulls the cover off the SS V-based Chevrolet SS performance sedan at Daytona in the USA.

While Holden has revealed no technical details, the SS V is expected to continue with its predecessor VE’s L76 and L98 variants of the 6.0-litre Gen IV V8, while the SS is expected to be powered by the Gen V LS3 6.2-litre V8.

However, both should eventually transition to the new Gen V 6.2-litre V8 that debuts in the Chevy Corvette in September.

But the longer term question posed by the reveal of these cars is whether there will be a V8 Commodore to follow them when VF production wraps up in either late 2016 or early 2017.

Holden managing director Mike Devereux told motoring media a week ago that the Commodore name would continue post VF, with the name attached to a locally-built car underpinned by a new global architecture.

If that new architecture is rear-wheel drive then V8 would no doubt continue to crown the Commodore lineup. But if Commodore swaps to a front/all-wheel drive architecture, then V8 would be very unlikely.

The bad news for V8 fans is that going front/all-wheel drive is the option which currently seems the favourite. The most likely architecture is the widely used Epsilon II, or a development of it.

That component set underpins a wide variety of vehicles across the General Motors product lineup, including the turbocharged all-wheel drive Opel Insignia OPC launched in Australia this week. That car arguably shows the direction Holden might have to go with a high-performance Commodore in a brave new world beyond V8s.

Another option – as Mr Devereux revealed at the Detroit auto show in January – is that the current Commodore ‘Zeta’ platform continues to be built beyond 2016 at the Elizabeth plant in South Australia, servicing demand for rear-wheel drive V8s here and overseas, including the long wheelbase PPV police car sold in North America.

Feasibly, Commodore could split into two distinct families – four and six-cylinder front/all-wheel drive and a traditional V8 rear-wheel drive.

But for now Holden isn’t talking about stuff like that. SS V is the next step in its ongoing campaign to hype the VF all the way to May.

While the Calais V crowns the ‘luxury sport’ channel, SS V is the King of the ‘sport luxury’ models. The ‘entry-level’ channel has yet to be revealed, and nor is Holden revealing just what the full range of VF Commodores will be.

Like Calais V, SS V will be strong on technology. Firsts for an Australian-built car in VF include Reverse Traffic Alert, Head-up Display, Blind Spot Alert, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning and Auto Park Assist.

Calais V and SS V share the same exterior sheetmetal, which means a higher front and rear than VE, driven by pedestrian protection legislation and aerodynamics as much as design purity.

But they differ in design detail, most obviously the SS V goes for a smaller upper grille and larger lower intake than the Calais V. The driving light inserts also change in detail. At the rear, the valance is deeper with twinned exhausts projecting from either side.

“The Calais V and SS V have the same bonnet, decklid and sheetmetal,” explained Holden chief designer Richard Ferlazzo. “But the SS has a different persona. Being an SS it is a bit more assertive, we just want to give it a nice planted look with a sportier edge, so it has a lower ramp angle, a lower ride height and it’s just further planted on the road.”

At the rear the ‘show car’ has only a small decklid spoiler, but there will be more substantial rear wings offered.

Mr Ferlazzo also explained the SS’ exterior boasted more “brightwork” than its predecessor, as Holden purposely moved the Commodore further upmarket toward a more sophisticated image.

“We can do that because the Commodore doesn’t have to be all things to all men any more,” he said. “If there is one upside of more competition – and there is a lot more competition – it is that it doesn’t have to go from a fleet car to a limousine and hit every mark. There are other entries that can do that.”

Inside, as reported last week, Holden has essentially cut back from three interiors to one, making differentiations via trim and pushing the presentation and materials significantly upmarket.

 “The sports DNA may be more subtle, but it’s apparent everywhere around you,” said Holden’s chief colour and trim designer Sharon Gauci. “From the central accent stripe on the seats to the perforated leather inserts, the carbon fibre look cross-car applique, the SS-V Series embroidered ID on the instrument panel, alloy-faced pedals and the traditional red-lit graphic displays”.

The ‘show car’ comes predominantly in black and will be one of two options offered by the production car.

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