The car that replaces Holden's once-dominant Commodore after production ceases in 2017 is most likely to be an imported version of Opel's next-generation Insignia – and it may not be called a Commodore.
That's the take-out from a report by The New Zealand Herald, which contained a revelation by Holden's NZ boss Jeff Murray that Kiwi Holden dealers have already reviewed the replacement car in the metal.
"We all know the Commodore is disappearing but we will be replacing it with a Commodore-sized vehicle," said Murray to the NZ Herald, reiterating confirmation by former Holden chief Mike Devereux that Holden will offer a replacement for the Commodore.
However, he also said that a decision on whether the car retains the iconic Commodore name will be made "in six to eight months", despite comments in January by GM international operations chief Stefan Jacoby, who indicated that the new 'Commodore' will be imported from Europe, Korea or the US. The NZ Herald reported: "The company [Holden] is taking the new product from Opel Europe or GM's US line-up, but Murray wouldn't say which one but that it was one of three large sedans available overseas", apparently ruling out a Chinese-built Commodore. As we've previously reported, the 2018 Commodore is likely to be based on the platform that will replace GM's existing global mid/large Epsilon II architecture by 2016, possibly called the E2XX. Currently, Epsilon II underpins models as diverse as the Chevrolet Malibu and Impala, Buick Regal and LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, Opel Insignia and Saab's discontinued 9-5, all of which are transverse four- or six-cylinder models with front- or all-wheel drive.
However, according to the NZ Herald, Murray also confirmed the next-gen Commodore will again be offered as both a sedan and wagon.
While the existing Insignia is available in both sedan and wagon body styles, currently no US-sourced GM product is produced in wagon form.
But there's no guarantee either large sedan will wear the once-hallowed Commodore badge, which hasn't graced a Holden since 2006.