A Kia Stinger style twin-turbo V6 was considered

Originally, Opel never intended on building the latest Insignia in V6 guise, but Holden – with support from Buick for its North American-market Regal – persuaded the Germans to pencil the program in. Problem was, budgets were very tight.

“It was bad enough losing the V8 and rear-drive,” one insider confided to Wheels. “There was no way the Commodore was going to lose the V6 as well!”

One Holden engineer revealed that several alternatives to the naturally aspirated 3.6-litre HFV6 were mooted for the ZB, with the advanced 3.0-litre twin-turbo from the Cadillac CT6 said to be at the top of the wish list. In the American rear-drive luxury sedan it delivers around 300kw and over 540Nm … a whole lot more than the 235kw and 381Nm managed by the ZB VXR. Twin-turbo, AWD modern-day Commodore SS, anyone?

It appears GM’S beancounters ultimately deemed the twin-turbo V6 exercise too costly, as extensive re-engineering was required for transverse-engine application. What a pity … particularly as most Holden insiders quietly admit to preferring the sparkling 191kw/350nm 2.0-litre four-pot turbo (found elsewhere in the range) to the atmo V6.