A sad day for Holden fans

THE Commodore is dead. Long live Holden.

One of Australia’s most famous nameplates is being axed after more than 40 years.

Holden is dumping the moniker and the car the badge it is adhered to, a German-built liftback and wagon, which will no longer be imported.

It’s a sad end to the emblem which was once the mainstay of Australian motoring.

The Commodore sedan, wagon and ute was bought in the thousands by Far Northern families, tradies and business people for nearly 40 years.

There were four, six and eight cylinder versions, the latter revered by enthusiasts in the SS and HSV versions. In total more than three million were sold.

The best and last of the Australian built Commodores, the VF, have been snapped up by fanatics and there are many fine examples on Far Northern roads.

The current Opel version of the Commodore, in four and V6 models, has failed in the big car sector which is plunging to low depths.

The mantle began to slip as buyer tastes shifted first to hatchbacks then to SUVs and utes.

In the decade between 2002 and 2012, Commodore sales slumped from almost 90,000 a year to just over 30,000. Sales this year are just 5417.

Holden is in the fight of its life with its market share just 4.1 per cent and 10th on the sales ladder.

It will now concentrate on utes, SUVs and four-wheel drives, almost all rebadged Chevrolets.

That begs the question whether the Holden name will be replaced by the universal Chevrolet brand?

Nick Dalton

Deputy editor