ALL-NEW HOLDEN COMMODORE UNVEILED TO THE WORLD

Holden today unveiled the all-new Holden Commodore range, designed and engineered to extend a six year reign as New Zealand's favourite car.

Interiors, exteriors and major mechanical features have been totally redesigned or upgraded, representing the most clean-sheet car program in Holden history.

Holden spent more than six years planning and developing the new Commodore, the first generational change since the multiple award-winning VT Commodore was launched in 1997.

Holden's sports performance hero SS model and prestige leader Calais were chosen to debut VE Commodore at an event in Melbourne.

The all-new WM series Statesman and Caprice flagship models, representing Holden's most successful locally designed export cars last year, were also shown in an historic double reveal.

Commodore's design theme is enabled by an increased wheelbase which moves the wheels closer to the car's corners, delivering a powerful European-styled stance on the road.

The launch comes 75 years after Holden became part of the world's largest automotive company, General Motors. It is also 150 years since the original Holden saddlery business, which grew to be today's GM Holden, opened in Adelaide.

Holden Managing Director, Peter Keley, today said the VE program totalled $1.04 billion and the WM Statesman and Caprice program $190 million, taking the combined cost to $1.23 billion.

Mr Keley said VE Commodore had potential for GM markets around the world, having been engineered from a global architecture for left-hand-drive requirements such as the Middle East.

He said VE offered striking design, performance and refinement able to compete with the world's best car brands.

"VE Commodore delivers ultimate value to the New Zealand buyer. Its design is comparable to anything in the world and we made major advances in refinement and quality," Mr Keley said.

"Holden's targets have been some of the most expensive and most carefully crafted cars around the world and this careful consideration of global expectations is what should make this car work.

"We pored over every panel, the tiniest of details to place this car right up there in terms of refinement, quality and performance."

Mr Keley said safety was a key factor in the new vehicle, with the acclaimed crash avoidance technology Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) standard and curtain airbags available on the entire VE sedan range.

"The chassis is designed to accommodate a range of active and passive safety technologies as well as the crashworthiness expected in many different markets," he said.

"We have used more super-strength and high-strength steels than ever before in Commodore's structure. Real world crash performance was a huge priority throughout its development."

A revised model line-up for the new range was announced, including a new name to Holden, Omega, to replace Executive and Acclaim.

"We are also adding extra class with the introduction of a new concept, the V Series, to highlight our top-of-the-line offerings. This will commence with the SS V and Calais V," he said.

"The peak power of our advanced Alloytec V6 engines, will move up to 180 and 195 kilowatts respectively.

"The six-litre V8 will stamp its authority with peak power and torque of 270 kilowatts and 530 Newton metres which will really deliver the performance Holden buyers know and love.

"We will introduce a new six-speed automatic transmission for V8 models, sharing it with GM's premium cars such as Cadillacs and the Chevrolet Corvette.

"We have introduced all-new front and rear suspension systems to provide outstanding handling without sacrificing ride comfort. The car's microprocessing capability has more than doubled and allows us to provide new levels of safety and user-friendly features."

"We're proud of what we have achieved with the all-new Commodore. We know New Zealander's still enjoy large cars and we know they want safety, roominess and style in their cars."

The Holden VE Commodore range will go on sale in September 2006. Pricing and full specifications and features will be announced closer to the start of sales.

Peter Keley - Managing Director - Holden New Zealand
Greg Murphy - New Zealand V8 Supercar Driver

For media enquiries, contact:
Brodie McClellan
Holden New Zealand
(09) 978 3619 or 029 978 3619
brodie.mcclellan@gm.com

2006 HOLDEN VE COMMODORE -HIGHLIGHTS Overview

• Holden's first $1 billion dollar car program. This compares with $600 million spent on the acclaimed VT range released in 1997
• Combined with WM Statesman and Caprice, total program costs were $1.23 billion
• Most clean-sheet car program in Holden's history
• More than 3.42 million development kilometres were driven during the program
• About 2.4 million Commodores have been built for domestic and export sales since the VB Commodore was launched in 1978
• Holden Commodore has been New Zealand's best selling car each year for the past six consecutive years.

Model lineup

The new Omega and V Series models feature in a revised Commodore lineup. Omega replaces Executive and Acclaim while the V Series adds new variants to the leading SS and Calais nameplates.

• Omega (new) - 3.6L V6, peak power 180kW, peak torque 330Nm, four-speed automatic
• Berlina - 3.6L V6, peak power 180kW, peak torque 330Nm, four-speed automatic; 6.0L V8, peak power 270kW, peak torque 530Nm, six-speed automatic
• SV6 - 3.6L V6, peak power 195kW, peak torque 340Nm, five-speed automatic or six-speed manual
• SS - 6.0L V8, peak power 270kW, peak torque 530Nm, six-speed automatic, six-speed manual
• SS V (new) - 6.0L V8, peak power 270kW, peak torque 530Nm, six-speed automatic, six-speed manual
• Calais - 3.6L V6, peak power 195kW, peak torque 340Nm, five-speed automatic; 6.0L V8, peak power 270kW, peak torque 530Nm, six-speed automatic
• Calais V (new) - 3.6L V6, peak power 195kW, peak torque 340Nm, five-speed automatic; 6.0L V8, peak power 270kW, peak torque 530Nm, six-speed automatic

Engines

• Two variants of the advanced all-aluminium 3.6L Alloytec V6 engine will be offered
• The high output Alloytec will deliver peak power of 195kW @ 6500rpm and peak torque of 340Nm @ 2600rpm, up 5kW and 5Nm
• The Alloytec V6 will deliver peak power of 180kW @ 6000rpm and peak torque of 330Nm @ 2600rpm, up 8kW and 10Nm
• Increased output from the new 6.0L Generation 4 V8 engine to peak power of 270kW @ 5700rpm and peak torque of 530Nm @ 4400rpm, up 10kW and 20Nm. This makes the new engine the most powerful standard Holden ever produced.
• Plans for a 3.6L dual fuel LPG Alloytec V6 engine later in the year.

Transmissions

Five transmissions will be offered, comprising three automatic and two manual transmissions. An all-new six-speed automatic transmission will be offered for V8 variants, shared with General Motors' flagship Cadillac cars and the Chevrolet Corvette.

• GM 6L80E six-speed automatic transmission with Active Select (introduced in the Cadillac STS-V in the United States) makes its Australasian debut as an option in all V8 variants
• Tremec T56 six-speed manual in SS and SS V
• GM 5L40E five-speed automatic with Active Select in Calais V6
• Aisin AY6 six-speed manual in SV6
• GM 4L60E four-speed automatic in Omega and Berlina

Safety

• Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) standard on all models
• Driver, front passenger and side impact airbags available on all models
• Occupant protection system designed for real world driving environment
• Curtain airbags available on all models - standard on SS V, Calais and Calais V; optional on Omega, Berlina, SV6 and SS
• Ultra-stiff body structure, multiple load path strategy, structurally optimised front and rear deformation zones
• Greatly expanded use of super-strength and high-strength steels in the body

Technology

• All-new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems
• Zone-based front and rear park assist systems available on selected models
• Multi-function display reporting system
• Bluetooth standard on all models except optional on Omega
• Roof-mounted DVD systems available on all models
• Auxiliary plug in audio systems to accommodate MP3 devices
• Integrated navigation and telematics systems available later in 2006

History

VE is the 14th series of Commodore since the original VB Commodore was released in 1978. The VB Commodore was introduced as a replacement for the iconic Kingswood family. New generations of Commodore were introduced in 1988 with the VN series and the VT series in 1997.

Commodore has been New Zealand's favourite car for past six consecutive years.

It is New Zealand's best selling car year to date in 2006, a significant achievement given general awareness of the pending VE arrival.

For media enquiries, contact:
Brodie McClellan
Holden New Zealand
(09) 978 3619 or 029 978 3619
brodie.mcclellan@gm.com

Power and torque figures as per ECE regulations
ESP is a registered trademark of Daimler Chrysler AG