2018 Holden Commodore: What’s in a name

Holden didn’t take long to decide to retain the Commodore name for its all-new Opel-designed large car. But it did plenty of homework as part of the process.

“Retaining the Commodore name was a big decision,” Holden executive director of sales, Peter Keley, told motoring.com.au at a confidential preview of the all-new car in October.

“We approached this decision with no preconceived ideas and were determined to let the facts decide,” Keley said.

According to Holden, the “essence of Commodore” is defined by design, space, technology and that ambiguous quality, “great to drive”.

Keley said the move to what is essentially a front-drive four-cylinder mass market Commodore is not at odds with these attributes that purportedly define the badge.

“We are absolutely confident we can deliver the drivability the majority of our customers will expect. The new [four-cylinder] Commodore will have all the mod cons and a performance outcome for customers that's never been better,” Keley told motoring.com.au.

“I'm not nervous about the [comparison of the sales] performance of the four-cylinder Falcon,” he said.

Holden researched the all-new car and the name with Commodore owners, non-owners and Commodore ‘rejecters’ – new car consumers that interacted with Holden and purchased something else.

Keley explained that while the company proposed other names, Commodore was far and away the clear favourite.

“Commodore ‘cliniced’ off the charts. We resolved to keep Commodore name a couple years ago,” Keley explained.

“The Commodore name will have been used continuously for almost 40 years when this car is launched in 2018 . From the market research we did, the feedback was clear."

Keley was canny enough to admit the new car would not please everyone but he said the new Commodore’s evolution mirrors that of the Holden brand.

“This new car is a Commodore but for some it will not be enough. Those people may not buy this car, they may leave Holden fold, they may leave the [large car] segment but for many others the outcome will be different. Some, many of them, will gladly get into this vehicle. It meets their needs. It delivers Commodore attributes,” Keley stated.

And it’s not just private buyers that Holden has already brought into the new Commodore ‘club’. Conscious of companies like Volvo courting institutional buyers including police fleets, Holden has already introduced Australian and New Zealand police forces (and other bodies) to the new vehicles.

“We took them [the Police forces] through the same process as we've taken you guys through and the overwhelming feedback is that the new cars will do the job at Commodore has done in the past,” Keley opined.

Holden has also confirmed the new car’s look and general arrangement with Supercars.

“There is of course one V6 twin turbo Commodore,” Keley stated, referencing the dearth of any such road-going Holden model.

“We have extended our relationship with Supercars for a further three years and we will race this new Commodore."

All you need to know about the MY18 Commodore
MY18 Commodore - Our first prototype drive
MY18 Commodore - a detailed rundown
MY18 Commodore - why it promises to succeed
MY18 Commodore - is Australia ready for an imported ‘icon’?
MY18 Commodore - by the numbers
MY18 Commodore - Next-gen Commodore capable of drifting