The Holden Commodore (ZB) is a full-size car manufactured by Opel for General Motors' Holden division from 2018 to 2020. It is the fifth and final generation of the Holden Commodore range. It was a re-engineered and overhauled version of the Insignia, co-developed between 2012 and 2017.
The ZB Commodore was Holden's first and only imported model to be sold under the Commodore nameplate. The range included the five-door liftback and five-door station wagon bodystyles.
Holden previously sold the first generation Insignia under the Opel brand (Opel Insignia) in 2012 and 2013,[1] as well as under the Holden brand (Holden Insignia) from 2015 to 2017. It was the first Holden Commodore model to be manufactured outside of Australia, following the closure of Holden's Australian car manufacturing facilities at Elizabeth and Fishermans Bend on Friday, 20 October 2017.[2]
It was the first Commodore in thirty years to come with a four-cylinder engine as standard, and controversially, the first in its forty year production not to have a V8 powertrain option. GM made the decision to discontinue Australian manufacturing of the Holden Commodore due to falling sales and losses.
The ZB Commodore proved to be unpopular in Australia resulting in cuts to the production schedule[3] and the lowest unit sales per month on record since the original VB Commodore was released in 1978.[4] November 2019 was the lowest month recorded with only 309 Commodores sold.[5]
The ZB Commodore, and the Commodore nameplate, were discontinued at the end of 2020 due to low sales. Two months later, The Holden brand would be retired altogether by 2021.[6]
Development
The Development for the ZB Commodore started in 2012, with both Holden and Opel working alongside each other, designing and developing the next generation Insignia, with Holden catering it to Australian conditions.[7]
The ZB Commodore is different from the Z18 Insignia that it is based on in its more direct and responsive Australian-specific steering, suspension and exhaust tuning, its driving dynamics and how the car feels to drive. The 3.6-litre LGX V6 engine was also not available in either the Opel or Vauxhall Insignia. The chassis was re-worked and the VXR variant's sound symposer was also completely changed by Bose engineers.[8]
Once the car was ready, prototypes were sent to Australia for testing. Holden completed over 100,000km of testing from 2012 to 2017, with engineers bracing the cars to withstand local roads and make it feel similar to previous Commodore generations.[9]
Safety
Akin to its VF Commodore predecessor, the ZB achieved five stars in the ANCAP safety ratings. Originally, the ZB ANCAP rating was awarded based on the Euro NCAP test of a 1.6 litre model which was not sold in Australia.[10] ANCAP conducted an audit test on specification of Australia V6 and confirmed its rating.[11]
Compared to the VF Commodore, Holden rearranged the specification levels and model nameplates, with only the Calais (and Calais-V) surviving into the ZB series, this name having originated in the VK-series Commodore of 1984 as a luxury model. Like previous Commodores, the ZB Commodore's trim levels are split into two categories: Luxury (LT, Calais and Calais-V) and Sport (RS, RS-V and VXR.) The two model lines can be most easily distinguished by their unique front bumpers and side skirts, as well as unique rear bumpers with larger exhaust tips in the case of the RS-V and VXR.
All models with either the 2.0L turbo petrol or diesel engine were exclusively front wheel drive, and all models with the 3.6L petrol V6 were exclusively all wheel drive, with the same GKN Twinster torque-vectoring all wheel drive system used in the Ford Focus RS.
The RS was the entry-level sports variant. It featured Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, 18-inch alloy wheels, and an upgraded interior with different seats and steering wheel. It had the option for a all-wheel drive with a 3.6-litre V6 exclusive to the liftback.[13]
Commodore RS–V
The RS–V was the mid-range performance model, and while it was similar to the RS, it included more features such as an upgraded 8-inch MyLink system incorporating satellite navigation, wireless phone charging, Hi Per Strut Suspension, a limited-slip differential, leather seats, different alloy wheels, larger exhaust tips and the Twinster AWD system. Only the V6 AWD powertrain was offered, in liftback and wagon forms.[13][14]
Commodore VXR
The VXR was the flagship sports variant. It featured IntelliLux Matrix LED headlights, front Brembo brakes, VXR and Competitive drive modes, large rear spoiler, cooled front seats, heated rear seats, 360-degree camera, Bose audio system, and 20-inch alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres. It was the only model available with FlexRide adaptive suspension, alloy pedals and black headliner. It was only available with the V6 and AWD. It was only available as a liftback.[13]
Calais
Holden Calais Tourer
The Calais was the base luxury model, retaining the nameplate used on top-end luxury Commodores since 1984. It featured 18-inch alloy wheels, leather heated front seats, wireless phone charging, Blind Spot Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and an 8-inch MyLink system. It was available as a liftback or Tourer (wagon). The liftback was available with 2.0-litre petrol or diesel engines, with the Tourer only available with the 3.6-litre V6.[14]
Calais-V
Holden Calais-V
The Calais-V was the flagship luxury model. It featured 20-inch alloy wheels, 360 degree camera, IntelliLux Matrix LED headlights, sunroof, and massaging front seats. It was available as a liftback or Tourer. It was available with only the 3.6-litre V6 and AWD.[13][14]
For marketing purposes, the ZB Commodore was raced in various motorsport disciplines, including Supercars. However, the race cars generally had no physical or mechanical relationship with the production model, other than similar looks, as an exterior shell was built to resemble the road going cars, with a rear wheel drive tube frame chassis underneath.
Supercars Championship
The ZB Commodore is used by teams running Holdens in the Supercars Championship. Powered by the same V8 engine as used in the VF, a turbo-charged V6 engine was under development for use in 2019, however the project was cancelled in April 2018 amid engineering concerns that the V6 would not be competitive.[15][16]
The ZB Commodore proved to be an instant success, prompting Ford to controversially push for upgrades for its ageing FGX Falcon which was in its final year of competition. The ZB failed in its championship success due to the upgraded DJR Team Penske FGX Falcon of Scott McLaughlin triumphing in 2018 before dominating in the Mustang GT from 2019 to 2020. The ZB hit back in both 2021 and 2022 with Shane Van Gisbergen sending both the ZB and Holden off in style due to the brands retirement from both the road and racetrack.
The ZB Commodore achieved Bathurst success immediately with victories in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022. The ZB holds the record of 87 victories and being the Commodore that delivered Holden's final Bathurst, championship and race win.
Sales
Sales of the new Commodore commenced in February 2018. The ZB is the first Commodore produced outside of Australia since the nameplate's induction in 1978, leading to much public backlash.
Consumer uptake and acceptance have been the lowest for any Commodore branded vehicle in the history of Holden manufacturing, however, this has also come at the same time as the nameplate has shifted market segment and competition, with the ZB outperforming all but the Toyota Camry in the Medium/Large segment, including the Mazda6 and Ford Mondeo.[17]
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Total
2018
—N/a
363
516
473
885
946
516
635
672
663
701
6,370
Future developments
When the decision was made to cease vehicle production in Australia and source the ZB Commodore from Europe, Opel was still a subsidiary of GM. That ceased on 1 August 2017 when Opel and Vauxhall were sold to Groupe PSA. These new owners of Opel/Holden have announced that they will transfer the Opel Insignia platform to PSA platforms as early as 2021, which means the current model would be discontinued as PSA plans to export PSA-based, Opel "Holden" models globally from 2018 onwards.[18]</ref>[19]
On October 17, 2018, Holden halted production on the Commodore due to slow sales and unsold inventory at its dealerships.[20] The Holden Commodore ceased to exist by the end of 2019, with the ZB becoming convincingly the lowest selling version ever.
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