2018 Holden Commodore spied in Melbourne – UPDATE
German liftback sedan makes Australian debut
Update - More images of the new Holden Commodore have been submitted. See bottom of article for details
The all-new 2018 Holden Commodore, a localised version of the new Opel Insignia revealed for Europe late last year, has been spied in Australia this week.
Caught by CarAdvice reader Matthew, who could snap only one shot before traffic intervened, this prototype is likely in the country for evaluation and ride tuning before the new Commodore's official launch next year.
The new-generation, fully imported Commodore made a digital debut in early December, shown first in liftback sedan guise. The wagon version, also confirmed for Australia, was revealed earlier this month.
For those only just now crawling out from under their rock, the new Commodore range will be powered predominantly by four-cylinder engines - petrol and diesel alike - although a naturally-aspirated six-cylinder petrol mill will be available in a sporting flagship model, still to be revealed.
Reader Matthew says that although he couldn't get any closer, his own VF Commodore made the new model "look tiny".
He's not far wrong: The new imported Commodore will ride on a 2829mm wheelbase, falling well short of the VF Commodore's 2915mm footprint. The new model's wheelbase is therefore closer to that of the Ford Mondeo (2850mm), which - with the large Falcon now gone - will be one of its primary rivals in Australia.
"The coupe style looks quite nice, though," Matthew added.
For more on the new Commodore range, see our coverage at the links below.
Update: More images of the new Commodore have been submitted by a CarAdvice reader on Facebook, giving us a better look at the front and side of the Europe-sourced liftback.
However, the future of the Commodore could now be under a dark cloud with the news of French automotive group PSA - which owns Peugeot and Citroen - set to announce their takeover of the Opel and Vauxhall brands later tonight.
What this means for General Motors (and subsequently Holden) remains unknown at this stage, with the company only saying it "remains committed to the Holden brand".
Stay tuned to CarAdvice for our coverage of PSA's announcement tonight.
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Podcast
Listen to the CarAdvice team discuss the 2018 Holden Commodore Melbourne spy below, and catch more like this at caradvice.com/podcast.
Listen to the CarAdvice team discuss the 2018 Holden Commodore Sportwagon below, and catch more like this at caradvice.com/podcast.