Holden has traded fresh looks for fuel efficiency with its new MY10

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Holden has traded fresh looks for fuel efficiency with its new MY10 Commodore. By RICHARD BLACKBURN.

For the first time in its history, Holden has launched a new model Commodore that looks identical to the one that preceded it.

The new model year 2010 Commodore has no exterior or interior design changes, with the company focusing single-mindedly on fuel efficiency as it looks to arrest a worrying decline in sales of the country’s most popular car.

The centrepiece of the new model range is the new pair of direct-injection V6 engines, which deliver fuel savings of up to 13 per cent over the Commodore’s previous engines. The new, smaller 3.0-litre V6 version of the MY10 Commodore will take the mantle of the country’s most fuel efficient locally-built six-cylinder car when it goes on sale later this month,.

Holden says the engine, the smallest to power a Commodore in 20 years, cuts fuel consumption to as low as 9.3 litres per 100km, making the car more efficient than some four-cylinder rivals.

Compared with the previous model Commodore, Holden claims the new model can save up to $325 for a motorist travelling 20,000km at a petrol pump price of $1.25.

To fund the engine upgrades, styling, handling and equipment changes have been put on hold and will follow further in the car’s product cycle, most likely in 2011.

The strategy is a turnaround for the company, which downplayed the importance of fuel efficiency figures when it launched the all-new VE Commodore just three years ago.

New Holden boss Alan Batey said the MY10 Commodore reflected growing customer concerns about the environment and the running costs of their cars.

“What we’ve really done is prioritise what we think is a game-changer for us, which is the engine,” he said.

He said the company had shifted focus from its previous tradition of bundling a series of changes together for a new model and was now working to bring new technology to market as soon as it became available.

But the focus on fuel efficiency over styling and design changes is a shift in direction for Batey and Holden.

In his role as sales boss of Holden at the launch of VE, Batey played down the fact that the Commodore was then the thirstiest of the local large cars.

“A car is a massive emotional statement,” he told the Herald. “The difference [in the cost of petrol] is two beers a week.”

But Batey said yesterday Holden had reacted to massive changes in the car market in the three years since the VE launch.

“We’ve gone through amazing times in the past three or four years, things you’d never have been able to predict,” he said.

He admitted the company was taking a “calculated risk” by introducing expensive new engine technology without charging a premium for the new model.

The cheapest versions of the car, the Omega and Berlina, have increased by just $700, while the more expensive SV6 and Calais versions have remained the same price.

“We believe the right thing to do is to take a calculated risk that if we bring the technology to the car we can attract people back to large cars,” he said.

Aside from the engine changes, Holden engineers have introduced several tweaks designed to make the cars use less fuel.

There is a new six-speed transmission which Holden claims delivers better fuel efficiency and more performance than the previous four-speed unit.

The company wouldn’t be drawn on how quickly the car will complete the 0-100km/h sprint, but sources said it was quicker off the mark than the previous engine.

The engine itself is 9kg lighter than the one it replaces, while its minimum idling speed has been lowered from 600rpm to 550rpm for better efficiency.

Elsewhere on the car, there are low rolling-resistance tyres, which improve fuel consumption by reducing friction. The tyres also have a higher recommended air pressure rating.

Finally, the alternator and voltage control of the car have been revised to reduce the impact of the car’s electrical systems on fuel consumption.

Minor changes have been made to the car’s suspension and steering to take into account the different tyres and different tyre pressures, while more sound deadening in the engine bay and a different muffler system contribute to a quieter cabin.

Batey dismissed suggestions the lack of visual differentiation would hurt the new model.

“I think this is one of those timeless designs that we just got right from day one. It doesn’t seem to have lost any of its lustre, so I don’t think that’s going to be an issue whatsoever,” he said.

Thats going to make sales interesting !!!I have a new Dunnydore but it looksthe same as the old one ? Mug punters will buy it and overlook the superior FORD..