Hybrid and diesel Commodores two years away
May 19, 2008 by David Twomey
2010 Holden Commodore hybrid and diesel
The boss of General Motors Asia Pacific has said that hybrid and diesel powered Holden Commodores are only two years away.
At a media briefing in Melbourne today (Monday) GM Group Vice President and President of GM Asia Pacific, Mr Nick Reilly, said that the new power trains for the Holden Commodore could come to market as soon as 2010.
Mr Reilly, who is in Melbourne for the corporations quarterly regional board meeting and to review current and future product with senior Asia pacific executives revealed the future product plans as part of a wide-ranging discussion on Australian car market.
Suggesting that not only hybrid and diesel models were under consideration Mr Reilly made it clear that GM Holden would sustain interest in its large car product by developing a range of fuel options.
He also openly cited LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) , CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) and E85 (85% ethanol/petrol blend) as options that needed to be considered as viable “short-term” options for powering motor vehicles in all markets.
Mr Reilly said GM was working across a range of technologies and added that LPG and E85 would probably be the quickest to market.
However, he added that diesels were a priority – ‘we already have diesels in several of our cars in Australia’.
“We don’t yet have diesel in Commodore but that will come, “ he said. “As for hybrids, again we will introduce them in the next couple of years.”
As well as revealing that diesel and hybrid variants of the Commodore were under development, Mr Reilly also suggested that GM’s turbo four-cylinder petrol ECOTEC powerplant, already suggested as an option for the Chevrolet Camaro that’s been developed for the North American market in Australia, was a possibility for the Commodore.
Asked if the turbo four-cylinder petrol engine could be used in the Commodore in the future, Mr Reilly, replied:” that is certainly a sensible suggestion. It makes a lot of sense and therefore we are probably looking at it”.
He refused to be drawn further on the prospect of a four-cylinder Commodore.
His statements follow the recent announcement by new Ford Australia President Bill Osbourne that the Falcon would get a diesel engine in 2010 and come as Toyota grapples with pressure from the Federal Government to build a hybrid Camry in Australia.
Mr Reilly admitted that GM had dropped the ball on hybrid passenger cars, favouring development in large displacement engines, such as those used in heavy vehicles, and had given archrival Toyota a clear run with vehicles such as the Prius.
He said GM had not recognised immediately that the car buying public would pay for the application of hybrid technology in smaller engine vehicles, where the fuel efficiencies were much smaller.
“Our strength in hybrids has tended to be in larger vehicles,” he said.
Mr Reilly added that a hybrid Commodore could be one of the first GM hybrids on the market, adding that he would put a timeframe of “a couple of years” on it.
Mr Reilly added that there was not a priority on hybrid versus diesel, saying: “Honestly I think we need both.”
“I think we need to offer a variety if different answers and we are able to do that as part of GM worldwide.”
The green light to hybrid and diesel Commodores appeared to take other GM executives at the briefing by surprise and GM Holden Managing Director Mark Reuss has not yet announced anything confirming the proposals.
Mr Reilly’s public support for the proposals certainly means they will get a strong hearing within the company’s product planning forums. Holden engineers have been working on both diesel and hybrid power trains for some time, but have previously received little support from the wider GM.
David Twomey
Print it: 
I believe that it is Cameron… However as you can see there is a couple of individuals on this site who; if the article doesn;t relate to their favourite make of car They never have anything positive to say aabout the topic instead they prefer to hijack the thread in an attempt to try and change the subject so that we end up talking about that other make which starts with a T..
infact one of them often ends up making personal attacks
its almost as if they know nothing about any other make or model of car yet they are the ones who call us ignorant and narrow-minded – i think that’s called irony.
wheelnut,
be the man, and walk away.
dont even read his posts and then you wont be tempted to respond.
simple
I’m quite with Andrew M on this one. I mean, I don’t go into Graylands Psychiatric Hospital and say, “hello, I’d like to have an argument with one of your patients, please.” They’d commit me!
Yet it happens here every day!
golfie,
it sounds obvious when you put it that way.
but unfortunately it does happen here as you say.
Wheelnut,
dont respond mate.
if you havent figured out by now that he cant be reasoned with, and does these things for arguments sake,
then it speaks very little about your self
wow people post quick – I almost wonder if this site should run a chat room. Then it would have a moderator and morons would be banned.
Cam,
agree mate.
wouldnt business boom for them
The right tools for the job should determine the purchase decision if economy were the chief concern. Diesel for long flowing trips to take advantage of the inherent efficiency of a diesel running on a steady speed and hybrids/plug in electric for stop start traffic to take advantage of the electric motor being the chief motive power under 40 kph. Compromised driving, yes, but until someone builds anything better these current technologies are the realities we have to live with.
I came across this article in Drive: Fuel types: the pros and cons /The Sydney Morning Herald, March 30, 2007″
Great article which I believe looks at the pros and cons regarding alternate fuel etc in a very objective manner.
You almost get the impression that there is no quick fix.
At a guess I would say that the answer to the fuel problem will come from Europe, because they have been dealing with this problem of high fuel prices much longer than us.
Big companies in Australia buy toyota for tax purposes. Its always the bottom line that talks.
Tony M.. We already know who he is!! thats the funny part of all this.. we know who is is and where he works.. and he isnt the person everyone thinks he is.. Yet he is still here..!! why do people get kicked off for baiting yet he is still here.. this site is a joke!! I would suggest that he is one of the CA people or knows them, or its a rating stsunt for CA.. in any case it is only damaging the cedibility of this site
and I will probably get banned for saying that but somebody had to.. thats why I have not been on this site for months as it has become trashy!!
I agree Cobra, I used to love the site, but I’m finding myself visiting less and less as it is going to sh*t. It shouldn’t be a chat room like many treat it, and I’d strongly recommend that CA move to the comment systems of other auto sites. Even though comments will be significantly delayed due to moderation, the site may be able to return to the time when it was actually a great resource for anyone looking to buy a car.
Cobra045: Who are you talking about? Some so called mechanic who works for Rio Tinto who seems to be on the internet more than fixing the utes he’s suppose to. Maybe that’s why they need so much fixing because he doesn’t give 100%. Shock horror you don’t mean this guy is not who he says he is. Oh my whatever I have been tricked.
Cobra045, there are people like this guy who try to portray something they are not. Did he suck me in, no way. I use to sell cars many years ago and I can string a person along like you would not believe. Guys like this use to come into the car yard and try to impress. Guess what? They actually believed their own bulls**t and thought that by impressing they might get a better deal. Reality is, I would say “yeh really” and when they signed on the bottom line and came back latter, I’d say under my breath, who are you? Tragic I know, that’s why I left the business.
Tony M.. You hit the nail on the head mate. Yes I am talking of the so called rio tinto mechanic. I wasnt inferring you were sucked in, just letting you know that all is not what it seems in this case, and its a shame CA are either actively involved or just letting it go to get ratings.
BH has let the site
left, left, left.
To much Shiraz!
I think it was.
ooh, ooh, ohh … it is getting closer to the end of the month and i wonder who is gonna win the sales race this month.
It has been really close between Toyota, Holden and Ford for the past few years and is impossible to predict just who may take the honours for another month.
HA, HA, HA !!
OH WHAT A FEELING …
I agree with JBOT.
Back on topic as lots of drivel here…..the diesels in Commodore; anyone can provide comments about size and power figures as dare say would be high tech heaps!
NM,
my biggest beef with the commy and falcon diesel ideas is i dont think the economy would improve enough to justify the extra investment.
Back on topic we are Naughtyius Maximus! One of the earlier posters surmised a handy 550 Nm from the proposed VM Motori engine. I appreciate what Andrew M says about LPG, but the more significant marketing mood, buzz-word, call it whatever you like, is with diesel at the moment.
And if you read boss-man Reilly’s comments, EVERYTHING’S under the microscope – CNG, E85, Hybrid, LPG and turbo diesel and 4cyl petrol turbo, so the next couple of years beyond the introduction of the Sportwagon and direct injection motors are going to be very exciting to watch.
You were posting the same time as me, Andrew M. If people see the VM diesel as an alternative power source with chummy driving characteristics and good economy (however much better, as you point out), the calculator might play a lesser role in their decision to purchase.
Have a good weekend. You too NM. I’m off to gym, then a thali at my local Indian.
What worries me about the hybrid model like the Prius is will Holden go for a small turbo diesel, say 2 litre (100kw/320Nm) and match it to an electric motor of similar output. Like I have said before I find the Priuses we have at work, when you try to push them and they are low on voltage you don’t get the type of acceleration you expect.
I do agree. People will still buy em as they forget the premium they pay and they are prepared to sacrifice more $ to buy better fuel economy and dont think greatly of fuel costs of it. Bit like a mirage me thinks.
What concerns me about this new age revelation that big cars on slide is that people will not tow same things, have less appeal to carry people and will change there lifestyle hey!
And agree Tony M…..other thing is all this excitement about Hybrids is a laugh. Well economy before top up is poor, battery issues is not advanced enough and lots of greenhouse gases go into the car and batteries in particular. So the mirage effect takes its hold on the buying public
Dam you Golfie……………….Indian tucker is my favourite. Better get Indian bl**dy hot as I do and still eat some 5 bullseye chillies which I take with me – the Indians are stunned at me for how hot! Lucky bugga
golfie,
i appreciate your angle in that people would buy the diesel falcons and commys for their driving characteristics, but i would say that argument is only valid in the case of small cars and light trucks.
falcons and commys are very much drivable especially the falcon with its torque bank that is greater than popular turbo diesels.
falcons and commys dont need their neck rung as much as small petrol and jap petrol trucks.
if i was looking at a jap ute, no way would i go petrol.
yep, the diesel versions of jap utes are well worth the investment for enormous fuel bill savings, coupled with much much better drivability as they dont rev like a mother F*cker.
4cyl petrol jap trucks dont even match the economy of say a falcon
True, and more so since Jap utes have big motors in them in petrol guise to
I’ll have a thali for you too, Naughtyius. Actually, I won’t. They’re filling.
Gym’s off, too. I wouldn’t have time for a proper work-out and I hate clock-watching.
Andrew M. Hmmm. Yes…I see everything you’re saying but will add the following for food-for-thought.
I drove a friend’s auto Mazda 323 today, bought just before the replacement 3 hit the shores. I’m delighted to say that the Golf was like a Rolls Royce in comparison to everything about it, virtually, and it wouldn’t have pulled a sailor off your sister.
So yes, diesel Commodores and Falcons are going to be interesting in that, firstly, they will be joining a range of cars that perform very well in the first instance and secondly, we’ve never had them before.
It’s all very untested, but you can sense the demand for them is in the air and where should Holden and Ford be if they don’t satisfy demand or predict a change of taste?
My confidence is that, if they’re available, people will buy, and many will willingly be early adopters. After all, maunufacturers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz give you the option of choosing diesel or large capacity petrol engines in the same body shell to no apparent disadvantage. Just choose your engine and everyone’s a winner.
golfie,
yes i know it is un chartered waters.
but i just dont see a commy getting under 8.0L/100k.
the mondeo economy is a fairly good indicator, as that is the closest in size to a falcon or commy that a diesel would be asked to lug around
i cant stand petrol small cars or petrol jap trucks because you have to rev their ring off to go any where.
in other words, i can see how a diesel option will improve the drivability of a small car and jap trucks, but not a falcon or commy.
ive had a few falcon utes, and they have all been manuals.
when even i get into a jap ute, quite bluntly i hate it.
in my falcon, dropping back to 2nd will spike the revs to 2500rpm (depends how hard you are going in though),
but in a jap ute, going into a corner and grabbing 2nd will see you nearing compression lock up.
its an age old saying, if it aint broke, dont fix it.
i honestly cant see a falcon becoming any more drivable than it already is.
small cars becoming more drivable adds up because you usually have to ring their neck to get them going.
diesel solves that problem.
in the case of falcon/commy, their aint that problem that needs fixing.
poor public perception is the way i summ up ford and holdens eventual path to diesel mod falcons and commys.
i do believe that a diesel territory would be worth it though.
public have been crying for diesel terry for ages, and ford has lost market share because of their slowness to act
Hi folks this thread still going on – I’ve been to London and back and it continues.
Don’t quite agree with you Andrew M – Economy of a Commie now is about 10.5’s say. My Vectra, a similar vehicle, with 3 litre diesel does comparably 7.7’s and its by no way a decent diesel donk, the Germans are far better getting 7.2’s and 7.3’s. Thats about a 30% saving on fuel.
Worth while having in my view. And I agree with Golfie you gotta just ignore the higher purchase cost else you’d put off buying one, remember the resale rates are better for diesels of course.
Dingo – end of month figures – Come up with something new Yawn, we’ve heard it all before.
Noname – agree, when you look at the results for Holden and Ford you do tend to doze-off
Market share …. what market share !!
Hey NO NAME…..where you around when ALBORZ got abused real bad by a tosser who reckon was drunk ~ that guy wasnt even banned one bit? Couldnt believe it! Lots are leaving here is not consistent and site has changed!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do agree Diesel tech from Germany is unreal and to ignore the higher purchase cost else you’d put off buying one. Do agree about resale rates are better for diesels to
So Diesel Supercars at Bathurst in 2010?
Who gives a crap about all this saving fuel just use it dont worry if its gone its gone then we will have to use something else.Until then im just gunna keep filling up with premieum and enjoy flooring the throttle .Maybee u guys can save fuel and use diesels and that will give me more time to thrash around in my hsv
^What HSV do you own?
red clubie
^VE?
No 2005 z series with after market throtle bodies 8 separate ram tubes ones that criss cross sounds awesome with chip and exhaust gos hard dose suck the juice but who cares
Awesome!
I hope that Holden dont use the GM technology to develop at Hybrid. To date GM have replaced a few hundred batterys and prius 10
GM 0 TOYOTA 1