Holden Commodore name here to stay: ‘Calais’ spotted testing in Victoria
Despite the negative feedback on Holden's decision to retain the Commodore name for the next-generation European sourced Commodore, Holden will stick to its guns.
Further confirming Holden's plans to keep Commodore alive, CarAdvice reader Ryan sent through this image of a next-generation Commodore testing on the streets of Melbourne with a Holden badge and 'Calais' badge.
We know Holden will kill the 'SS' badge for Commodore, but this image confirms the company's plans to retain a similar naming structure to keep the vehicle relevant to customers.
Speaking exclusively with CarAdvice at a recent media drive of the new Commodore, Holden director of communications Sean Poppitt confirmed the end of SS for Commodore, but didn't kill all hope of its return on other products.
“Calais stays, but SS doesn’t. Outside of that, we’ll let you know. We’re still six months away from launch,” Poppitt said.
“The only product that currently has it [the SS name] in Australia is the V8 Commodore. So when we stop making V8s, that’s when we stop the SS.
“It’s a GM name, so it’s also used on Camaros and other performance vehicles; none of which I can comment on coming to Australia, but can I categorically say that you won’t see SS on a GM vehicle in Australia again? No.”
The Calais badge attached to the rear of the pictured car looks different to the style used on the current VFII Commodore and is likely to have been stuck on locally. The registration sequence of this vehicle is newer than the vehicles we drove recently, suggesting it's a more recent build and more representative of the final product.
After giving it time to settle, do you think that Holden has made the right decision to retain the Commodore name?
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