Commodore wins Middle East award

By Karl Peskett | December 14th, 2007

The Chevrolet Lumina SS, aka Holden Commodore SS, has picked up the “Best Sports Saloon” award for 2007 from CAR Middle East magazine.

The SS was awarded the category from 125 contenders, presided over by six judges from around the region. Holden should be rightly proud, considering the Middle East is not exactly devoid of stunning cars, some of which demonstrate considerable skill.

“The Chevrolet Lumina SS has a 6.0-Litre V8 Corvette engine under the bonnet. Need I say more? This all new-car from ‘down under’ is a fantastic reinterpretation of the cult Lumina SS.” said the editor, Shahzad Sheikh. “The vehicle edged ahead of some fierce competition to deservedly take the ultimate sports saloon award. It perfectly demonstrates GM’s renewed commitment to giving us the cars we really want to drive.”

And therein lies the secret to its success. We’d have to agree, as the latest VE sports models are certainly driver friendly cars.

The Middle East is now Holden’s largest export market.

Frugal One

****PRIMO!****

This could have been Ford with its Falcon if they had vision and the balls to stand up to FORD HQ.

The Falcon is doomed, Fairlane dies yeaterday, last one went built went down the line.Vale!

Cheers

F-0
http://Toyota Blue Blood

I don’t think so frugal.
Watto_Cobra

It would be doomed if we all thought like you mate.
Alien

when petrol is as cheap as it they get it there.. and the mentality levels are less than the preschool children here.. what did you really expect?

*yawn.
http://www.importjap.com/blog ImportJap

What the hell is that supposed to mean Alien?
Lcat

Would that be the same Shahzad Sheikh who was/is deputy editor at Used Car Buyer magazine U.K.?
http://www.caradvice.com goog

just shows how much holden have stepped up with the ve
Tonyn

goog,
Can you explain how they have stepped up to the plate? they have recall problems comming out of there a$%e

Only thing i can see they have gotten right is the outside look of the car. It still feels cheap inside, has constant problems and this is the car they thought would stick it up the euros? wrong!
Flying High

Holdenwoo fan or not – congrats to the GM for getting the award. So who\what is CAR Middle East anyway?
Tonyn

oh yeah congrats to them totally! it is a huge achievement!
Me.

Agree Flying High, that’s a huge achievement. Congrats GM
http://caradvice.com.au chris parr

Another market that likes overweight,unfrefined,fuel guzzling dinasours!! unbelievable!!
Momo

Yes, beating 125 contenders in the Middle East market is no small feat, congrats Holden.
http://www.caradvice.com goog

we toryn.. the whole way it looks and goes and how good all the electrics are inside and how smoothly it is.. and ever been in 1 over huge bumps it just goes over them so smoothly.. the vz were crap, but the ve just have gotten better
D 1 0 N

“Best Sports Saloon”, does that mean it beat the likes of the M5 and the RS4? If so, then I’d love to know their criteria.
Tonyn

maybe they dont have M5 and RS4 over there yet???

Goog, that was lame reasoning, i admit but it was a good effort to take that gong!
Bavarian Missile

Congrats to GM……….but I agree with Tonyn!

As far as the Fairlane being dead,Ford haven’t ruled out a replacement!Or it coming back!

Goog……it did take them a while though didn’t it,to finally match Fords package!

So did GM when collecting their award say.I would like to thank BMW ,Audi,and all those other manufactures that had the great ideas we copied!!hehehe Im going to get canned for that .Oh well!!
Richo

value for money has to also be taken into account, yes the M5 and RS4 are definetly better cars, but are they $100,000 better? For most people, not really. (for the record tho i would much prefer an RS4, but could never justify it)
http://www.caradvice.com.au Karl Peskett

Guys, bear in mind that the RS4 and M5 weren’t released to the Middle East market in 2007, whereas the SS was.

The RS4 and M5 were released in 2005.
Bavarian Missile

Yep true Richo……in this Country!!!
greg

Pity the Holdenwoo didn’t win the important Australia’s best family sedan awards, do they even win anything worth mentioning in our own country, middle east success is just a marketing stint to gain more sales, I must say Holdenwoo Australia forgot to tell middle east all the warranty and quality problems VE has encounted here, but why would you, just another concoct under the table deal like with wheels magazine.
Reckless1

“It perfectly demonstrates GM’s renewed commitment to giving us the cars we really want to drive.”

Therein lies the marketing lesson.

It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be what the customer likes.
golfschwein

Yet again, I pick myself up off the floor after suffering uncontrollable fits of laughter at the incredibly funny and sophisticated Holdenwoo jokes.

Nah, I’m actually taking the pi**. Guys, desist with Holdenwoo jokes right now. It makes you look so…unintelligent. Get your point across another way.
Momo

No no, let them go on, its actually quite funny to watch people eat sour grapes.

For the record, I’m having a nice two flavored ice-cream now, bubble gum and turkish delights if you must know, hahahaha
OH MY

OK GM, HOLDEN, DAEWOO TAKE YOUR PICK BUT YOU FORGET THIS IS A MARRIAGE THAT NEEDS BINDING, THATS WHY ITS HOLDEN WOO NO OFFENCE DUDE..
Stu

I agree they look and feel cheap inside, i went for a drive in one the other day, the handbrake looks especially cheap, i think the plastic in my vs looks better than the new one
Bavarian Missile

Hey Momo….I have to ask…..why MOMO ?? Your Italian designed and dress in Leather??? hehehe

Great products though!

I don’t do ice-cream…….I do like Turkish Delights though!!yum!!
Alien

importjap,

1 qs. have you personally been to the middle east? or stayed there ?
golfschwein

I’m not offended, OH MY. I’m just saying it’s well worn, not funny and it kinda makes you look, well, not very smart. Maybe even pre-pubescent. So it was just a friendly hint to do yourselves a favour, that’s all.
golfschwein

And Momo, what sort of greedy guts enjoys 2 flavours of ice cream at once. Ice cream makes me sick. I can’t eat more than 6 flavours at a time.
http://www.caradvice.com goog

whats with every bagging the ve.. just wait until the new ford comes out and we can check there plastics.. all u people are bagging the ve and prob havnt even drive 1 before to see how they go..
Bavarian Missile

Goog don’t you agree the handbrake does look and feel like its going to break off in your hand………..very budget!

Unless Im mistaken its not just the Ford supporters on here thet don’t like the tacky interior,STU has compared it to his VS!
Andrew M

wow i thought the VS interior plastics and quality couldnt get any worse.
i know quite a few people that have or have had VS’s and they are shocking and even at a young age!!! thats not saying much for the VE if STU thinks the VS is better
Andrew M

Richo,
you beat me to it.
a big factor in the equation would have been the value for money. when they judge the cars when do they ever take into account mechanical problems? all of those occur after the test drive, and even if it stuffed up in the testing there is still no criteria that ranks that sort of problem.

compared to what you get for what you pay whether its quality or not doesnt get considered either.

the other thing would have been its fresh entry to the market which would have made them sit up and look with anticipation
Bavarian Missile

Yep I guess what Karl said earlier was correct …….

Really Andrew M the VS was bad too!! I do think Ford need to change their plastics as well even though they have upgraded some in the BF from the BA !

Problem with the hard plastics they scratch easily thus not wearing as well! I think the kick panels are the same material Ford used 35 years ago and that too was crap!

Gee I have to tell my kids when getting in the Cobra “don’t kick the door panels cause you will scratch them” How much extra does it really cost for better plastic material Ford??

Reliability ……..your right Andrew doesn’t seem to come into the equation of judging ..I guess cause they don’t get the cars long enough.

You know I love my BMW’s ,they have a BMW Mag in the UK where they buy second hand BMWs ..anything really……and drive it for several months,tell you what it costs to repair and up keep at the end of each month, a great concept I think our local car mags should do……gives you an indication of what to expect! Some are high k cars,I think its a great idea! Also shows how good the cars manufacturer is overall I think!!
http://www.importjap.com/blog ImportJap

Alien,

Yes, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Morocco, and Algeria. I’m British, but my family background is Middle Eastern/North African and I don’t take kindly to your comments, thanks.
Bavarian Missile

Ok ImportJap……….I was going to your defense {and did ..but didn’t send it} but thought
you would reply to that one!

Im not sure what he was trying to get too!
http://www.importjap.com/blog ImportJap

Thanks Bavarian I’m sure Alien just didn’t think before he spoke. It’s really not welcome on a car site (or at all for that matter).
Bavarian Missile

Yep I agree!!!!!!!! In full !!
Alien

importjap, while those countries you mentioned are perfectly fine – they weren’t the places I was aiming at. Saudi Arabia was more my target when I posted earlier. Having been there and seeing their lovely driving and the way they regard traffic rules.. that was more than enough for me.

Top it off with their road fatality rates (have you ever seen those?), their ridiculously low literacy rate, the price they pay for fuel, their ignorance in this modern day and age (I mean women still cannot vote and to drive a car? forget about it..)

So when I saw that some sheikh had awarded the Commodore, nothing against the commodore but plenty of reasons why I believe the sheikh and whoever else was involved in that team wouldn’t be credible enough.

Take it kindly or not, just go do search on youtube and you’ll see what I’m on about when it comes to arabs and driving.
crazychook

Who cares how they drive or who is driving them. One third of the vehicles Holdens makes are exported to the M.E. Its good for our economy. Any how most of the vehicles exported are the WM Caprices.
Stfu

lol…yet another market who loves fuel guzzling fat bogan.
look,i admit i dont know much abt cars..but by using common sense,some1 will think theres sth “wrong”:
the s65 has a 4litre v8 that produces 309kw
and the commodore ss 6litre v8 on produces 270kw
and even tho the LS2 6litre v8 that is in the HSV only produce 307kw..big cc engine but no use
Non-Bogan

i just wanna know when is the 20 litre 1200kw HSV commin out. thatll beat a veyron, haha. isnt that holdens answer to everything?
Non-Bogan

Oooops i meant 40 litre. 20 litre is just too small don’t you think?
Mitchell

Stfu, yes the old pushrod LS series engines arn’t all that competitive per L of displacement these days, i think you would find the fuel consumption figures are pretty close anyway, and because of its alloyhead, the LS engines are actually light aswell, they rev freely and have stacks more torque than that Audi engine… So who really cares about the size?

Non-Bogan, you must think you’re pretty clever with a name like that, because obviously only bogans could like these Commodores. Let me guess, you would think a small turbo engine would be best to fit under the hood? I think you should go speak to Mercedes about that, tell them their new 6.2L V8 is too big, because as we know, only bogans can drive cars like that.
alec

As a Ford fan, I would like to say this.
The new Holden is something Australians should be proud of!! As we should be of the current and upcoming Falcon.
No where else in the world are Rear Drive large cars available at such a price with such high levels of handling dynamics, quality, safety and value.

Anyone who dismisses a Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon purely because of the manufacturers they come from, OR the market segment (large car) they compete in OR that typical cynical aussie dinosaur rubbish… NEEDS TO WAKE UP!!
For a country of such a small population, we have done well… REALLY WELL!
The ford VS holden thing can be healthy for competition, but generally is destructive of the perceived image of each brand between the losers who continually speak cr/ap about their chosen ones competitor!!
I drive a Ford, but would happily drive a Holden any day over majority of the other cars available for the same RRP!

And before everyone starts up with the reliability bull/cr/ap, My experience is that EVERY make has its LEMONS and DOGS. That includes Japanese, European, Korean.
Stfu

mitchell.yes,mercs have 6.3l v8 but look at their power/kw…it\’s 0.2L more than a commodore but has 29 more kws
as u say the per L of displacements just doesnt pull the most out of the engine/thus the efficiency
and btw…the engine im talking abt belongs to the bmw m3,not the audi
Watto_Cobra

Well said Alec.
Watto_Cobra

Buy Aussie whenever possible.
golfschwein

Fightin’ words from Alec. Beautifully said, mate.

If I have a good year, I’ll trade the Vee Dub for a VE Sportwagon. In Morpheous.
Bavarian Missile

Your going to do what Golfschwein…………poor little golf!
Tonyn

oh my god golfschwein! what are you doing to yourself!

I have just been up and priced a V6 passat wagon!
golfschwein

haha…that caused a shock wave, didn’t it. Nah, I couldn’t do that to the little jigger. I’m keeping him for at least another two years, which will be a record-breaker for me. Truth is, I’ll probably get a Mk6 Golf and I’m just hoping and praying that VW funk up the colour range by then.
Tonyn

yeah vw are not the bravest with colour selections hey!
golfschwein

Positively dreary, tonyn. When I bought mine, you could have a white or metallics in silver, black, grey (WOW!!!) or a muddy red or blue. Yawn. Greens, yellows, oranges, purples etc nowhere in sight.

I love the wild colours you can buy the Fords and Holdens in.
golfschwein

Passat’s now available in a quite handsome mocha metallic. Your choice, by any chance? That’d be a good looking car!
mark

i worked out how come the crapodore won this award, while they were testing it the V8 dropped so much oil that the middle eastern judges eyes went $ at the idea of if the sales go up of the car then oil sales will go through the roof. oh its a harsh reality that thing dumps more then me the day after i have Indian take away.
Cobra 302

Too true mark. The ss is known for a pretty weak bottom end. Let me think…where was this award presented again…oh thats right the middle east! Who gives a fuck. They have won a fair few awards over here but give it up. Its all sorts off cars put into 1. Here r the cars holden nocked development/styling cues from: Ford, Audi n BMW. There influence EACH was 33% leaving the other 1% to put on there oversized badge on. Someone is clearly tring to make up for something LOL!!! Go the blue oval. Real men drive FORDS
Tonyn

yeah i am looking at a mocha with pure beige trim, sunroof and dyna audio option! just awaiting a price…

I worked for volkswagen for 5 yeard, there staring to get more adventurious
Duck

Holden deserves to win the award because from spending a billion dollars on the VE!