Look Out Toyota, Again! New Holden Sportwagon To Spike Commodore Sales

[JoeT]

Sportwagon To Spike Commodore Sales

James Stanford
8 July 2008
www.goauto.com.au

GM Holden is confident the VE Sportwagon will enable the Commodore to regain its place as the best-selling car in Australia when it goes on sales next week.

The Commodore currently trails the Toyota Corolla in the 2008 sales race and faces losing its position as Australia’s favourite car – a spot it has held for the past 12 years.

VFACTS statistics released last week show that Toyota sold 24,415 Corollas in the first half of this year, more than 1000 units ahead of the Commodore on 23,323.

However, the Commodore figures do not take into account the fact that Holden ceased station wagon production late last year.

Asked if the new Sportwagon would help it regain the number-one spot by the end of the year, Holden sales and marketing director Alan Batey said: “Yes, we do believe it will.”

The advantages that flow from having Australia’s biggest-selling vehicle are immense, but Mr Batey insisted that the company would not get into a discounting battle to ensure Commodore stays at the top.

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[Eddie Fiero]

C'mon, Aussie Mates, buy the daylights out of it so we can get a G8 version here!! (See my FUTURE RIDE!) And the name is already perfect -- Sportwagon -- it just needs that great Pontiac face with those carved out hood scoops! Oh yeah, don't forget to convert it to left hand drive. We are easily confused...

[mikmak]

My local dealer had sold 4 last I heard. No execs/Berlinas though and no, it hasn't arrived yet.

[Baz]

When's it actually being released?

[JoeT]

Next week.

[91 s-10baja]

I may have to move to Australia, anyone have room for me until I buy my wagon?

[EldoFan]

Originally Posted by 91 s-10baja

I may have to move to Australia, anyone have room for me until I buy my wagon?

I'm with you.........time to pay MikMak a visit??

Really though, this should bode well for Holden. Does Toyota peddle wagon versions of either the Corolla or Camry (Aurion) down under?

[asylum]

the corolla still has a "wagon" version, but the camry wagon hasn't been around for a while now.


i was moving a few of the VE wagons around work the other day, and i'm smitten with them more room in the back than i originally thought (with seats folded down, theres almost enough room for a person over 6 foot to stretch out...) wouldn't be too uncomfortable to sleep in
i'll take a manual SS-V in Karma thanks

[EldoFan]

Originally Posted by asylum

i was moving a few of the VE wagons around work the other day, and i'm smitten with them more room in the back than i originally thought (with seats folded down, theres almost enough room for a person over 6 foot to stretch out...) wouldn't be too uncomfortable to sleep in
i'll take a manual SS-V in Karma thanks

Hmmm......if they ever become widely adopted up here, I could imagine more than a few of these popping up in sparsely filled parking lots late at night

[camaro_freak]

why won't GM be smart and bring this over?

It would be my next family vehicle.... slap the G8 grille on it and be done.

[jzEllis]

as much as i like the sport truck, i can't see how Mr. Lutz thought it made more sense to bring that over rather than the wagon!!

[benroethig]

Australia's auto industry's future is going to be tied to either opening up mainstream markets for the VE and FG platforms in North America and Europe. If all else fails, they're going to have to petition for compact/mid-size car production. Given GM and Fords financial woes, the days are gone when they can afford to create a platform for just the 25 million people in Australia and new Zealand.

[benroethig]

Originally Posted by jzEllis

as much as i like the sport truck, i can't see how Mr. Lutz thought it made more sense to bring that over rather than the wagon!!

The sport truck was out already.

[Aych Es Vee]

oh, so they're releasing them finally.

[BBDOS CV8]

A lot of people forget when they read the 'doom and gloom' Holden bigcar sales slump stories about how Holden used to sell 7,000 cars a month ten years back (and Ford, for that matter) that Ute sales were once counted together with sedans and wagons.

And when VT was going gangbusters in Oz, Holden was barely exporting anything. Holden's factory is basically pretty much strapped most of the time.

There's no paddocks full of cars, and my local dealer's predlelivery area when I was there getting a service last week was busy as ever. They've got no Daewoos, but there's heaps of utes, SS, even two Statos being predlivered at once.