Holden Has Killed The Commodore

Australia is confirmed to lose one of its most iconic nameplates from both road and track when Holden will discontinue the Commodore in 2020.

Like its parent company, General Motors, Holden is shying away from passenger cars to focus most on lucrative light trucks and SUVs. While the full-sized sedan production will end next year, Holden will continue to run the Commodore in the Supercar racing series until the end of 2021.

The Commodore first appeared in 1978 and, through five generations, spun off into station wagon and truck-like ‘Ute’ models. It also found considerable success in racing, pitted against its main rival, the Ford Falcon, in the Supercar series and in the famous Bathurst 1000 endurance race.

But with the overall free fall of car sales, it was just a matter of time for the Commodore’s demise. According to the company, the large car segment in Australia accounted for 217,882 sales at its peak in 1998; this year it is projected to come in at about 8,700 units. Holden also announced it will be axing the Astra compact sedan along with the Commodore.

“So far this year, SUVs and Utes have increased to 76 percent of Holden sales, a trend we only see continuing,” said Holden Interim Chairman and Managing Director, Kristian Aquilina, in a statement. “The SUV segment is approaching half a million units, and LCVs [light commercial vehicles] over 200,000 units. That’s where the action is and that’s where we are going to play.”

*Images courtesy of General Motors