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The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured by the Holden division of General Motors (GM) in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model. Opel continued to provide the basis for future generations until the launch of the fourth generation in 2006. This came to be Holden's most expensive project yet, deploying an all-Australian design.

Initially introduced as a single sedan body style, the range expanded in 1979 to include a station wagon, with utility and long-wheelbase Holden Statesman/Caprice derivatives following in 1990. The foundations for a revived Monaro coupé, four-door Crewman utility, and all-wheel drive Adventra crossover were provided by the now discontinued third generation architecture. From 1984, Holden began branding the flagship Commodore model as Holden Calais; the Holden Berlina and Holden Ute followed in 1988 and 2000, respectively. These were known previously as the Commodore Berlina and Commodore utility.

To combat increasing sales erosion and the limitations of the small Australian market, Holden has broadened the Commodore's export plans. Commodores are sent abroad as the Chevrolet Lumina, Chevrolet Omega and Pontiac G8, while also having been previously sold as the Toyota Lexcen in Australia, and the Opel Calais in Malaysia and Singapore. Rivalry has come predominantly from the Ford Falcon—also locally-built, however, prior to the 1988 onward second generation Commodore, the Holden was positioned a full class below the full-size Falcon. To a lesser degree, competition has also come from Toyota, and previously Mitsubishi Motors, with their mid-size cars.

First generation

VB (1978–1980)

Main article: Holden VB Commodore

Introduced in October 1978, the Holden VB Commodore development covered an period with the effects of the 1973 oil crisis still being felt. Hence, when Holden decided to replace the successful full-size HZ Kingswood with a new model line, they designed the new car to be smaller and more fuel efficient. Originally, Holden looked at developing a new WA Kingswood, however, this project was later dismissed. With no replacement in development and at the urging of GM headquarters, Holden looked towards Opel for providing the foundations of the VB, basing it loosely on the four-cylinder Rekord E bodyshell with the front grafted on from the Opel Senator A. This change was necessitated to accommodate the larger Holden six- and eight-cylinder engines. Holden also adopted the name "Commodore" from Opel, which had been using the name since 1967. Opel went on to use Holden’s Rekord-Senator hybrid as a foundation for its new generation Commodore C, slotting in between the two donor models. Using GM’s rear-wheel drive V-body platform as used by the Rekord and Senator, the VB retained 96 percent of the preceding HZ Kingswood's interior space, despite being 14 percent smaller in overall dimensions, although five percent larger than the Torana. With the Commodore dropping a full class below the Kingswood and its Ford Falcon competitor, the smaller Commodore was predictably more fuel-efficient. This downsizing was first seen as a major disadvantage for Holden, as they had effectively relinquished the potential of selling Commodores to the fleet and taxi industries. These sales losses were thought to be unrecoverable; however, the 1979 energy crisis saw Australian oil prices rise by 140 percent, putting substantial strain on the automotive industry to collectively downsize. To Holden’s advantage, the change had already been done, thus giving them a niche in the marketplace.

During the VB’s development, Holden realised that when driven at speed over harsh Australian roads, the Rekord would effectively break in half at the firewall. This forced Holden to rework the entire car for local conditions, resulting in only 35 percent commonality with the Opel. The Rekord’s MacPherson strut front suspension was accordingly modified, and the recirculating ball steering was replaced with a rack and pinion type. These modifications blew development costs beyond expectations to a reported AU$110 million—a figure almost as much to develop a new model independently. With such a large sum consumed by the VB development programme, Holden was left with insufficient finances to resource the development of a station wagon variant. Added that the Commodore architecture was considered an unsuitable base for utility and long-wheelbase models, Holden was left with only a sedan, albeit one in three levels of luxury: a base, SL, and SL/E. Desperate measures forced Holden to shape the Commodore front-end to the rear of the Rekord wagon, plaguing the it with inevitable component differences from the sedan. In face of these issues, VB was praised for its value for money and sophistication, securing the Wheels Car of the Year award for 1978.

VC (1980–1981)

Main article: Holden VC Commodore

The most significant change to the VC Commodore of March 1980 was the engine upgrading to "XT5" specification. Now painted blue and thus known as the Blue straight-sixes and Holden V8s, these replaced the Red units fitted to the VB and earlier cars. Changes included a new twelve-port cylinder head, re-designed combustion chambers, inlet and exhaust manifolds, a new two-barrel carburettor and a Bosch electronic ignition system for the in-line sixes. Tweaks and changes to the V8s surrounded the implementation of electronic ignition, revised cylinder head and inlet manifold design and the fitment of a four-barrel carburettor on the 4.2 litre variant. These changes brought improved efficiency, increased outputs and aided driveability. In response to increasing oil prices, a four-cylinder variant was spawned in June 1980. Displacing 1.9 litres, this powerplant known as Starfire was effectively Holden's existing straight-six with two cylinders removed. Peak power output of 58 kilowatts (78 hp) and torque rated at 140 newton metres (100 ft·lbf) meant the four was compromised in performance. The need to push the engine hard to extract performance led to real-world fuel consumption similar to the straight-sixes.

Holden’s emphasis on fuel economy extended beyond powertrains, with a fuel consumption vacuum gauge replacing the tachometer throughout the range, although could be optioned back with the sports instrumentation package. Visual changes were limited, such as the relocation of the corporate crest to the centre of the redesigned grille, black-coloured trim applied to the tail lamp surrounds on sedans, and the embossment of model badging into the side rubbing strips. The previously undesignated base car, was now the Commodore L, opening up the range for a new "unbadged" sub-level car. This delete option model (opt. A9K), was de-specified and available only to fleet customers. On the premium Commodore SL/E, a resurrected "Shadowtone" exterior paint option became available in a limited range of dark-over-light colour combinations, a feature not seen on a Holden since the days of the FB Special introduced in 1960. Changes made to the suspension give a softer ride and addressed concerns raised while riding fully laden, while steering alterations resulted in heavier steering and inclined understeer.

VH (1981–1984)

Main article: Holden VH Commodore

The 1981 VH series ended the Commodore's position as Australia's bestselling car for the first time, despite it being an evolution of the previous model. As the 1979 energy crisis drew to a close, buyers gravitated towards the larger Ford Falcon rival. The Holden's six-cylinder engine, which was carried over from the Kingswood, could trace its roots back to 1963 and was no longer competitive. Continual improvements made to the Falcon meant the Commodore was not significantly more fuel-efficient or better performing despite the smaller size. Holden also had to deal with the influx of their own new Camira, which presented comparable interior room and fuel savings, and for less than the Commodore pricing point.

Moderately updated front bodywork, with new headlights and horizontally-slatted grille dominated the front-end of the VH Commodore, producing a lower yet wider look that was in the interest of aerodynamics. Sedans featured redesigned tail light clusters, the design of which borrowed from Mercedes-Benz models of the day, using a louvered design that prevented the build-up of dirt. The range-topping SL/E featured tail lamp extension reflectors to meet up with the license plate alcove and wrap-around chrome rear bumper extensions to the rear wheel arches.

Mechanical specifications carried over, except for a new five-speed manual transmission, optional on the 1.9 litre four-cylinder and 2.85 litre six-cylinder versions. In a desperate attempt to improve the dwindling sales of the straight-fo

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