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Commodore nameplate- Time for a change?
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Hi All. The 'Commodore' nameplate has been with us for a long time now. I don't know if others agree, but after 34 years, I can't help but thinking that it has become a little stale and tired. When the next generation of full sized Holden is released, a new name may help freshen up the Holden image a little. It's also interesting that other famous Holden names such as the 'Special' and 'Kingswood' were never kept on for such a long time. So what do you guys think, is it time for a change?
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I'm not sure about this one. The Commodore has almost ceased to be a nameplate & become more of a brand for the whole range.
In the same way as in the early years, the car was called a Holden & the model was a Special or Premier or whatever. Currently the car is a Commodore but the model is an Omega or Berlina or whatever. If you check out the current cars the nameplate 'Commodore' is absent.
Without getting too pedantic, an EH Special was a model of Holden made by a company called GM-H, but a VE Omega is a model of Commodore made by a company called GM Holden.
Have we opened a can of worms ?
Dr Terry |
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Are the Calais and Berlina a Commodore? AFAIK the utes aren't yet they carry the same luxury levels. The Monaros weren't Commodores, and my Cross8 wasn't. I thought Commodore only applied to the Omega, SV6 and SS passenger vehicles, the Utes are Holden Omega, Holden SV6 and Holden SS/SSV etc. Calais and Berlina are Holden Calais and Holden Berlina? |
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quote: Originally posted by HK1837
Are the Calais and Berlina a Commodore? AFAIK the utes aren't yet they carry the same luxury levels. The Monaros weren't Commodores, and my Cross8 wasn't. I thought Commodore only applied to the Omega, SV6 and SS passenger vehicles, the Utes are Holden Omega, Holden SV6 and Holden SS/SSV etc. Calais and Berlina are Holden Calais and Holden Berlina?
This has all varied from model series to model series. I don't think I've ever seen a Commodore badge on a Calais, but some series of Berlina were badged as Commodore Berlina. The utes as well, some series were badged as Commodore utes while some have no Commodore badges. As I said, even the current Omega sedan does not wear a Commodore badge. It seems what they are named & what they are badged can differ markedly. Dr Terry |
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I have a Holden training manual in front of me that says "VT series Commodore and Calais"
The same applies to Statesman and VG to VE Utility and other commercial vehicles.
Warren
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Warren, I think VG-VSIII utes (at least the S) were badged as Commodore, but VU-VE aren't. Yet the VSIII sales brochure for the ute does not mention Commodore anywhere - just called them ute and S ute. I also have a colour chart for when I bought my VSIII. It says Holden Commodore, Calais and Ute (for VTII and VSIII).
Also noticed colour chart A632 on the back. Refers to all T, U, V and W sized vehicles. It calls them by the names we all know ie Gemini, Sunbird, Torana and Holden. Except it has Holden Commodore against the V sized vehicles. So Commodore at VB time was meant to be a range of vehicles, but they were regarded as a Holden like the HZ series was, just a smaller Holden? |
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8VX19 From the release of the VK Calais it is listed as "CALAIS" only in the catalogues and I do remember reading the sales pre-release literature which emphasised the differentiation from the commodore range SL and Berlina, I believe all GMH documentation from that point on specify Holden Commodore and Calais, owners manuals comes to mind as an example. And what would Mick do! would he become Commodore/XXX nut? Cheers Balfizar Edited by user Thursday, 4 October 2012 8:32:20 AM(UTC)
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JUL71-OCT74 Your question will be answered in late 2016 ;-)
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Yes I guess we will find out. But one thing that I am getting from this thread is that GM-H has been playing with the current names from model to model. Some are known officially as 'Commodore' and some are not. It has got to the point where even people with a keen interest in the cars are not sure what is what anymore. Perhaps these names have been recycled between the models for too long The other problem is that as Holden fans, we might notice the difference between a Berlina and an Acclaim, but I suspect the average guy in the street would generically refer to them all as Commodores.
I can't help but thinking that when something new comes along, Holden need to let buyers know that this IS new and some new blood in the badge department might be the way to go.
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Looks like a commodore, it is a commodore. Unless they change the actual sheet metal then the only difference is options/standard features. They do need to kill the entire range off and start again though.
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^^Doesn't work quite that way! A V2 or VZ Monaro isn't a Commodore by any means. Nor is any HSV product! |
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As I said, looks ,is as far as the general public is concerned. Peter Brock tried to distance himself from the name plate with body kits, but they will always be "Brock Commodores". Which when you think about it, its a name plate that really belongs to another time, not 2012. Time to start building what the public actually want in mass, quality smaller cars.
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You hit the nail on the head wbute, a commodore is a commodore. I own a june 07 commodore ute, bought it new. Inside the cover of the owner's manual it state's....Model # VZ Commodore Exec Ute.. That's what it is. |
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What people think doesn't make it correct though. There is no way a V2 or VZ Monaro is a Commodore.
There are people out there who refer to all HQ-HZ as Kingswoods, and that is just as correct as calling all VB-VE Commodores. Both are just about equally wrong in the balance of things! |
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Well what about the Ford Falcon ? Fairmont is now gone for some stupid rubbish that i can't even think of at the moment. and Fairmont sounds a lot better and is identified as such by most people as not just a average car.
The Commodore may turn into a Admiral.
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The marketing guru's will ring the changes when it suits them, hence the current invisible Falcon model names, inspiring... NOT!!!
The Falcon name is the only constant and it's lasted for over 50 years, looks like the Commodore name will bow out around the same time as the Falcon the way things are going.
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The base luxury level ie the Holden has been around since 1948 too. First used on 48/215, returned on the tonner in HQ, stayed with commercials from HJ through to HZ, came back on the base ute in VG and dissapeared I think at the end of VZ. Not a constant like Falcon though. |
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The FG/FG update still wears a Falcon badge on the boot of the XT & XR6 models. It's only the G6 name (replaced Futura/Fairmont) and G6E (replaced Fairmont Ghia) that are new, and displace the Falcon script badge on the boot.
The Holden name on base models (utes in the Commodore range) does seem to have come & gone depending on the model, with no real rhyme or reason for the changes.
And while some VEs wear a trim-level nameplate only (Berlina, Calais etc) quite a lot of VE series 1s still have the Commodore badge on the boot including the Omega, SV6, SS and at least one of the specials - the Commodore V early in the VE series (an up-specc'd Omega). It's only the early SS-V (with the separate V badge), Berlina, Calais & Calais V that don't have the Commodore badge.
Is a VY Crewman a commodore? Is a VY Tonner a Commodore? What about an Adventra? The V2-VZ Monaro is more commodore under the skin (rear floorpan, suspension, driveline etc) than either of those 2 commercials!
If it's spawned from a Commodore, then Joe Average sees it as a Commodore, and badging simply becomes a matter of symantecs. |
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Mick _______________________________________________________________
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As far as I was aware a VY or VZ tonner or Crewman are not Commodores, nor is an Adventra. They might share panels but so did the original Monaros, but you don't see a HK-HQ Monaro called a Kingswood anywhere (yet the luxury level coding of 03 or 04 suggests it is). Same for a HQ-HJ LS, no mention of Premier anywhere yet this is essentially what these were in spec and in luxury level coding ie 11 and 12. If a V2 CV8 was to be compared to anything it'd be a Calais (which we have established is not a Commodore!). |
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You're missing the point Byron. We can discuss trim & model codes all day long, but we are only a small minority of the general population.
As I said "If it's spawned from a Commodore, then Joe Average sees it as a Commodore, and badging simply becomes a matter of symantecs."
It's these members of the general public, the majority, who actually don't care about luxury level codes, and who call anything that looks like a Commodore, a Commodore, including HSVs, Monaros, utes etc, that the marketing gurus target. They need to sell as many cars as possible to the entire population spread of Joe Averages - irrespective of their knowledge level about the model. The enthusiasts such as those of us on this board, are simply too few in number to support a local car industry on our own! |
Cheers,
Mick _______________________________________________________________
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Commodore nameplate- Time for a change?
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