Holden ZB Commodore

The Holden Commodore (ZB) is the fifth and final generation of the Holden Commodore range produced by now-defunct Australian brand Holden from 2018 to 2020.

Overview

This was Holden's first and only imported model to be sold under the Commodore nameplate. The range included the five door liftback and five door station wagon bodystyles.

Holden previously sold the first generation Insignia under the Opel brand (Opel Insignia) in 2012 and 2013, as well as under the Holden brand (Holden Insignia) from 2015 to 2017. It was the first Holden Commodore model to be manufactured outside of Australia, following the closure of Holden's Australian car manufacturing facilities at Elizabeth, South Australia and Fishermans Bend, Victoria on Friday, 20 October 2017.

It was the first Commodore in thirty years to come with a four-cylinder engine as standard, and controversially, the first in its forty year production not to have a V8 powertrain option. GM made the decision to discontinue Australian manufacturing of the Holden Commodore due to falling sales and losses.

The ZB Commodore proved to be unpopular in Australia resulting in cuts to the production schedule and the lowest unit sales per month on record since the original VB Commodore was released in 1978. November 2019 was the lowest month recorded with only 309 Commodores sold.

The ZB Commodore, and the Commodore nameplate, was discontinued at the end of 2020 due to low sales. Two months later, The Holden brand would be retired altogether by 2021.

Development

Development for the ZB Commodore started in 2012, with both automakers working alongside each other, designing and developing the next generation Insignia, with Holden catering it to Australian conditions.

The ZB Commodore is different from the Z18 Insignia that it is based on in its more direct and responsive Australian-specific steering, suspension and exhaust tuning, its driving dynamics and how the car feels to drive, and its 3.6-litre LGX V6 (which is not found in any variant of either the Vauxhall or Opel Insignia.) The chassis was re-worked and the VXR variant's sound symposer was also completely changed by Bose engineers.

Once the car was ready, prototypes were sent to Australia for testing. Holden completed over 100,000 km of testing from 2012 to 2017, with engineers bracing the cars to withstand local roads and make it feel similar to previous Commodore generations.

Safety

Akin to its VF Commodore predecessor, the ZB achieved five stars in the ANCAP safety ratings. Originally, the ZB ANCAP rating was awarded based on the Euro NCAP test of a 1.6 litre model which was not sold in Australia. ANCAP conducted an audit test on specification of Australia V6 and confirmed its rating.

Powertrains

The ZB Commodore was available with a range of engines including a four-cylinder petrol, four cylinder diesel and six-cylinder petrol engine. Front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive was available across the liftback and wagon body styles.

Models

Compared to the VF Commodore, Holden rearranged the specification levels and model nameplates, with only the Calais (and Calais-V) surviving into the ZB series, this name having originated in the VK-series Commodore of 1984 as a luxury focused model. Various price cuts were made and wagon variants are more expensive. Like previous Commodores, the ZB Commodore's trim levels are split into two categories: Luxury (LT, Calais and Calais-V) and sport (RS, RS-V and VXR.) The two model lines can be most easily distinguished by their unique front bumpers and side skirts, as well as unique rear bumpers in the case of the RS-V and VXR.

All models with either the 2.0L turbo petrol or diesel engine were exclusively front wheel drive, and all models with the 3.6L petrol V6 were exclusively all wheel drive, with Holden's Twinster torque-vectoring all wheel drive system.

Commodore LT

The LT was the new entry level Commodore, replacing the previous generation's Evoke model, which was also $3,935 cheaper than the predecessor's drive away price. It was front wheel drive 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a nine speed automatic, or an optional 2.0L diesel, with an eight speed automatic.

It came with 17" alloy wheels, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Keep Assist, a 7" MyLink system with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto and Passive Entry & Push Button Start as standard. The model was available as a liftback or a wagon.

Commodore RS

The RS was the entry-level sports variant, with an upgraded interior featuring different seats and steering wheel. It also possessed more safety features, including Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. The RS had two drivetrain choices, a front wheel drive 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a nine speed Automatic, or an all wheel drive 3.6L V6 (available as an exclusive option with the liftback body style). It came with 18" alloy wheels. The model was available as a liftback or a wagon.

Commodore RS–V

The RS–V was the mid-range performance model, and while it was similar to the RS, it included more features such as an upgraded 8" MyLink system incorporating satellite navigation, wireless phone charging, Hi Per Strut Suspension, leather seats, different alloy wheels, larger exhaust tips and the Twinster AWD system. Only the V6 AWD powertrain was offered in liftback and wagon forms.

Commodore VXR

The VXR was Holden's new flagship performance model, following Holden's decision to retire the well known SS nameplate along with the V8 engine. It featured 20" alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres, Opel's IntelliLux Matrix LED headlights, front Brembo brakes, unique VXR and Competitive drive modes (the latter allowing for slightly faster acceleration), a large rear spoiler, VXR-branded sport seats which were heated, cooled and massaging, and a 360 degree camera. It was only available as a liftback with the V6 powertrain and AWD, and was the only model available with Holden's FlexRide adaptive suspension, as well as alloy pedals and a jet black headliner.

Commodore Calais

Retaining the previous generation's familiar name, the Calais was the base luxury model. Standard equipment included 18" alloy wheels, leather seating with a heating function, wireless phone charging, Blind Spot Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and an 8" MyLink system. Available as a Liftback or Tourer, the former received the 2.0L petrol engine, or an optional diesel engine, while the Tourer was exclusively fitted with the V6 powertrain.

Commodore Calais–V

Carrying over the previous generation "V" flair, the Calais–V was the flagship luxury model. Standard offerings included 20" alloy wheels, the Twinster AWD system, a 360 degree camera, Opel's IntelliLux Matrix LED headlights, a sunroof, rear heated seats, heated and cooled front seats, and a massaging driver seat. It was available in either a liftback or a wagon bodystyle, with the V6 powertrain being the only on offer.

Motorsport

For marketing purposes, the ZB Commodore was raced in various motorsport disciplines, including Supercars. However, the race cars generally had no physical or mechanical relationship with the production model, other than similar looks, as an exterior shell was built to resemble the road going cars, with a rear wheel drive tube frame chassis underneath.

Supercars Championship

The ZB Commodore is used by teams running Holdens in the Supercars Championship. Powered by the same V8 engine as used in the VF, a turbo-charged V6 engine was under development for use in 2019, however the project was cancelled in April 2018 amid engineering concerns that the V6 would not be competitive.

The ZB Commodore proved to be an instant success, prompting Ford to controversially push for upgrades for its ageing FGX Falcon which was in its final year of competition. The ZB failed in its championship success due to the upgraded DJR Team Penske FGX Falcon of Scott McLaughlin triumphing in 2018 before dominating in the Mustang GT from 2019 to 2020. The ZB hit back in both 2021 and 2022 with Shane Van Gisbergen sending both the ZB and Holden off in style due to the brands retirement from both the road and racetrack.

The ZB Commodore achieved Bathurst success immediately with victories in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022. The ZB holds the record of 87 victories and being the Commodore that delivered Holden's final Bathurst, championship and race win.

Sales

Sales of the new Commodore commenced in February 2018. The ZB is the first Commodore produced outside of Australia since the nameplate's induction in 1978, leading to much public backlash.

Consumer uptake and acceptance have been the lowest for any Commodore branded vehicle in the history of Holden manufacturing, however, this has also come at the same time as the nameplate has shifted market segment and competition, with the ZB outperforming all but the Toyota Camry in the Medium/Large segment, including the Mazda6 and Ford Mondeo.

Future developments

When the decision was made to cease vehicle production in Australia and source the ZB Commodore from Europe, Opel was still a subsidiary of GM. That ceased on 1 August 2017 when Opel and Vauxhall were sold to Groupe PSA. These new owners of Opel/Holden have announced that they will transfer the Opel Insignia platform to PSA platforms as early as 2021, which means the current model would be discontinued as PSA plans to export PSA-based, Opel "Holden" models globally from 2018 onwards.

On October 17, 2018, Holden halted production on the Commodore due to slow sales and unsold inventory at its dealerships."Holden Stops Commodore, Equinox Production"
from GM Authority (October 17, 2018) The Holden Commodore ceased to exist by the end of 2019, with the ZB becoming convincingly the lowest selling version ever.

Notes

References

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ZB
Cars introduced in 2018
Cars discontinued in 2020
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Full-size vehicles
Sedans
Station wagons
2010s cars