2006 HOLDEN VE COMMODORE -HIGHLIGHTS

Overview

• Australia's first $1 billion dollar car program. This compares with $600 million spent on the acclaimed VT range released in 1997

• Combined with WM Statesman and Caprice, total program costs were $1.23 billion

• Most clean-sheet car program in Holden’s history

• More than 3.42 million development kilometres were driven during the program

• About 2.4 million Commodores have been built for domestic and export sales since the VB Commodore was launched in 1978

• Holden Commodore has been Australia's best selling car each year since 1996, the year before VT was launched

Model lineup

The new Omega and V Series models feature in a revised Commodore lineup. Omega replaces Executive and Acclaim while the V Series adds new variants to the leading SS and Calais nameplates.

• Omega (new) - 3.6L V6, peak power 180kW, peak torque 330Nm, four-speed automatic

• Berlina - 3.6L V6, peak power 180kW, peak torque 330Nm, four-speed automatic; 6.0L V8, peak power 270kW, peak torque 530Nm, six-speed automatic

• SV6 - 3.6L V6, peak power 195kW, peak torque 340Nm, five-speed automatic or six-speed manual

• SS - 6.0L V8, peak power 270kW, peak torque 530Nm, six-speed automatic, six-speed manual

• SS V (new) - 6.0L V8, peak power 270kW, peak torque 530Nm, six-speed automatic, six-speed manual

• Calais - 3.6L V6, peak power 195kW, peak torque 340Nm, five-speed automatic; 6.0L V8, peak power 270kW, peak torque 530Nm, six-speed automatic

• Calais V (new) - 3.6L V6, peak power 195kW, peak torque 340Nm, five-speed automatic; 6.0L V8, peak power 270kW, peak torque 530Nm, six-speed automatic

Engines

• Two variants of the advanced all-aluminium 3.6L Alloytec V6 engine will be offered

• The high output Alloytec will deliver peak power of 195kW @ 6500rpm and peak torque of 340Nm @ 2600rpm, up 5kW and 5Nm

• The Alloytec V6 will deliver peak power of 180kW @ 6000rpm and peak torque of 330Nm @ 2600rpm, up 8kW and 10Nm

• Increased output from the new 6.0L Generation 4 V8 engine to peak power of 270kW @ 5700rpm and peak torque of 530Nm @ 4400rpm, up 10kW and 20Nm. This makes the new engine the most powerful standard Holden ever produced

• Plans for a 3.6L dual fuel LPG Alloytec V6 engine later in the year.

Transmissions

Five transmissions will be offered, comprising three automatic and two manual transmissions. An all-new six-speed automatic transmission will be offered for V8 variants, shared with General Motors’ flagship Cadillac cars and the Chevrolet Corvette.

• GM 6L80E six-speed automatic transmission with Active Select (introduced in the Cadillac STS-V in the United States ) makes its Australian debut as an option in all V8 variants

• Tremec T56 six-speed manual in SS and SS V

• GM 5L40E five-speed automatic with Active Select in Calais V6

• Aisin AY6 six-speed manual in SV6

• GM 4L60E four-speed automatic in Omega and Berlina

Safety

• Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) standard on all models

• Driver, front passenger and side impact airbags available on all models

• Occupant protection system designed for real world driving environment

• Curtain airbags available on all models - standard on SS V, Calais and Calais V; optional on Omega, Berlina, SV6 and SS

• Ultra-stiff body structure, multiple load path strategy, structurally optimised front and rear deformation zones

• Greatly expanded use of super-strength and high-strength steels in the body

Technology

• All-new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems

• Zone-based front and rear park assist systems available on selected models

•  Multi-function display reporting system

• Bluetooth standard on all models except optional on Omega

• Roof-mounted DVD systems available on all models

• Auxiliary plug in audio systems to accommodate MP3 devices

• Integrated navigation and telematics systems available later in 2006

History

VE is the 14 th series of Commodore since the original VB Commodore was released in 1978. The VB Commodore was introduced as a replacement for the iconic Kingswood family. New generations of Commodore were introduced in 1988 with the VN series and the VT series in 1997.

Commodore has been Australia's best selling car for each of the past 10 years, including the end of the VS series (1996), VT series (1997-2000), VX series (2000-2002), VY series (2002-2004) and the outgoing VZ series (2004-2006).

It is Australia's best selling car year to date in 2006, a significant achievement given general awareness of the pending VE arrival.