Holden Commodore

The Holden Commodore is an automobile produced 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 an all-new smaller model. Holden looked to Opel, another GM subsidiary for inspiration, and based the Commodore on the Opel Rekord. The German marque continued to provide the basis for future generations until the launch of the fourth generation model in 2006, which came to be Holden's most expensive project yet, deploying an all-Australian design.

Initially introduced as a sedan body style, the range expanded in 1979 to include a station wagon. The line-up expanded for a second time in 1990, when Holden introduced the utility and the long-wheelbase Statesman derivative. Then in 2001, the third generation architecture provided the foundations for a revived Monaro coupé. Since the beginning, the Commodore has always been offered in more than one specification. However, in 1984, Holden decided to brand the flagship model as simply the Holden Calais, dropping the Commodore identity all together. The Holden Berlina and Holden Ute branched-off from the lineup in 2000, known previously as the Commodore Berlina and Commodore Utility, correspondingly.

To combat increasing sales erosion by rivals and the limitations of Australia's small market, Holden 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. Rivalry has come predominantly from arch-rival Ford's Falcon, however it was not until 1988 when the much larger second generation was launched that the Commodore became a true competitor to the Falcon. Toyota, and previously Mitsubishi Motors, also compete with their mid-size cars.