Full-scale production of the Holden VF Commodore started at the brand’s manufacturing facility in South Australia today.
The local car maker wasted no time in adding the all-new large car to the Holden Vehicle Operations (HVO) assembly line in Elizabeth, with the final previous-generation VE Commodore rolling out of the factory last Friday.
Leading the Holden VF Commodore family down the line was Calais V finished in Prussian Steel prestige paint.
VF Commodore production sees aluminium bonnet and bootlid panels (supplied by Adelaide-based supplier Hirotec) used for the first time in an Australian car, highlighting the skill and capabilities of Australian manufacturing.
A lightweight aluminium instrument panel beam from Diver Industries in Melbourne and General Motors’ new ‘Global A’ electrical architecture – both made possible by the Federal Government’s $39.8 million Green Car Innovation Fund – are further examples of the advancement of the Commodore and its production process.
Holden manufacturing executive director Richard Phillips spoke with pride about the VF Commodore and the evolution of the Elizabeth plant this morning.
“Our facility and workforce is world-class,” Phillips said. “We manage an incredible amount of complexity at HVO and incorporating the VF’s sophisticated body structure into an already diverse plant has been a challenge that the team has executed with skill and ingenuity.
“We have implemented a huge number of process and system improvements and the results speak for themselves. The VF is quite simply the best quality car Holden has ever built.
“There’s an enormous amount of pride running through the whole organisation around VF. Pride in the product, pride in our abilities and pride in manufacturing. The VF is stunning proof that Australia can make world-class cars, even against a challenging economic backdrop.”
The Holden VF Commodore arrives in showrooms in June with a sharp starting price of $34,990 for the Evoke auto. The Calais V rolling along the production line today is priced from $52,990, plus $550 for prestige paint.
