Holden celebrates the 35th anniversary of its Commodore nameplate in 2013

For more than three decades, it says the Commodore has delivered significant advances in vehicle performance, safety and comfort on the way to becoming Holden’s longest-standing and most successful nameplate.
Executive Director, Phil Brook, says Holden was extremely proud of Commodore’s success.
“There are not many nameplates in Australia that can lay claim to a rich 35-year history,” he says said. “Not only has the Commodore survived years of dramatic change in the Australian and New Zealand automotive landscapes, it has thrived.
In 1978, the introduction of the VB Commodore marked a new era for Holden as it sought to offer both Australians and New Zealanders, a car with European styling, prestige, drivability and greater fuel economy.
The base engine in the VB was a 2.85-litre straight six cylinder engine that developed a maximum power of just 64kW and used fuel at the rate of 16L/100km on the official combined cycle.
VB Commodore was available with either a four-speed manual transmission or a three-speed Trimatic automatic transmission and offered air conditioning, power steering and a basic AM radio with the option for a push-button AM/FM stereo radio with cassette player on higher spec models.
Over the years, Commodore introduced advances in safety technology such as driver, passenger, side impact airbags, computer optimised restraint systems, ABS brakes and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) as standard fitment and were all “firsts” for an Australian-manufactured car.
In 2013, VF Commodore’s design, technology and performance make it the most advanced car ever created in Australia according to Holden.
The VF Commodore Evoke features a 3.0-litre SIDI direct injection V6 engine that generates 185kW and posts a fuel consumption figure of just 8.3L/100km, making it the most fuel efficient car yet in Commodore’s history.