The first official photographs of the five-door liftback are released
Holden has described the camouflage worn by its next-generation Commodore as the most effective disguise it's had on a pre-production car.
But the concealment provided by strategic dummy panels and deceptive black and white graphics was peeled away this week with the five-door Liftback body style revealed -- even though the next-gen Commodore won't go on sale until early 2018.
Holden is still keeping the styling of the Sportwagon version under wraps at this stage although plenty of spy photos have surfaced.
Key elements of Holden's fifth-generation Commodore programme were confirmed when it showed the camouflaged cars in October. The car is part of the General Motors Europe Insignia programme and it will be manufactured in Germany after Holden ends VF II production and closes its Australian manufacturing operation in late 2017.
There has been styling input from Holden designers as well as engineering work on the suspension tuning, electric power steering calibration and NVH characteristics for Australasia.
This week's first batch of official pictures is being matched by a simultaneous reveal in Europe of the new Insignia in Opel and Vauxhall branded variants.
The pictures reveal the sleek silhouette of the five-door design with a steeply raked rear windscreen and short rear deck giving a coupe-like appearance.
Slimline headlights and the chrome feature line running from the base of the A-pillar, above the glasshouse and kicking back in the C-pillar echo the design of the Opel Monza concept car from the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.
A lower grille position, pumped-out wheel arches, short overhangs front and rear and a so-called "blade" light catcher in the lower doors give the Commodore a confident stance. The pictures show cars fitted with 20-inch diameter wheels.
The rear end has a slim double-wing LED signature that enhances the wide look of the car. Holden says the Commodore will achieve a 0.26 drag co-efficient.
The new Commodore will be offered in both a five-door Liftback and Sportwagon configuration with 2.0-litre direct injection and turbocharged petrol and diesel engine choices in front-wheel-drive.
An upgraded 3.6-litre direct injected V6 engine will top the range and deliver its performance via a new nine-speed automatic transmission and the world-first
Wraps off next Commodore Next generation (2018) Holden Commodore. Picture / Supplied "Twinster" all-wheel-drive system, which replaces a rear differential with two electronically controlled clutches.
Holden had previously confirmed the V6 would offer 230kW output and peak torque of 370Nm. No output figures have been confirmed for the four-cylinder models.
Efficiency gains for the V6 AWD models will come from the new transmission, the addition of Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation and Stop-Start technology while lightweight body construction will achieve a weight saving in the region of 200kg compared to the current model.
Holden had previously provided dimensions that position the new car between the current VF II and the third-generation VT-VX-VY-VZ versions.
Load space will measure up about the same as the current model but with the additional flexibility that a five-door design permits and a larger opening aperture.
With the release of the interior and exterior pictures, Holden has also confirmed more of the specification content for the new car with the emphasis on active safety and driver assist technologies and next-generation infotainment.
The Commodore will feature adaptive cruise control and autonomous braking, a 360-degree camera, adaptive FlexRide suspension and LED matrix headlights.
"The Commodore combines technology across a number of areas in a way usually found in high-end prestige vehicles and introduces these features in mainstream, attainable motoring," said the managing director of Holden New Zealand, Kristian Aquilina.
Infotainment will be based on a new generation of Holden's MyLink system with an 8-inch central display offering Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. A next generation colour head-up display and a configurable 8-inch LCD instrument display will be available on high-spec models.
Along with the autonomous braking and adaptive cruise control functions, the main driver assistance systems that will be available on the next-gen Commodore include Speed Limit Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Alert, Side Blind-Zone Alert and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert.
Comfort and convenience highlights will include massage seats, one-touch folding rear seats, heated front and rear seats with ventilated front seats, express up/down on all windows, a powered tailgate on the wagon models and Active Noise Cancellation.
Details of the "FlexRide" suspension system have also been confirmed. The continuously adaptable FlexRide chassis electro-hydraulically adapts the dampers to the road and the driving conditions 500 times per second.
The driver can also save personal preferences for the steering characteristics, throttle response and dampers with Standard (automatic), Tour (comfort and efficiency settings) and Sport modes.
The new central "Drive Mode Control" software continuously analyses the information provided by the sensors to recognise the individual driving style.
The new Commodore will be the fifth generation of the nameplate that first went on sale in 1978. The production history of the Commodore has included four-cylinder, in-line six-cylinder, V6 and V8 engine versions and all-wheel drive.
It will be the diesel engine option, the five-door body style and the front-wheel-drive layout that take the next-gen Commodore into new territory from 2018 and bring Holden's Australian manufacturing operation to a close.