Holden to revive US Commodore exports

Commodore could make a comeback as a Chevrolet with 2013 facelift
discount new cars  » Get the best price on a new Holden

Australia's biggest selling car could return to one of the world's biggest car markets -- North America -- within the next few years.

The boss of General Motors in North America Mark Reuss, formerly the boss of Holden, has told Australian media in Detroit overnight that the Holden Commodore could make a comeback in the US -- as a Chevrolet.

Holden exported approximately 41,000 Commodores as Pontiac G8 sedans (pictured) between November 2007 and February 2009 -- almost equivalent to Holden's annual sales of Commodore -- but the deal ended when the Pontiac brand was axed in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. A ute version of the Pontiac G8 was due to follow but it was sidelined before exports began.

In a roundtable discussion Reuss told the media: "Somewhere along the way you'll get a pretty big Commodore change and if we did (revive the Commodore export program) we would integrate it with those changes."

An updated Commodore is said to be due in 2013, but Reuss would not elaborate.

"It was a big loss when we lost the Pontiac G8," he said. "It's hard to get it back in the right place at the right time. There are no plans to do it right now ... but we all love the car, so let's just leave it at that."

He said Holden was no longer dependent on exports for its survival locally.

"Previously Holden was set up to be 50 per cent export based and 50 per cent domestic," he said. "Now it is set up as a buy and sell deal in Australia. It has to survive on its own merits and the local market. The number one priority is to be really successful where you sell. Exports are a bonus."

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...