Some things are certain, others undecided.
Following the purchase of Opel/Vauxhall by Groupe PSA from General Motors last year, the Holden Commodore has been a hotly discussed topic, given that the present-generation car actually started life as a Vauxhall Insignia, and that our cars are manufactured in the UK before boarding a ship to our shores. Should the Holden Commodore continue to be supplied by Groupe PSA and not swapped out within the next few years by a GM equivalent, it could be due for a battery-electric variant by the middle of the next decade.
This tidbit of information was mentioned at the Automotive News World Congress that took place in Detroit, where PSA boss Carlos Tavares said that within the next 7-years, the company would be looking to introduce some 40 electrified models across the give brands it holds (Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel, Vauxhall). It’s likely that the Commodore, sold as the Vauxhall/Opel Insignia in other markets, will be a part of that electrification push, given that the platform has previously been lauded for its flexibility insofar as housing various powertrains is concerned.
That said, what is clear is that the present-generation of the Holden Commodore will be short lived, depending on the decision that General Motors makes in the next 18-months regarding its production. Groupe PSA announced shortly after its acquisition of Opel/Vauxhall that it would be moving all of the brands’ models that are presently underpinned by GM technology and engineering to new platforms from within PSA, meaning the Insignia could be facing a brief life cycle before being updated to an all-new model.
If GM intends to keep ‘outsourcing’ the Commodore, that could mean that the ZB generation will be swapped out for an increasingly-electrified, significantly-updated model very soon. However, if GM intends to move Commodore production further in-house, that could mean the ZB Commodore could be replaced within the same timeline anyway by something based on the Buick Regal, which is produced in China and Canada presently.
Groupe PSA said that it’s committed to introducing more than 120 cars globally over the next six years, including some 40 electrified models, and make a comeback to the North American market. Opel/Vauxhall will play a critical role in that return, with the marque set to market distinctively-German cars, if only because some people simply refuse to buy a French car.
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