Holden will not sell trucks and SUVs, but the Corvette mid-engined.
The end of an era has come to Australia with Holden announcing plans to remove the Commodore’s nameplate from the lineup in 2020. This announcement comes more than 40 years after the iconic nameplate was introduced. The Australian Insignia’s demise is due to low demand for large cars. Sales in this segment fell from 217 882 units in 1998 to less than 9,000 cars by 2019. Holden sold 94 642 Commodores in 1998, but this year Holden expects to sell approximately 8,700 cars, 37% less than last.
For the same reason, the smaller Astra has also been losing popularity as more people are switching to SUVs and crossovers. The sales of compact cars in 2019 have dropped dramatically, with 4,047 units sold so far in 2019, which is 54% more than 2018.
There is a silver lining to all this. The Commodore/Astra will not be phased out as of immediately. Holden will sell them until 2020. However, model availability will be restricted as Holden simplifies the range. Both cars will be available for purchase by those who are interested.
Holden will no longer have the Commodore or Astra in its lineup by 2021. Instead, it will only have SUVs/trucks and the right-hand-drive Corvette.
General Motors has decided that the plug for the Buick Regal is over. This means that the Insignia/Commodore will be retired from North America. It will continue to be sold in China as a Buick, as well as Europe with Opel badges. Although the model was updated recently, it will be difficult to identify what’s new as only minor styling changes were made. The Astra facelift was revealed in Europe in July. It has subtle changes.