1. Holden Commodore VF / Chevrolet SS

I thought I would start with and Australian icon, the Holden Commodore VF.

VF Commodore

               

The Commodore has been sold quite extensively throughout the world over the last 5 to 10 years, the USA and Middle East both being significant markets. In the Middle East it was know as the Chevy Lumina and in the USA it was the Pontiac GTO in both the Holden Monaro 2 door and the later Commodore SS versions. Later the HSV sedans were sold into the UK as the Vauxhall VXR.  With the demise of Pontiac in 2010, Chevrolet have now released the Commodore as the Chevy SS, with the new model already represented in their behemoth NASCAR racing series.

Chevy Lumina in Dubai

Pontiac GTO

The design progression from the VE Commodore to the VF consists of mostly skin deep front and rear design upgrades. This also includes new colours in the range and new wheels, which is a plus. It's really disappointing when car companies bring out new models, but, continue using the wheels from previous models. Australia cops this quite a bit and tends to be the market through which auto makers run out all their old parts stock. Volkswagen recently did this with the Golf GTi in Australia and Holden has also been pretty typical for this over the years.

The Commodore competes in a segment against the likes of the Audi A6 and the BMW 5 series and Holden's motivation has always been to match the build quality of these 2 manufacturers. While the build quality, fit and finish of the Commodore is at its highest ever, design quality and refinement is an area that still needs development.

Front End

This is where the Holden design language can often lack identity. The Commodore seems to consistently be a mixing pot of design bits and bobs that never quite equate to a whole.
Below is the new front end of the Commodore flagship, the Calais. 

VF Commodore Calais

Really strong design improvements over the previous model include sophisticated bonnet detail, angular and strong chrome grille and a sportier front clip. Inspiration for the headlights seems to be taken directly from the Opel Insignia (also known as the Holden Malibu). Holden have chosen not to integrate LED driving lights in the main headlight cluster for this model which I think is disappointing. This front end, while quite handsome, really lacks clarity. 

2009 Audi A6

They seem to have gone 
against the popular philosophy
that less is more and instead
decided that more really is
more. Whoever designs the
lower fog light clusters seems 
to be cramming as much 
into that space as possible.
I can see Audi and Jaguar 
design influences in there. 
These are design elements
well and truly established
4 or 5 years ago.
The inclusion of common
design traits is not a bad idea
if it's executed well.

2009 Jaguar XF

However, including as many
of these features as possible
in the one design is baffling. 
Designs like these go 
through extensive analysis 
and approval processes so 
it's astounding to think how 
this design was ultimately
approved. It's like they are 
afraid of being understated
and subtle. A much simpler
design, similar to that of the
HSV front end (shown later
in this post) would have
sufficed (and saved money).

Rear End

VF Commodore Calais

This is an impressive design update 

VE Commodore

and a vast improvement
over the VE Commodore sedan, which was a lumpy brick of design boredom. The high placed,
triangular type tail lights of
the VE Commodore, with it's
boot integrated number
plate, appears to be a small
car design approach to a
medium/large vehicle
that only accentuated
its high waist and voluptuous
rump. The VF sedan has

a much more dynamic and

linear feel. 

The tail lights have a particularly North American flavour, not unlike the 2013 Chevy Impala and obviously closely linked to the new Holden/Chevy Malibu. The repositioning of the numberplate into the rear bumper on the sedan helps with this all-round visual unity.

One particular model that benefits greatly from this new rear treatment is the HSV variants. The old VE HSV sedan's tail light clusters really took the cake for all-round fugly and misguided designs and were obviously a complete after 
thought. They were a confusion of

VE HSV

round and sharp lines with an overlapping, perforated LED
hoop design that didn't aim to achieve any sort of aesthetic
unity with the rest of the
vehicles exterior. 
The VF HSV moves into much more sophisticated design territory and makes good use of an already improved design. 
The much larger tail
lights once again benefit
from the use of LED's
tying loosely to the old

VF HSV

design with the

use of clear lenses

on a black background.

The rear boot treatment

and especially the HSV

sedan with its

lip spoiler, are a

loose interpretation

of the BMW M3

boot design. Even

the tail lights bare

a passing resemblance.

BMW M3

Unfortunately, this time around, the ute and wagon variants, in both the regular and HSV models, do not get redesigned tail sections. This is obviously in an effort to save costs and Holden are pretty honest about the fact that these segments are fairly strong and buyers are still likely to upgrade to the new models, whether they have an updated design or not. In regards to the tail light clusters it would have been nice to see them use the same structural framework and just manipulate the internal lens and reflector design. Below you can see the numberplate still remains on the tail gate section and has not been re-positioned on the rear bumper. This is partly to retain room for tow bar fitment. It does, however, make the transition from the VE to the VF seem more like a mid model update and not a significant series upgrade as we're led to believe.

VF HSV  Wagon Rear

Old VE Wagon Rear

The HSV front end has come a long way. This is an extremely sporty and aggressive look. The gaping mouth design and angular LED driving lights really add to the natural haunch an snarl of the front end. This looks great, but, once again could do without those small round driving lights in each air intake.

HSV Commodore

My Informal Opinion

The design language of the new VF Commodore is a great improvement over the VE and certainly fits the overall silhouette of this car a lot better. Holden have moved to a much 'lighter' and more 'athletic' interpretation of this body shape and it's quite astounding to see what they have achieved while still working with the same turret and glass as the first VE Commodore. Subtle yet effective refinements have helped this shape remain modern. I still think Holden should have updated the rear ends of the ute and wagon models. Mostly because I am more of a ute and wagon fan then I am a fan of the sedans so I feel particularly left out of these design updates. 

It's great to see this vehicle being pushed hard in the USA markets. With the Ford Falcon on its way out you can't help but wonder what the future of the Commodore will hold. The hope is that significant sales in these markets will assure its future.