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GM-Holden has announced that its revised Commodore range will get two new direct-injection engines next month that promise significant fuel savings and lower CO2 emissions.
The 3.0-litre and 3.6-litre V6 engines will be available with the new VE Mk II update, as well as the Statesman/Caprice lineup. Both engines deliver better power but with direct injection, the economy of a four cylinder.
The company's outgoing chairman and managing director, Mark Reuss, says the engines have real-world savings. “We've been listening to what the customer wants,” he says.
Importantly there will be no price increases on most models, he says. Commodore buyers will be able to save up to $325 a year in fuel costs, based on travelling 20,000km.
The new entry Omega fleet 3.0-litre model achieves 9.3 litres/100km, more than 13 per cent better than the existing model's 10.7 litres/100km.
“That means you can drive from Melbourne to Sydney on one tank,” Reuss says. “We know because we've done it.”
Reuss says the engine is more efficient than some four cylinder competitors. He has ruled out a four-cylinder Commodore strategy to match Ford's decision to build a four-cylinder Falcon.
“We are going to out-engineer our rivals and dropping cylinders would be the last resort,” he says.
A smaller 2.8-litre V6 engine, which Holden builds for its export markets, is also available. But Reuss says the 3.0-litre V6 had hit a `sweet spot' in terms of its match of performance and economy in the Commodore.
“We don't rule anything out,” he says. “We can always do that and we can match that relatively quickly but the 3.0-litre is a very good engine.”
A new six-speed transmission will also be standard on petrol sedan, wagons and the SV6 ute.
Reuss says the savings come through hi-tech technology called Spark Ignition Direct Injection, a first for a locally built vehicle.
The all new 3.0-litre SIDI engine will power the Omega and Berlina sedan and wagon. The larger 3.6-litre SIDI engine will go into Holden's premium Commodore range, including the SV6, Calais and Calais V-Series, as well as the SV6 ute and Statesman and Caprice.
The 3.6-litre engine's fuel economy improves between 7 and 13 per cent.
All SIDI engines also get more power. The 3.0-litre develops 190kW, up from 175kW of the previous engine, while the 3.6-litre develops 210kW, up from 195kW.
Holden's popular dual-fuel LPG range will retain the 3.6-litre AlloyTec V6 but it has been reworked to life economy and reduce CO2 emissions. An LPG-equipped Omega sedan now consumers 13.4l/100km, down from 14.2l/100km, a 6 per cent reduction. CO2 emissions come down 6 per cent from 230 g/km to 217 g/km.
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