Holden springs Commodore Equipe

HOLDEN has introduced special Equipe versions of its best-selling Commodore sedan and Sportwagon range with a claimed $9500 worth of extra equipment alongside a cheaper starting price than the current entry-level Omega.

All Equipe variants get extra features such as 18-inch alloy wheels, a rearview camera with park assist, leather-appointed seats and steering wheel, foglights and chrome highlights on the grille and instrument fascia.

All sedans also pick up a chrome moulding on the bootlid, while the wagon version gets a rear cargo blind. Both body styles also get free prestige paint finish.

The Equipe sedan is now on sale from $36,990 driveaway ($38,900 driveaway for the Sportwagon), which represents a substantial saving over the entry-level Commodore Omega variant in both body styles.

Omega models with substantially fewer standard features than the Equipe carry a list price of $39,990 before on-road costs for the sedan and $41,990 before on-roads for the Sportwagon.

All Equipes are powered by the range-opening 3.0-litre SIDI V6, which in MY12 guise uses a claimed 8.9 litres of fuel per 100km on the combined cycle and can run on E85 ethanol biofuel.



The announcement of the latest iteration of the Equipe – a badge which has surfaced on several previous special-edition Commodores – comes a month after Holden revealed its subtly facelifted MY12 Commodore range.

Changes to the line-up include minor improvements to the fuel efficiency of some variants, small revisions to the instrument fascia and headlight design, tweaks to the iQ multimedia system and several new choices in paint finishes.

Holden’s executive director of sales, marketing and aftersales John Elsworth said the Equipe should help the venerable large car sustain sales momentum.

“The MY12 update to Commodore has made a great car even better, and now the special-edition Equipe models introduce a raft of fantastic extra equipment.

“At such a competitive price we expect it to be a winner in our showrooms.”The Commodore returned to the front-running position for the title of Australia’s top-selling car last month, its 31,977 sales year to date giving it a slender lead over the Mazda3 which has sold 31,439 units YTD.

However, with a facelifted Mazda3 now coming into showrooms with sharper pricing and the availability of frugal SkyActiv engine technology, the race for the 2011 sales crown is far from over.

Other standard features on the Equipe include a six-speed automatic transmission, six airbags, brake assist and the Holden iQ touchscreen multimedia system with Bluetooth, USB and iPod compatibility.

Holden CommodoreEquipe drive-away pricing:
Sedan (a)	$36,990&nbsp
Sportwagon (a)	$38,900