"Holden is set to let customers shape the end of local car manufacturing by building the cars people want

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"Holden is set to let customers shape the end of local car manufacturing by building the cars people want to buy.

Unlike Ford, which shut down ute production months ahead of the Falcon's demise, Holden plans to offer a full range of Commodore-based cars before closing its factories in the fourth quarter of 2017.

The brand is stockpiling V6 engines ahead of a planned shutdown of its Melbourne engine plant in late 2016. Holden managing director Mark Bernhard says it will have enough engines to meet customer demand for V6 and V8 models in the locally-built Commodore's final year.

"We've certainly got estimates around what we think V6 and also V8 volume will be next year," he says.

"We work though those plans with the supply chain, and as the engine plant closes a little bit earlier, we've got to estimate what those volumes are.

"The current plan is that we will produce V6, V8 and all three body styles all the way through.

"But again that will go down to customer demand."

Having already built its final ute, Ford will put an end to Falcon and Territory production on Friday October 7. Holden will build its last Australian-assembled Cruze that day, but it won't say exactly when the last Commodore will roll down the Elizabeth production line in 2017.

"We're working towards a closure sometime in the fourth quarter," Bernhard says.

"It's too early to plan to be planning any dates specifically around when that is. It's going to get a lot of complications around what volumes are and things like that, so that's a decision I'm certainly not making today."

Holden is expected to release a final update for the Commodore in 2017, and Bernhard expects the car to have strong demand "right across the portfolio", from entry-level V6 versions to top-flight V8 halo models.

Without confirming specifics, Holden spokesman Sean Poppit says the brands has "tricks up its sleeve" when it comes to the final year of Commodore production, which is likely to feature a special edition or two.

The brand plans to match customer appetites, striving to make sure that anyone who wants to buy a final-year Australian Commodore is able to get their hands on one.

That said, Bernhard is at pains to point out that the Commodore name will live on after the death of Australian-built models. Holden is expected to offer Europe's Opel Insignia sedan as a successor to the locally engineered large car.

The Holden chief says "The next Generation Commodore will have the performance and the technical capability behind it to carry the commodore nameplate". http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/h...08-gqo0x8.html