Holden Commodore (VN)

The Holden Commodore (VN) is a full-size car that was produced by the Australian manufacturer Holden from 1988 to 1991. It was the first iteration of the second generation of this Australian made model, which was previously a mid-size car. The new range included the luxury variants, Holden Berlina (VN) and Holden Calais (VN) and, from 1990, introduced the commercial Holden Utility (VG).

Overview

The VN series was released on 17 August 1988 and it was a re-engineered hybrid of the European Opel Omega and Opel Senator. This donor body was paired to a Buick V6 engine or the Holden V8 engine. The project cost some A$200 million.

As well as being highly based on the Opel Senator, the VN also was similarly based on the Opel Omega, but this time, the previous VL Commodore floor plan was widened and stretched. The Commodore could now match the rival Ford Falcon for size. The VN Commodore was available in Executive, S, SS, Berlina and Calais specification levels, although a more basic SL model (opt. code A9K) was supposedly offered to government and fleet buyers, as it was not officially listed as part of the Commodore range. The VN Commodore was also awarded Wheels Car of the Year for a second time in 1988. For the first time since 1984, Holden again offered a commercial coupe utility with the first-Commodore based VG Utility sold from August 1990. The Holden Statesman and Caprice (VQ) models, which were introduced in March 1990, were also VN Commodore based, but shared a longer wheelbase with the VN Commodore wagon and VG Utility.