Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon No More After 2016

According to Holden boss Mike Devereux, the VF-series Holden Commodore and the Ford Falcon will be phased out beginning with 2016.

Statistics show that although the Australian auto market sets new records, the Holden Commodore continues to set record low sales numbers. Ford CEO Alan Mulally said that the VF Commodore will stay at the basis of the 2014 Chevrolet SS premium performance sedan and that after 2016 there are no plans to continue manufacturing the Australia-specific Ford Falcon.

Devereux also said that Holden is planning to add a new model to be produced at the Port Elizabeth plant, a SUV or maybe a midsize car, which must be a top-10 seller. Rumors say that Ford plans to stop its Australian manufacturing operations as the automaker didn’t request the government support for building vehicles in Australia beyond 2016.

“VF (Commodore) will run through to the end of 2016. We have a current plan to put a second (vehicle type) into the plant before 2017,” said the boss of Holden Mike Devereux during an interview.

In January, Holden also announced that the faith of the Port Melbourne V6 engine plant, and implicitly the jobs of its 320 workers there, are in jeopardy after 2016 as automakers begin to shift to four-cylinder cars.