The new Commodore has been engineered from the get-go to be left-hand drive and comply with all world safety standards. Even the fuel tank is ahead of the rear axle -- changing that for the GTO was one of the reasons GM couldn't spend more money giving the Monaro coupe more Pontiac style. The new Commodore is a clean-sheet car, so it looks fresh, contemporary, and muscular. GM's head of NA car design, Mike Simcoe, knows the vehicle intimately: An Aussie, he oversaw all the initial work on the new Commodoe in GM's Melcbourne, Australia, design studio before being promoted to Detroit. A relatively simple front fascia change incorporating the Pontiac split grille, plus the usual Pontiac branding details and official U.S. safety certification and emissions calibration are about all this car needs to be ready to roll on U.S. roads. Holden sources estimate the work could be completed for a mere $15 million. Building the new Grand Prix in Australia also would help Holden maximize production efficiency of its assembly plant in Elizabeth, South Australia. Until recently, this plant was running three shifts a day to meet demand, but high gas prices (Australians are paying about $4.30 a gallon) have hit Commodore sales hard in the past 18 months--sales of the runout model were the lowest in 12 years. Export marker sales also have been hit. Getting a Pontiac Grand Pric into production would probably take the best part of 12 months, by which time initiial demand for the new Commodore will have eased. A Grand Prix version could take up the slack left by decreased local demand.
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