Commodore Colours

[SCiFiRE]

I realise this has probably been brought up,
But why does the commodore seem so lacking in choice when it comes to colours? for example the SS has black, white, red, silver or the hero colour (currentyl blue), Where as if i went to buy an XR8 i have no less than 12 colours to pick from! Thats a big difference, is there any reason behind this?

[planetdavo]

Most likely two reasons I'd suggest. FORD was in deep poop with the AU, so released the BA with so many colours to cover virtually every desire. Some of the BA colours are quite similar to some Holden has already done on VX, V2, VY etc... Holden didn't have an image problem to recover from so less need for so many at once. An secondly, Holden build so many variations of their models for so many countries, that more colours would add further complexity to their production line.

[slickholden]

I think Holden just belives in not over doing the colors so much, As nice as that XR blue is i have seen it one time to many. so maybe holden belives if they offer colors here and there they wont run out of ideas and start useing colors that make other cars popular like hot house - devil - Hyper - tiga :D

[SCiFiRE]

i dont see that offering more colour options for a model would complicate the production line much, considering the different variants get painted on the same line with different color options.

fair reasoning that they dont want to use all their color options at once, but you say you've seen too many cars in that 'falcon blue', i say ive seen too man black commodores. and red commodores, and hothouse green commodores, etc. The fact they offer so little colors means that more and more cars that get sent out on the street are the same color. I still see falcons and territories and say 'geez, havent seen one in that color before, that looks different!',
I just wish us holden lovers got that sort of personalisation.

[slickholden]

But i think the fact that holden change colors for differnt models and use as they say HERO color differnt models meens you wont get the same hero colors all the time.
Everyone use's black red all the time, But hothouse green was only Series 1 monaro and VY I SS. It's been gone now for 2 models.
Holden has plenty of colors in there bag, they just dont wanna waste there time with all them at once. Think of this line up....

White, Redhot, Hothouse, Hyper yellow, Tiga, Impulse, Hackett gold, Raven Blue, Burmuda, Devil, Phantom, Quicksilver, Odyssey, Turbine, I just think you can kill all the colors by offering them at once harder to make new colors, You can bring back old colors that have rested over 2-6 years and they fit in with better paint:D
I just think ford killed the blue print i 1 model. My brother went toi buy a XR6 and he wanted nothing to do with blue.
But i am a little upset that holden havent brought back a old fav color of mine Hyper yellow:(

[planetdavo]

A Monaro with the USA small boot body shell, and the lack of base model V8's are because of production line variants growing ever larger at Holden. They currently have left and right drive variants of many of their models to juggle, and adding further colours adds further variants, ie: much quicker to paint 100 cars in one colour, than to stop after 20, change colour for another 20 etc...Realistically, unless someone gets a custom paint colour, after a month or two, the factory colour will be everywhere anyway.

[Holden]

Color selection is always a hot topic and everyone would always want us to produce "just one more color" for them. We have to meet a wide range of tastes and requirements across a large spread of vehicles and you would agree that we don't want to be necessarily selling SS or Monaro in the same palette as everything else. We go to lengths to offer 'model exclusive' colors and you're finding other manufacturers are now doing the same thing. There is also consideration of being clever with our hero colors so you don't get dealer backlash when it comes time to sell.

[boofhead]

I agree with SCiFiRE - do not see why the SS is so limited in colour choice? Why not offer all of the colours across all Commodore models to give us more options in this area as an example (eg Odyssey Metallic if I wanted it) rather than restrict one of the more expensive Commodore models.

My opinion is Ford is on the right track in offering more options in this area.

[Holden]

... adding further colours adds further variants, ie: much quicker to paint 100 cars in one colour, than to stop after 20, change colour for another 20 etc...Just some feedback for planetdavo's point - the paintshop can actually run different colors, one by one after each other - it's the overall number of paints required in the shop.

[mavss]

The only colour exclusive to the sporty models is Impulse Blue, which I guess is the current Hero colour.

The sports models have a total of 5 colours whereas the lesser models have 9.

An SS in Odyssey Metallic? Drooollllll !!!!

[slickholden]

Ford's big color is Blueprint. You can basically get that from far back as about mid 90's. It's been touched a little over the years but still stays the same. A guy who bought a new BA XR has the same colors as a Guy who bought a 95 XR :eek:
But i know if i go and buy a Hothouse green VY I SS it's rare only Monaro .S and some HSV's have it. Same as impulse it's good to see a hero color that is exclusive. Makes the person who buys it feel special:D I just think somethimes you can beat a color to death if there are to many. If holden didnt give hothouse a rest it might have been hated. But please bring back hyper yellow:D

[planetdavo]

Thanks HOLDEN. I guess that makes sense if you are producing something like 600-700 odd cars within every 24 hour day. That is a lot of cars!!!!
Just to add a final point, the brilliantly glossy Redhot on the Monaro still looks as good as the day it came out. Sometimes, if a car looks good, the colour adds to the looks. If the style is a little plain, the colour is about the ONLY thing making it look good, and then choice becomes very important.

[JEFF]

Personally, I am glad in a way, they don't repeat some "sporty" colours, model after model.....

[mickeyVX350]

Thank god.... never EVER release any other car in Devil!!!!!!


The Fords have attempted to steal the limelight with the XR's and now it is looking common!

[SCiFiRE]

yeah, i dont mind colour exclusivity, but colour restrictions is what gets me.
ok, fine, make the hero colour exclusive to the monaro or SS,
but why cant i get a martini SS?

ford has exclusive colours, like their new fantasy on the XR range,
but they still have another 14 colours to choose from.
we have 5.

[JEFF]

Thank god.... never EVER release any other car in Devil!!!!!!


The Fords have attempted to steal the limelight with the XR's and now it is looking common!


The colour is not ALL they stole from the VX.
When people used to say they saw me at such-and-such, it was a pretty good bet it WAS me. Now it's a better than even bet it was a BA XR.

[vh-holden]

why not just sell primed cars from the factory for slightly less and let people get their own colour?

or am i being naive again?

[Wonky]

IMO the Ford colours are mainly colours you'd look at when you first see one and think "Hmmmm, interesting colour........" but I think most will date quickly and will make it that much harder to sell the car on.

[Stevotski]

yeah, i dont mind colour exclusivity, but colour restrictions is what gets me.
ok, fine, make the hero colour exclusive to the monaro or SS,
but why cant i get a martini SS?


Exactly - a Martini or Odyssey SS would look excellent (oh wait... confusingly I can get that on a SS Crewman). I like the Colour exclusivity, but why should an executive buyer be given 9 colours and SV/SS buyers 6 colours (normally only 5 except for current 2 x Hero Colours) ?

Maybe in the current economic times (ie: becoming more of a buyers market) Holden can be smart about providing more choice to buyers without really costing Holden much at all. My suggestions are:

1) Access to all colours in the paintshop for all models except for the current 'Hero Colour' exclusivity, which should be maintained
2) Choice of manual transmission in all models where that powertrain combination has already been validated. Perhaps the Alloytec M6 validation for 175kw Ute and 190kw sedan can be used for 175kw M6 executive sedan? 190kw M6 already validated for SV6 - so would an M6 190kw Calais need validating? I don't think so - however this would be up to internal Holden policy.

Except for possible validation testing and producing a M6 console insert in the appropriate trim I don't see any signifigant cost to Holden to open up these options for consumers, rather than dictating how a consumer will take a product. This is not in the same league, but never forget what happened to Ford when the company thought they could dictate the AU styling to the consumer...

Please HOLDEN at least consider this!

[HOLDEN 1]

I love that RED!!!

[RichardM]

Exactly - a Martini or Odyssey SS would look excellent (oh wait... confusingly I can get that on a SS Crewman). I like the Colour exclusivity, but why should an executive buyer be given 9 colours and SV/SS buyers 6 colours (normally only 5 except for current 2 x Hero Colours) ?

Maybe in the current economic times (ie: becoming more of a buyers market) Holden can be smart about providing more choice to buyers without really costing Holden much at all. My suggestions are:

1) Access to all colours in the paintshop for all models except for the current 'Hero Colour' exclusivity, which should be maintained
2) Choice of manual transmission in all models where that powertrain combination has already been validated. Perhaps the Alloytec M6 validation for 175kw Ute and 190kw sedan can be used for 175kw M6 executive sedan? 190kw M6 already validated for SV6 - so would an M6 190kw Calais need validating? I don't think so - however this would be up to internal Holden policy.

Except for possible validation testing and producing a M6 console insert in the appropriate trim I don't see any signifigant cost to Holden to open up these options for consumers, rather than dictating how a consumer will take a product. This is not in the same league, but never forget what happened to Ford when the company thought they could dictate the AU styling to the consumer...

Please HOLDEN at least consider this!

Let me add my voice to this as well.

It seems STUPID that a more expensive car has a SMALLER range of colours than the base model.
I really really really wanted a BLUE VX II SS.

Could I get one?
No.

Spend almost $50,000.00 and get a lesser choice than an Exec buyer?

Almost made me NOT buy the car.

I wonder, Mr Holden, how many people DID choose NOT to buy because of their lack of choice?

P.S. I would have rather had a Berlina V8, but with a manual gearbox. One more option not offered.

[JEFF]

Redarding if someone would not buy a car because a particular colour was not offered: Pick me. I was all set to go elsewhere for a car. The VX (then) S pack had all i wanted except a standout colour, and let's be honest we DO buy by colour. One of the things we want to do is show off something special (hey, if you don't agree, you are in the wrong forum...). Being able to choose a "special" colour is one of the things I feel we buy a NEW car for. Ie, the choice.
I can understand Holden's point of view if the colour range offered on up-market cars was exclusive to that model, but if it's also available to fleet buyers when they get exec's, it sort of takes away the exclusivity.
Don't forget we are talking about a "one size fits all" market and to offer a special colour (or manual gearbox etc) in a model would require Holden to be able to predict selling a lot of that model to make any change worth while, and their image of the Calais buyer wouldn't be seen dead changing their own gears.

[bbaacchhyy]

2) Choice of manual transmission in all models where that powertrain combination has already been validated. Perhaps the Alloytec M6 validation for 175kw Ute and 190kw sedan can be used for 175kw M6 executive sedan? 190kw M6 already validated for SV6 - so would an M6 190kw Calais need validating? I don't think so - however this would be up to internal Holden policy.

Except for possible validation testing and producing a M6 console insert in the appropriate trim I don't see any signifigant cost to Holden to open up these options for consumers, rather than dictating how a consumer will take a product. This is not in the same league, but never forget what happened to Ford when the company thought they could dictate the AU styling to the consumer...

Please HOLDEN at least consider this!

It is much more complicated than that. There is the different rear axle combo's, different ABS calibrations, different front and body harnesses etc, etc, etc.

If it was that simple they'd do it, but the reality not many people buy manuals except in a sports car.

I'd personally love a Calais as a manual, but can't have that.

On the all colours for all mopdels front, same argument as for the manual. Parts proliferation galore, parts storgae, sequencing costs and production planning for such a model mix would be nigh on impossible.

Cheers

Michael B

[SCiFiRE]

as much as a manual V8 calais would be a dream at the moment,
i reckon if they DID release a manual calais, it would steal sales from the SS.

[Dee Jay]

as much as a manual V8 calais would be a dream at the moment,
i reckon if they DID release a manual calais, it would steal sales from the SS.

I agree for me i bought the SV8 as there was no Manual in the Calais.

There are a lot of people who would love to have a sports Luxury car , just look at all the Euro cars .

At least make it a cost option for the V8 models, only change is the length of the drive shaft, diff ratio, they could just biuld it on the SS platform.

Cheers Danny

[planetdavo]

It's one thing to have a few people on a performance forum wanting manual Calais', it's another thing out in the real world where virtually no body else asks for it. Holden did manual Calais' in the VN's, and they almost grew a lawn out of them waiting to sell in the used market....