GM Holden and Victoria Police have collaborated in the design of 20 striking Commodore SS models to join the police fleet as state-of-the-art SMART cars (Special Mobile Anti-Road Toll Cars), to reduce the road toll and increase road safety during the 2005/2006 Christmas/New Year period.

The visually bold Holden Commodore SS sedans will provide maximum visibility on roads during peak periods and will be used as a tool that will be a constant reminder for motorists to follow the road rules.

Assistant Commissioner (Traffic) Noel Ashby and Minister for Police Tim Holding unveiled the fleet yesterday at Government House as part of the summer holiday road safety campaign that will see additional resources being devoted to Victorian roads over the holiday period.

Mr Ashby said the cars are part of Victoria Police’s commitment to making roads safer.

“The SMART cars will be a reminder to all motorists to obey the road rules, not in a bid to avoid a fine, but in an effort to save lives and reduce road trauma,” he said.

Holden is a major supplier of fleet vehicles to Victoria Police and the Commodore SS SMART cars were developed in close collaboration between the two entities.

Simon Carr, Holden National Fleet Manager, said today, “The relationship between Holden and the Victorian police is a highly collaborative one. SS Commodores have been an integral part of the police fleet since 1999 and Holden has been supplying cars to Victoria Police since the introduction of the 48/215 in 1948.

“Furthermore, like Holden, Victoria Police have a strong commitment to safety and innovation, so we have worked very closely with the police on the design of these vehicles for maximum effect.”

The eye-catching vehicles will be distributed to each police region where they can be used to promote road safety through high profile traffic patrols.

Some of the Commodores SS cars are fitted with mobile data devices which allow police to access information including driver license details and persons of interest data.

They also feature a range of modern technology to accommodate secure digital radios and mobile radar equipment.

Holden Takes On Global Design Role
8th December, 2005
Holden will significantly expand its Port Melbourne design centre to design vehicles for General Motors markets around the world ..... more

Small Cars Push Motor Vehicle Market Towards Record Year
6th December, 2005
Another record month of small and light car sales has all but ensured that the Australian motor vehicle market is heading for its fourth straight annual sales record ..... more

Safer car design has cut road casualties
4th December, 2005
Car makers deserve real credit for dramatic improvements in safety trends over the last 10 years ..... but there are duds, such as Landwind, a Chinese import into the EU ..... more

Holden Celebrates Four Millionth Export Engine
4th December, 2005
Holden has produced a range of four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines for export at Port Melbourne since 1981, and currently holds contracts to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and North America ..... more

Monaro In Force for Queensland Police
28th November, 2005
Holden and the Queensland Police Service have joined forces in an effort to reduce the road toll and increase road safety leading up to the holiday season ..... more

Summer School Chevrolet Chevelle
8th November, 2005
Their (the students) goal: have it (a '70 Chevelle) ready in time to be revealed in the GM display at the 2005 SEMA show in Las Vegas ..... more

Holden Barina Ushers in New Era
7th November, 2005
Holden is set to shift the balance in Australia ’s light car market with a new Barina starting below $13,000 with air conditioning as standard ..... more

Industry Gears up for End of Year Sales Push
6th November, 2005
Australian motor vehicle sales dropped slightly in October, interrupting a run of record monthly results that have pushed the market to new heights this year ..... more

China Will Be World's No.1
5th November, 2005
Dr. Feng Fei, an economist at the Development Research Centre of China’s State Council, has forecast that China will become the world's largest vehicle manufacturer by 2020 ..... more

GM Moves to Speed Pontiac Solstice Production
3rd November, 2005
General Motors has announced that it plans to add a third shift at its Wilmington, Delaware (USA), car assembly plant which currently manufacturers the Pontiac Solstice roadster ..... more

Sales of Daewoo-Sourced Vehicles Rise 41%
2nd November, 2005
GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM Daewoo) announced yesterday that 112,631 of the Incheon-based car maker's vehicles were sold globally in October ..... more

Hummer To Sponsor Team Dakar USA
2nd November, 2005
Hummer and Robby Gordon Motorsports have joined together to take on the Dakar Rally, widely considered to be the most grueling off-road race in the world ..... more

GM'S 2005 SEMA Showcase
2nd November, 2005
GM will make a big impact at this year's Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, proving that with the right combination of technology, great products and accessories, it's possible to pack performance, style and fuel economy into one exciting package ..... more

GM's Global Growth Continues
27th October, 2005
General Motors reported calendar year-to-date sales (January - September) of 7,066,774 vehicles around the world – a 3.7 percent increase over 2004 ..... more

GM Opens Russian R&D Science Office
26th October, 2005
General Motors will open a new R&D science office in Moscow in order to leverage Russian science institutes and universities on a broad array of technologies ..... more

S3X From Daewoo For Holden
16th October, 2005
Holden is showing the striking S3X concept SUV at Sydney's Australian International Motor Show, as the preview for a Daewoo-sourced seven-seater Holden destined for Australia next year ..... more

Holden's Wild Hot Rod Brings FJ Back to Life
13th October, 2005
A wild 21st Century hot rod reinventing one of Australia ’s most famous cars, the FJ Holden, was unveiled today at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney ..... more

Historical Brazilian Truck's Driving Odyssey
12th October, 2005
An intrepid group of eight passionate Brazilian adventurers traveled nearly 19,312 kms (12,000 miles), crossing two continents, eleven countries and the Amazon River ..... more

Record Month As Small Car Sales Boom
10th October, 2005
The Australian motor vehicle market continues to head towards a new annual record, driven by a big increase in demand for smaller cars and light trucks ..... more

Viva is Holden's Big News
10th October, 2005
Holden has launched Viva – a new nameplate, for the Holden brand ..... more

Subaru and GM Walk Away From Each Other
7th October, 2005
Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru cars, released its plan of their alliance changes ..... more

2005 Special Edition VZ Commodore Lumina
28th September, 2005
Holden is delivering more than $6,000 of extra features in the new special edition VZ Commodore Lumina sedan and wagon ..... more

Holden's New Tigra Hardtop Convertible
23rd September, 2005
Holden is stepping up its focus on the small car market with the pending launch of the Tigra hardtop convertible ..... more

Extra Temptation For Holden's SS Models
13th September, 2005
Holden’s SS model performance heroes will deliver extra temptation in SSZ special editions to be released on Commodore, Ute and Crewman ..... more

Holden Launches Dual-fuel Commodore
9th September, 2005
The success of Australia ’s most popular car range will be enhanced with the launch of a dual-fuel Commodore, featuring a newly-developed version of GM Holden’s 3.6 litre Alloytec V6 ..... more

Cadillac BLS
31st August, 2005
Where does the 2006 Cadillac BLS, which is set for its world premiere at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show, sit in Holden's plans for the future? ..... more

Holden Workforce Restructure
26th August, 2005
GM Holden Ltd has made a decision to reduce the workforce size of its South Australian operations ..... more

150 Holdens Crushed for Emergency's Sake
19th August, 2005
A total of 150 Monaros, Commodores, Rodeos and other Holdens with a retail value of more than $5 million have been shipped to New Zealand to become scrap metal in the name of emergency safety ..... more

The New Astra Twin Top For 2006
2nd August, 2005
Last year, we reported the new Astra would be a coupe/cabriolet. Now we discover General Motors has lifted the lid on the latest version of its new Astra – the stunning TwinTop ..... more

Hummer H3 Now Arriving In Europe
28th July, 2005
General Motors continues its global expansion with the announcement yesterday it will sell the all-new 2006 Hummer H3 in Europe. The H3 will come to Australia in early 2007 ..... more

Last Hurrah for Holden's Legendary Monaro
26th July, 2005
Holden will next month release a striking special edition, Monaro CV8-Z, as the final chapter in a remarkable success story in Australian automotive history ..... more

Holden Expands The Astra Line-Up
18th July, 2005     Additional details added 21st July, 2005
Holden has extended its popular Astra small car range with a sporty new three-door coupe and a versatile compact wagon ..... more