Lame Holden "transformers"-style adds... (1 Viewer)

[seremify007]

... just saw it on SBS (whilst watching South Park) and realised it was very very very lame.

Sigh.

 

[Pace_T]

yeah it was so shit.. as if that shit commercial will get people to buy any more of their shit box cars. holden is pathetic

 

[Jiga]

Lol I havent seen it yet, but just look at Holdens previous adverts:

* Providing all these quotes about the Holden Calais, the most laughable being that its better then a BMW. Finished off with a Kookaburra, trying to make them look Aussie (SORRY HOLDEN IS GENERAL MOTORS = USA)
* Viva where they have 'viva the revolution'. Viva what revolution? The Holden revolution of rebranding Korean trash Daewoo's as Holdens!
* Epica where they show it as some classy vehicle 'without compromise'. Funny because its doesnt come with ESP... I think thats a compromise, not to mention its under-powered engine even in V6 form!

Holden are getting worse to, they have in recent history had the following rebranded Daewoos as part of their line up: Viva, Barina, Captiva, Epica and there was one more I have forgotten.

 

[ObjectsInSpace]

I don't think the ad is trying to cash in on Transformers, but more that brilliant Citroen ad where the C4 turns into a mechanical man and starts dancing.

* Providing all these quotes about the Holden Calais, the most laughable being that its better then a BMW. Finished off with a Kookaburra, trying to make them look Aussie (SORRY HOLDEN IS GENERAL MOTORS = USA)

That's precisely why I support Ford in the V8s. I know Ford is American too, but so many people say they support Holden because it's "Australian" when Ford is American.

 

[Jiga]

^

Yeah Im the same... Im more Toyota overall but in V8s Im a Ford man (Both in the races and in real life... they have DOHC > Pushrod engines). The part that gets me is that yes they are both American but at least Ford like most if not all companies keeps the same name across countries. General Motors on the othe hand are GM in the U.S, Holden here and Vauxhel in England etc. Branding designed to try and make them look more local... pity there are idiots who actually think Holden is Aussie becaus they build their cars here (Forgetting that Toyota, Mitsubishi and Ford all do so as well!)

 

[seremify007]

I don't think the ad is trying to cash in on Transformers, but more that brilliant Citroen ad where the C4 turns into a mechanical man and starts dancing.

Either way it's still a shockingly bad advertisement. I still don't get why anyone would want to buy a Holden car which can transform into a bicycle. Is that their attempt at combining Transformer/Citroen-'transformations' with environmentally-friendly images?

 

[lengy]

Maybe because they'll get driven off the road like most bicycle riders are?

 

[j_davo24]

not to mention its under-powered engine even in V6 form!

Its actually an inline six. Unfortunately they have re-branded a lot of Korean crap lately, but they are also exporting a hell of a lot of Australian built vehicles, something that Ford is not doing AFAIK.

Also holden at least started out as a true Australian company, something Ford can never hold claim to, nor any other automotive manufacturer operating in this country. Hopefully now that Denny Mooney dropkick has pissed off back to the states they'll stop the influx of Daewoos.

 

[Jiga]

Ah yeah inline six... well their history means nothing to me, fact is they are U.S now and worse yet they are our leading importer of rebranded Daewoos. Like the Barina was a disgrace on Holden, its a popular car among younger drivers who have a higher chance of crashing... and they sell that 2 star safety rated trash to them! The whole Daewoo range is crap as well, the Viva was a flop, Epica is sluggish as hell (not even a contender to the Camry, current sales indicate this) and the Captiva well its arguably the best but it still suffers qualitity issues. And Im not sure about exporting loads of Aussie vehicles, its a very small percentage. Personally I dont rate the VE either, the Omega was a disgrace without A/C etc and even the limited edition Lumina still misses out on features something like the Aurion has standard (So despite being cheaper once you spec it up, its the same price yet still less powerful and a stoneage 4 speed trans).

 

[Riet]

I don't think the ad is trying to cash in on Transformers, but more that brilliant Citroen ad where the C4 turns into a mechanical man and starts dancing.That's precisely why I support Ford in the V8s. I know Ford is American too, but so many people say they support Holden because it's "Australian" when Ford is American.

That C4 ad is the bomb, I don't even know what Holden ad we're talking about but I was thinking of that already. Also Holden actually does alot of R&D research for GM, infact they're like in charge of RWD chassis development and regardless of where the money goes (GM is losing money each year, anyway) Holden provides alot of jobs for Australians.

 

[Riet]

^

Yeah Im the same... Im more Toyota overall but in V8s Im a Ford man (Both in the races and in real life... they have DOHC > Pushrod engines). The part that gets me is that yes they are both American but at least Ford like most if not all companies keeps the same name across countries. General Motors on the othe hand are GM in the U.S, Holden here and Vauxhel in England etc. Branding designed to try and make them look more local... pity there are idiots who actually think Holden is Aussie becaus they build their cars here (Forgetting that Toyota, Mitsubishi and Ford all do so as well!)

Sorry couldn't leave this: GM choose to stick with a pushrod. There's a reason the LS series engines are more compact, more torquey, have a redline that is just as high and weigh a shitload less. Pushrods are just as effective as DOHC engines, and infact OHC were invented before pushrods, so pushrods aren't older tech at all.

Due to the fact it doesn't have a massive head, the LS engines can be mounted lower down which is better for handling. Fords modular V8 is also cast iron, where as the LS is all alloy which makes it much much lighter. The 6.0L LS2 weighs less than both the RB26DETT and 2JZ-GTE, even though its got a hell of a lot more displacement.

Edit: BTW, in V8 Supercars they all use the same engines anyway, for fairness.
Edit2: GM do make OHC V8s, they're in Cadillacs and stuff, for performance the LS engines are good enough anyway.

 

[seremify007]

I heard Holden's new Commodore is forming new underpinnings for some Pontiac sedan which is considered practical for daily use... where have they been for the past 10 years in America? But yes Holden does export their vehicles to various countries now so at least they're trying to get into the game; but lending their name to an inferior product? Way to kill a brand.

 

[Riet]

It's called the Pontiac G8 and I don't see why it'll be inferior...

 

[Azamakumar]

It's called the Pontiac G8 and I don't see why it'll be inferior...

lololo he meant the rebadged koreans.

 

[j_davo24]

Edit: BTW, in V8 Supercars they all use the same engines anyway, for fairness.

And when they didn't the Holden's were winning something like 95% of all the races or there abouts.

There is no way that the Commodore is an inferior product to the Falcon (both have good and bad points) and I still doubt whether the Camry with a new name (Aurion) is all that good. Toyota tried this before with the Avalon and failed miserably. Not mention the Aurion is ugly as sin.

In the end consumers decide, not motoring journalists, so only time will tell.

 

[Riet]

lololo he meant the rebadged koreans.

Yeh, I wasn't sure.

In Toyota Australia's defence, they had big ideas for the Aurion, especially in regards to looks except they weren't allowed to change the shape much at all because it would have made the costs higher, that's why instead it's just a Camry with a bodykit. The engine is pretty good, definitely better than the Ford and Holden 6s; it's a shame it's FWD.

 

[Azamakumar]

The ad should be on the internets, targeted to cracee azn g33ks. Cos afterall who wouldnt want a car that could transform into other cars/robots/phone/pc ANYWHERE!!@?!!?!ONeonELevEN!11


Haven't seen the ad but it seems lul nonetheless.

 

[seremify007]

It's called the Pontiac G8 and I don't see why it'll be inferior...

Sorry for the ambiguity; I meant the following

1. Pontiac is finally using the Australian platform as a basis
2. The previews make it sound as if America has never had a "muscle car with practicality" hence why I was quite surprised...
3. Since Holden is clearly doing something right with their own designs, why would they want to tarnish their good reputation with crappy Daewoos?

 

[Jiga]

Sorry couldn't leave this: GM choose to stick with a pushrod. There's a reason the LS series engines are more compact, more torquey, have a redline that is just as high and weigh a shitload less. Pushrods are just as effective as DOHC engines, and infact OHC were invented before pushrods, so pushrods aren't older tech at all.

Due to the fact it doesn't have a massive head, the LS engines can be mounted lower down which is better for handling. Fords modular V8 is also cast iron, where as the LS is all alloy which makes it much much lighter. The 6.0L LS2 weighs less than both the RB26DETT and 2JZ-GTE, even though its got a hell of a lot more displacement.

I know all that stuff... but they are inefficient engines which need loads of displacement to get their power. You get a more sophisticated DOHC cam engine with same displacement and you get alot more power, example is the Lexus 5L V8 which has 300kw. 1L less (which is alot), more power... and best of all it readlines at like 9000RPM (You take a pushrod anywhere near that and it will explode lol!). Its got alot to do with pushrods not being able to embrace new technology, they are prehistoric in terms of design... they only have 2 valves per cylinder, cylinder head ports are compromised by the pushrods, cant make use of things like VVT, cant rev as high, more moving parts etc. In saying all this for what you get at $70k in a HSV which is comparable to cars double the price in terms of straight line performance, they are good for affordable (poor mans) performance cars.

There is no way that the Commodore is an inferior product to the Falcon (both have good and bad points) and I still doubt whether the Camry with a new name (Aurion) is all that good. Toyota tried this before with the Avalon and failed miserably. Not mention the Aurion is ugly as sin

Lol the Falcon has it all over the Commodore... the current one does lack features like side airbags and stability but the Orion is going to kick arse (both Commodore and Aurion) when it comes out next year. The Commodore imo is the worst out of them all, for example, the base model has a prehistoric 4 speed transmission (which is rough as guts), an unrefined engine that produces only 180kw (arguably the worst large car engine) and lacks safety features (airbags, stability etc). Fair enough going up the range they improve, but in terms of value for money the Aurion has it all over them. The Falcon also is decent, their 6 speed ZF tranny is the best in the market, their cars look alright and their range is good (namely XR6T). And looks wise its all subjective, I think the VE looks like shyte... those wheel arches are ugly, the rear remind me of a fat arse etc... HSVs look alright though

In Toyota Australia's defence, they had big ideas for the Aurion, especially in regards to looks except they weren't allowed to change the shape much at all because it would have made the costs higher, that's why instead it's just a Camry with a bodykit. The engine is pretty good, definitely better than the Ford and Holden 6s; it's a shame it's FWD.

Wouldnt put it as a camry with a bodykit, the central part is from the Camry but the front and rear are completely re-designed, by an Aussie, not to mention suspension changes etc.

 

[Riet]

GM is desigining a Pushrod with 3 valves per cylinder and VVT. None of the UZ engines (which are awesome, I agree) go anywhere near 9000rpm in stock form. They also weigh alot more than LS engines. The LS7 is a 7L engine with a 7000 RPM redline. In racing applications such as nascar there are pushrods that go to 9000rpm. If the displacement is larger but the engine is overall more compact, lighter and just as efficient, why does it matter if it's prehistoric tech?