Late last month, General Motors in North America released a Buick concept car rendering that could be a postcard from an alternate future where large sedans are still relevant.
The striking image, by GM lead exterior designer, Aaron Riggs, is a front three-quarter drawing inspired by the Buick Wildcat EV Concept that debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit back in June.
Revealed during Thanksgiving on social media, it’s been speculated that this might be a preview of a large four-door luxury sedan flagship for the Buick brand, mooted for a 2025 launch date.
Rumours reckon the production version might even resurrect the famous Electra nameplate that was active from 1959 to 1990.
So, what does any of this have to do with Holden, you may ask? Nothing, given the brand no longer exists.
However, in an alternate world where GM allowed the Australian operation to continue, could this Riggs render, or even the 2025 Buick Electra that might be its production manifestation, be a peek into what the next-generation Commodore would have looked like had Holden survived and its Opel-supplied ZB Commodore kept going?
Let’s dig deeper into the design and its implications and indulge the pure fantasy of what Australia’s Driving Future may have been.
Firstly, the Buick concept rendering is notable for its aggressive cab-backward silhouette, long wheelbase featuring an exaggerated dash-to-axle ratio, wide rear haunches and fat arches housing massive wheels.
Though completely modern from whatever came before, these and other styling aspects of Rigg’s design also happen to be the visual hallmarks of Holden’s last Australian production vehicle series, the VE/VF Commodore series from 2006 to 2017. Big, muscular four-door sedans that exude speed and authority.
Of course, there have been several subsequent performance/luxury models from GM for its Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac brands that have done the same, and will continue to do so as the corporation moves to a full electrified future.
But, whether intentional or otherwise, there’s no denying the thematic connection to Commodore, including the hockey-stick C-pillar shape, side vents in the mudguard/fender and even the Holden-evoking red colour of the sketch.
Add a Lion or HSV badge on the nose, and it’s not too far a stretch to imagine a 2025 SS or HSV GTS, with or without electrification. With a motor on each axle and the endless tuning opportunities that high-output EVs provide, the return of a pure sports sedan/muscle car in the vein of the old rear-drive Commodore V8s is suddenly a reality again.
Secondly, looking at Rigg’s past work with GM, the 2012 Buick Avista concept was based on a sketch of his and it certainly seemed to influence the Opel Insignia B that turned out to be the (ill-fated) 2018 ZB Commodore; he was also partly responsible for the look of the 2016 Cadillac Escala Concept, which was carried out under the tenure of ex-Holden design boss and current vice-president of global design at GM, Mike Simcoe.
Obviously, even if GM had let Holden survive beyond 2020 and did develop this sort of sedan for right-hand-drive production into the second half of this decade as an EV, it would have been imported into Australia, rather than built here. Even in this make-believe scenario, we’re not proposing a return to local manufacturing.
Yet, even then, for fans of Australian vehicles and Holden lovers in particular, this cheeky drawing and the lost potential it promises is almost too much to bear. There’s nothing to suggest that, given the green light as a future Buick Electra EV, GMSV in Australia wouldn’t bring that in alongside the popular Silverado utes and specialist Corvette someday.
But there’s no getting away from the fact that this red Buick EV Thanksgiving sketch seems especially tailor-made to wear the Holden badge.
Keyword: Is this what the 2025 Holden Commodore might have looked like?