An important anniversary in Australian manufacturing history has recently passed with 20-years since the first Holden VE Commodore rolled off the production line.
The VE marked a major shift away from previous Commodore due to its Australian-developed Zeta platform and locally designed body, which took eight years to turn from paper to reality.
Costing Holden more than $1 billion to develop, the VE Commodore was a major shift away from the previous spawning sedan, ute and Sportwagon variants.
Models offered started with the base model Omega, then the Commodore V, mid-range Berlina, SV6, SS and SSV alongside the luxurious Statesman/Caprice options.
Of course, performance brand Holden Special Vehicles launched its range of modified Commodores including the Clubsport R8, GTS, Senator, Maloo and Grange.
Racing the VE began in 2007 and it enjoyed immediate success when Garth Tander won the V8 Supercars title with the HSV Dealer Team.
The VE Commodore was shortened compared to its road car specification due to the Project Blueprint regulations.
When the VE was released there was a major shift in the Australian marketplace as smaller hatchbacks came to the fore with the Mazda 3 taking the top spot the Commodore had held for a some time.
VE models were built up 2013 spanning more than 520,000 units produced, while it was exported to the Middle East, Chevrolet Omega, Pontiac G8, Chevrolet Caprice and Vauxhall VXR8.
Appropriately, the VF Commodore was up next and was the last Holden to be built in Australia after production ended locally for the brand in October 2017.