In late 1979, GMH began work on a wider and longer wheelbase version of the VB Commodore. It was coded VB-W and was just the car the company needed to counter the XD Falcon.
And yet, within 12 months the VB-W was cancelled.
The VB-W was created at a time when the VB Commodore, with its fresh European styling, had been on the market for a year, the Gemini was selling well, the XD Falcon had just been released, the WB Statesman/Caprice was due for launch and the WB Kingswood/Premier sedan and wagon had been cancelled. A decision had also been made to replace the Torana with GM’s global J-car.
It was also created at a time when GMH was starting to receive feedback that for some new car and fleet buyers, the VB’s smaller dimensions, compared to the Falcon, were a deal breaker.
With a planned release date of early 1983, the VB-W program acknowledged other headwinds facing GMH.
Initially, the VB-W was primarily intended to be a replacement for the WB Statesman/Caprice, which had a use-by date not too far into the future. The luxury model’s new sheet metal and roof cleverly disguised its decade old origins and limitations. If GMH was to retain a presence in the locally built long wheelbase limousine market in the 1980s, an up-to-date car, such as the VB-W, was needed. (I’ve written about the design to driveway development of the WB Statesman in the March 2021 edition of Retroautos®. Mark Oastler has also compiled a great history the Statesman in Super Models. There are links at the end of this story.)
As the VB-W program progressed, a panel van and one-tonne ute were added to the product mix. A full range of sedans was also considered. This would enhance GMH’s ability to compete with the XD Falcon on a more or less equal size.
From the get-go, Ford had advertised the XD as the “right sized” car for Australian families, emphasising that the VB Commodore was “small”. This campaign would have a long-term impact on Commodore sales. GMH’s annual report tracked the decline. For 1979 it reported 63,819 Commodores had been sold. In 1983 sales totalled 38,415.
The styling of the VB-W built on work already done by GMH’s design team. Back in 1976 and 1977, when the VB Commodore was in development, they’d sketched ideas for a ute, panel van and long wheelbase limousine. Nothing had come of it. The $110 million cost of converting the Opel V-car into the Commodore absorbed most of the financial and people resources that might have been applied to developing a broader range. (You can read more about these never-seen Commodores in the May 2024 edition of Retroautos® There’s a link at the end of this story.)
The dimensions of the VB-W matched those of a car GMH had cancelled in 1974. That was the WA model. The WA was meant to replace the HQ-HZ in 1978, but GMH’s top managers had decided the $80 million development cost was too much. Instead, they chose the Opel-V car, which they assumed would be cheaper to develop. That turned out to be a miscalculation. (You can read about the WA in the September 2022 edition of Retroautos®. There’s a link at the end of this story.)
The VB-W’s wheelbase was set at 109 inches/2769mm, a four-inch inch/102mm increase on the VB Commodore. Width was broadened by three inches/76mm. Length expanded by six inches/152mm. There would be six cylinder and V8 engines.
Ironically, the VB-W’s dimensions are also similar to those of the 1988 VN Commodore. That’s something we will get to soon.
Full sized clay models were constructed, featuring six window and four window upper body and roof configurations. Long, tapered front fenders and variations of a narrow grille dominated the front end. Visual length was enhanced by a distinctive side body moulding. The influence of the WA’s styling is evident.
Whereas the VB Commodore’s rear end was rounded, the VB-W’s was decidedly angular with the hint of a spoiler. On one proposal the tail lights stretched across the car, adding to the impression of width.
Despite the potential of it being a right-sized competitor for the Ford Falcon, the VB-W program was cancelled. Active for less than 12 months, it never progressed beyond full-sized clay models. The drawings and photos you see here are what remains of the program.
Cancelled too soon?
So why was the VB-W cancelled? In short, GMH had other priorities to achieve and financial issues to solve.
At the time the VB-W program was operating, GMH was not in the best financial shape. The company reported a loss in 1977, 1978 and 1980, and was on the way to further losses in 1981 and beyond. The financial issues delayed the much-needed re-styling of the Commodore, planned for the 1981 VH model. The revisions did not appear until 1984 with the release of the VK.
Not helping matters was the decline in market share. It had slid from 33.1% in 1971 to 23.2 % in 1980.
To add to the uncertainty, the second Middle East oil supply crisis was impacting global economies. Reacting to the situation the Australian government floated the idea of mandating a corporate average fuel economy of 36 miles per gallon or 6.53 l/100km by 1985.
The idea was based on the USA’s CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) laws, introduced in 1975. Large, fuel thirsty cars looked at risk. GMH’s research was predicting that the market for large cars was shrinking and may not be viable in a few years.
In a November 1987 interview, retiring GMH managing director Charles Chapman told Automotive Review that:
“Some of our people were forecasting that the large car group would drop to about 15 per cent of the market, even down to 9 per cent.”
GMH’s financial situation and predictions about the large car market led Chapman to cancel the WB Kingswood/Premier sedan and wagon.
After the release of the VB Commodore, GMH’s next priority was the Camira. It was planned for release in late 1982. Being GMH’s first locally built front wheel drive car, and the replacement for the Torana, it could not be allowed to fail. Considerable resources were being allocated to it to ensure success. There was little time and money left for the VB-W program, or even to restyle the Commodore, as mentioned earlier.
With uncertainty about the future of large cars and the WB Kingswood/Premier’s cancellation, the focus on the Camira and the financial troubles, it is easy to appreciate why GMH cancelled the VB-W in 1980. At the time it judged by GMH’s top executives to be the wrong car for the future.
Some of the VB-W’s styling themes later appeared on the VL Commodore, including the slender grille and headlight treatment.
VB-W: What might have been?
By the end of 1982 the energy crisis had faded and large car sales were increasing again. Looking back, Chapman admitted in the November 1987 interview that cancelling the WB Kingswood/Premier was one of the dumbest things GMH ever did. So, you can assume the same sentiments applied to the VB-W. (You can read about the never released WB Kingswood/Premier in the October 2022 edition of Retroautos®. There’s a link at the end of the story.)
For me, GMH’s 1982 annual report summed it up when it revealed that the company had:
“Surrendered the No.I market position after 29 consecutive years of market leadership.”
The VB-W was the car GMH needed in the early 1980s to fight the Falcon’s surging sales. The larger XD had lifted Ford to market leadership. It would take another half decade for GMH to regain the number one position, this time with the VN, a car that was really the VB-W, styled for the 1990s.
LINKS:
WB Statesman Design to Driveway
Retroautos® is written and published by David Burrell with passion and with pride. Retroautos® stories and images are copyrighted. Reproducing them in any format is prohibited. Retroautos® is a registered trademark. Reproducing it in any format is prohibited. Special thanks to John Kyros at GM Heritage Centre who researched the Centre’s files, and to Peter Nankervis, Leo Pruneau and Phillip Zmood for their insights and recollections.
