GM shines a light on new Holden Commodore

HERE’S the first close-up detail image of the next-generation Holden Commodore – the slimline LED headlights with the latest matrix technology to maximise driving visibility while minimising glare to oncoming traffic.

Shown on the upcoming Vauxhall/Opel Insignia Grand Sport on which the imported 2018 NG Commodore liftback hatch will be based, these headlamps are expected to look identical to the Holden variety.

Dubbed IntelliLux and originally foreshadowed on the Opel Monza concept car of 2013, the lighting technology is making its debut on the new Astra that starts to roll into Holden showrooms later this month.

But while the Astra’s lights employ 16 LED segments, the Insignia/Commodore will get 32 for even better performance.

According to a Vauxhall media release issued overnight, the extra LEDs in the Insignia’s lights result in “smoother transitions between lighting patterns to suit every driving condition”.

“Automatically and constantly adapting the range and distribution of light from the headlamps, the new Insignia Grand Sport delivers a brighter light in a precise manner, at all times managing to avoid dazzling other road users,” it says.

New functions including curve and spotlight illumination to improve long-range vision at night.

Vauxhall says the light intensity automatically rises according to the steering angle, so that when a driver steers into a curve, the light beam follows and increases to show the way.

Each headlight has a high-beam spotlight for additional illumination of up to 400 metres.

When driving towards oncoming traffic, the lights sense the headlights of other vehicles and, using matrix technology, blacks out that segment of the light to prevent blinding glare while maintaining high-beam light to light the road.

In built-up areas, the lights automatically sense the street lights and adjust accordingly.

GM Europe exterior lighting engineering group manager Ingolf Schneider said the Astra’s lights had showed the benefits of the IntelliLux headlights, but the engineers had been able to take it to the next level with Insignia.

“The second generation of this innovative technology introduces new features that improve visibility, and therefore safety, when driving at night,” he said.

Although the media release did not state it, the lights almost certainly will include a daytime running function via the two hockey-stick-shaped strips across the top.

The first imported Commodore will arrive in Holden showrooms about February 2018, about four months after the home-grown variety ceases production at Elizabeth, South Australia.

For the first time, the new-generation large car will not have a sedan version, instead getting a five-door liftback design dubbed Sportback. The range will also include a station wagon that, if European reports are right, will include a high-rider version.