Holden Commodore (VT)

The Holden Commodore (VT) is a full-size car that was produced by Holden from 1997 to 2000. It was the first iteration of the third generation of the Commodore and the last model to be powered by a locally made 5 litre V8 engine along with the VS Series 3 Statesman/Caprice and utility models, finishing production in 1999 and 2000. Its range included the luxury variants, Holden Berlina (VT) and Holden Calais (VT) but not a new generation utility version. Introduced in August 1997, the VT-series represented Holden's largest development yet. On debut, it won the 1997 Wheels Car of the Year award, resulting in the fourth time that this award was won by a Commodore. It found ready acceptance in the market as many buyers steered away from the more radically designed Ford Falcon (AU), becoming the best selling Commodore and cementing its place as number one in Australian sales at its time. The VT Series II (VT II) was released in June 1999, before being replaced by the restyled VX model in October 2000. In 1998, the VT formed the basis of a prototype that became the catalyst for the reintroduction in 2001 of the Holden Monaro coupé based on the Holden Commodore (VX) a nameplate on hiatus since the HZ Monaro GTS which finished production in 1979.