Holden Commodore lives on in China as Buick Regal

The Holden Commodore made an unceremonious exit from the Australian market when parent General Motors disbanded the lion brand in early 2020, and yet the lineage of the famous nameplate lives on.

No longer sold as an Opel or Vauxhall Insignia either, the ZB Holden Commodore continues in China, where it’s produced by SAIC-GM and sold as the Buick Regal.

What’s more, the large luxury sedan has just received a major facelift that has drawn a mixed response from the carsales newsroom team, some suggesting it looks more like a previous-generation Toyota Camry while others argue that this is exactly the sort of aggressive front-end treatment that the ZB Commodore needed all along.

The front fascia is dominated by an expansive trapezoid grille, crested at either end by more refined headlight clusters.

Changes down the flanks and at the rear of the Regal have been less extreme, meaning ZB Commodore fans can still draw parallels with the vehicle that might well be parked in their driveway.

The Chinese model retains the vast majority of its Opel Insignia DNA, including the E2XX platform, 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and nine-speed automatic transmission, blending the familiar mechanical components with the fresh design.

Full details are still to be released, but there are no other obvious changes brought with the Regal facelift.

The latest investment in the car does show, however, that SAIC-GM believe there’s plenty of life left in The Car Formerly Known As Commodore.

Don’t count on ever seeing the Chinese-built Regal in local showrooms, but GM fans should soon be able to get their General fix from a raft of incoming American product from both Cadillac and GMC.