Holden offers 99¢ per litre fuel

Holden has launched a 99¢ per litre fuel offer on all petrol and diesel cars delivered to private buyers from the beginning of September through to the end of October.

For eligible purchasers, Holden will subsidise, within the first two years, the price of fuel required to travel 20,000km according to the official combined fuel consumption rating. This offer is only valid for regular (91 RON) unleaded and diesel, and is not available on HSV vehicles.

As our analysis shows, this offer is of greater value to buyers interested in a thirsty petrol model, say a Commodore V8, or a diesel-engined car, because of the higher cost of diesel fuel. The following table assumes that the price of regular unleaded is AU$1.453 per litre, while diesel is calculated at AU$1.699 per litre — the average metro Perth price for Tuesday, 2 September 2008 as listed on Western Australia's Fuel Watch website.

It seems likely that this move has been made by Holden to give sales of its flagship Commodore line a boost, while it waits for fuel saving technologies to come on stream. According to reports, cylinder deactivation (already made available on US-bound Commodores) will debut later this year, while a diesel engine is also in the pipeline. For a few months this year Toyota's family hatchback, the Corolla, has taken away the number one sales position away from the decade-long holder of that crown, the Commodore.