Start with what the Holden ECOmmodore is: a 4-door fastback sedan with 2.0 , built from 2000, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. What it meant takes a little longer.
The story
The Holden ECOmmodore is a hybrid concept car based on the Holden Commodore (VT), developed by Holden in conjunction with the CSIRO. It was first unveiled at the 2000 Melbourne International Motor Show. It was utilised during the 2000 Summer Olympics to for transport during the Torch Relay.
It was a sedan with fastback profile, and utilised the longer wheelbase of the wagon. It also previewed a revised headlamp design that would be later adopted on the VX Commodore, which replaced the VT in October 2000. The Ecommodore was powered by a 2.0-litre inline-four petrol GM Family II engine producing 95 kW (127 hp), combined with an electric motor producing 40 kW (54 hp) and 100 N⋅m (74 lb⋅ft) of torque, running on lead-acid batteries, it had a combined torque of 290 N⋅m (214 lb⋅ft), and was coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission. It had a drag coefficient of Cd=0.26 compared to the VT series II's drag coefficient of Cd=0.32, with a fuel economy of about 5.6L/100km.
What is underneath
The engine is 2.0 other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Drive goes through a 5-speed manual. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Toyota Yaris, the Škoda Auto Škoda Fabia. Nearby in the Holden catalogue sit the Holden 48-215 and the Holden Adventra.