Last week GM made the expected-but-still-sad announcement that it would end manufacturing operations in Australia. Following the footsteps of Ford, GM has decided that it costs too much money to make cars in Australia, which is an increasingly competitive and changing market. Where once rear-drive, V8 musclecars ruled the sales charts just ten years ago, these days fuel-frugal compacts are all the rage.

Speculation had suggested that the Holden name could disappear altogether, with Chevrolet taking its place, but GM execs decided to keep the name, and replace the product. Automotive News reports that this likely means the next Holden Commodore will be front-wheel drive, and built in China.

It’s a similar situation to what happened to GM in the late 1980s, as the American behemoth finally realized if it couldn’t beat the imports with big, thirsty sedans, it had to join them in making competitive compact cars. As a result almost 90% of the GM lineup went from rear-wheel drive to front-wheel drive platforms in the span of just a few model years.

It was a necessary move then, and it’s a necessary move now. That doesn’t mean it’s going to sit well with Holden fans though, who are being asked to accept not just a new import, but one that completely undermines everything the Commodore was loved for. If you ask us, it’d probably be best to retire the Commodore name for good, or at least until a worthy successor comes along. Give the new car a chance to stand on its own merits, rather than be compared with an Icon. It’s akin to if Ford really had replaced the Mustang with the Probe. It also means the end of Holden’s famous line of utes, which are sure to be missed by Aussies everywhere.

That would not have gone over well, and a front-drive Commodore probably won’t go over well with the Aussies either.