Yes... but no.
Until the ZB no Commodore was built and then imported to Australia.
The original VB was based on 2 Opel models with Aussie drivelines and suspension improved to suit local conditions. No simple badge engineering like the ZB.
An uncle of mine actually had a Opel Senator in Europe and although they looked very similar there were differences.
Yes our Commodore started with Opel DNA but Holden made it into what we know as the Commodore.
well yes the vb was assembled here using the opel designs and platforms but modified for this country but it was still essentially an opel with a holden badge at the start and over the years it became much more unique to holden as they engineered it.
it does not change the fact that it was an opel to start with and the actual name "commodore" was sold as an opel for a decade before one was seen in australia and when someone is fully anti "opel" but owns a vehicle based on the v platform it is a bit funny imo
if holden did not close down the question would have been would they have done the same thing over like they did with the vb or just import it and tweak like they did with the zb.
if they used the designs and platform of the insignia and assembled it here and used a custom aussie driveline and suspension would the zb be a "real" commodore or an opel?
i think many would still be against it even if it was assembled here, it would still be that opel people dislike.
look at the cost of the ve design/zeta platform they claimed it cost a billion dollars so you can see why they recycled designs and platforms from other products in their global lineup.
i think the main reason the zb was a full import was because of the plant closures and they were attempting to do what they did with many other models they sold, just import them and add a badge.
its my guess they were attempting to turn themselves into a full import brand but most of the holdens they had at the time were boring and lacked features that many euro vehicles had so they thought they would drop a euro into the commodore slot and it failed because many people that have owned commodores over the years are not used to the euro styling.
they probably would have had better luck with an impala or cadillac ct5/6 in the commodore slot.
the insignia was wrong for the commodore slot and it should not be there but it is what it is and love it or hate it we are all cursed with it
this short article gives a summery of most of it
Four decades ago Commodore began life as this Opel Senator
www.whichcar.com.au