Is this the next Holden Commodore?

Television commercial for the original legendary Aussie panel van, the Sandman.

Speculation it is the 2018 Holden Commodore ... The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu unveiled at the New York Auto Show. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

THE new Chevrolet Malibu unveiled at the New York Auto Show has internet forums buzzing with speculation that it's a pointer to the next Holden Commodore.

However, well placed sources have told News Corp Australia that Holden is still on track to source the Commodore's replacement from another part of the General Motors world: the Opel brand in Germany.

The new Chevrolet Malibu is about the same size as the Holden Commodore's successor, and shares the same sleek hoop-shaped roof and sports-sedan design.

Unveiled at the New York Auto Show ... The new Chevrolet Malibu 2016. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

But the similarities end there, even though more than half of Holden's current line-up is shared with Chevrolet vehicles.

When contacted for this story Holden refused to comment on the first ever imported Commodore due in 2018.

However, the new Commodore is widely tipped to be front-wheel-drive like a Toyota Camry, not rear-wheel-drive as with every large Holden sedan since the first model in 1948.

First imported Holden Commodore to be an Opel Insignia ... Speculation rife that the Chevrolet Malibu 2016 is a pointer to the 2018 Commodore. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

The new Commodore will do more than share its DNA with the next generation Opel Insignia, it will in effect be an Opel Insignia with a Holden badge, albeit with Australian input.

Holden is on the record as stating that about one-in-three of all its future vehicles will be sourced from Opel in Germany.

When the Opel Insignia eventually replaces the homegrown hero, it means the Commodore will have come full circle.

The first Commodore sold in 1978 was a derivative of Opel's European family sedan at the time.