[1] It found ready acceptance in the market as many buyers steered away from the more radically designed Ford Falcon (AU), becoming the best selling Commodore and cementing its place as number one in Australian sales at its time.

The alternative would have been to adopt the Omega as is (which, notably, was also sold in North America as the Cadillac Catera between 1997 and 2001), save for the engines and transmissions or just reskinning the second generation (VN–VS) architecture.

It sported many firsts for an Australian-built car (such as more advanced electronic systems), improved dynamics[5] and increased crash safety also thanks to a body that was 30 percent stiffer than its predecessor, the VS series.

[7][8] At the time of the VY series launch in 2002, Holden aerodynamic engineers conceded that the design was not ideal, primarily because of the rounded trailing edge of the sedan's boot lid, which did not promote a clean separation of the airflow off the back of the car as would have a sharper change of angle.

[4] Holden's parent company was interested in incorporating a left-hand drive Commodore into the Buick lineup in the United States and became involved in the VT development cycle early on.

Holden was provided funds for the necessary engineering changes and a prototype was unveiled to the American public in 1995 as the Buick XP2000 concept car[11] whose styling formed the basis for the VT series.

[13] The base engine was the 3.8-litre Ecotec V6 that Holden originally launched with the Commodore VS Series II, which remained unchanged except for new exhaust manifolds and the latest Bosch EV6 fuel injectors.

In its latest guise, it generated a higher output of 171 kW (229 hp)[15] thanks to a new engine management system with individual cylinder knock-sensor control.

[4] According to the VT's planning chief, Tony Hyde, the critical dimension was 1,520 millimetres (59.8 in) for the rear shoulder room that was believed to be needed to keep the Commodore range competitive.

[16] However, when originally carried over, the European design was simplified with the removal of the toe control link,[2] standard equipment on the six-cylinder Omega since 1987.

[17] This design was prone to distorting the suspension camber angle and toe under heavy loads (e.g. when towing or travelling over undulated surfaces), leading to excessive rear tyre wear.

Holden's performance arm HSV re-added the toe control link on the flagship GTS 300 model, based on the Series II update.

[17] Overall, the VT series was regarded a more neutral handler compared to the previous VS (with the front MacPherson strut suspension featuring 8 degrees of positive castor, from the VS series' 5.5) and most cars ran a 26-millimetre (1.0 in) stabiliser bar at the front, while the V8s with standard tyres and stiffer FE2 suspension tune (with 15 percent stiffer springs and firmer dampers for the Commodore SS) had a 25-millimetre (1.0 in) stabilizer bar.

This setup was able to circulate 330 parameters per second to the car's major control modules, and reduce the number of hardwired circuits than if it had conventional wiring throughout (with the VT-series Calais featuring 73 fewer against the VS equivalent).

With the VT Series II upgrade of 1999, the Ecotec V6 remained structurally unchanged, but it received an updated tune that made the car slightly faster than the original version.

[1] Cosmetically, all Series II VT models received slightly revised wheel covers and alloys, front grilles (silver accents on the base models and thicker horizontal chrome bars on Berlina and Calais) as well as clear side and rear indicator lenses (as fitted on the 1997–1999 VT Calais) instead of the previous amber.

[24] This vehicle was based on the long wheelbase platform of the VX Commodore, itself launched in October 2000 as the first significant facelift of the VT series.

Critics noted that its engine, a 5.0-litre V8 (producing 195 kW (265 PS; 261 hp)), was also available as an option on the Commodore SS, making the Clubsport less exclusive and desirable.

The VT Senator Signature came standard with speed-sensitive steering which would act in different ways depending on the road and surrounding conditions and luxury suspension tuned featuring Monroe Sensatrac shock absorbers.

Appearance differed from other HSV models with the use of a chrome single-slat grille, side skirts, front fog lamps and 10-spoke, 17-inch alloy wheels.

Additionally, HSV added complementary special features which were for the driver rather than the car, such as a Maglite torch, wheel nut cap remover and a multi-purpose pen knife.