After years of racing between just Ford and Holden, Australia's V8 Supercars series is branching out next year. Both Nissan and Mercedes-Benz will be powering new cars (based on the Altima and E63 AMG, respectively) in the series next year. But GM's Holden brand is not about to let the foreigners take its turf. Not without a fight, anyway. Unveiled just the other day in Australia, the new Commodore pictured here is the car with which the Holden Racing Team aims to maintain its supremacy.

Developed by Walkinshaw Racing, the new Commodore complies to the same cost-effective Car of the Future regulations that has attracted the foreign automakers' participation. Power comes from a Chevrolet-sourced pushrod 5.0-liter V8 producing upwards of 600 horses.

Decked out in matte-finish carbon fiber with gold accents, the new Commodore looks conspicuously similar to the classic livery which Lotus runs in a variety of racing series around the world. Whether it proves to be as successful as Lotus - or as its own predecessors - remains to be seen, but for Australian racing fans it should be quite the spectacle to watch them try.