The Holden Commodore (VE) is a full-size car that was produced from 2006 to 2013 by Holden, the former Australian subsidiary of General Motors. Dubbed Holden's "billion dollar baby", the car was available as the Holden Berlina—the mid-range model—and the Holden Calais, the luxury variant; utility body styles were marketed as the Holden Ute.

Succeeding the VZ series, the VE was the first iteration of the fourth generation of the Holden Commodore, a series of automobiles built between 1978 and 2020. Unlike its predecessors, which used Opel-sourced platforms adapted to mechanics and sizes that would suit the local market, the VE was the first Commodore entirely designed and developed by Holden in Australia. To minimise export redevelopment costs, features such as a symmetrical centre console housing a flush-fitting hand brake lever facilitated the conversion to left-hand drive. The VE was internationally badge-engineered as the Chevrolet Lumina, Chevrolet Omega, Bitter Vero Sport and Pontiac G8.

Holden introduced the VE body styles in stages, beginning with the sedan in July 2006. Before this, the company stated they would manufacture two parallel generations of Commodores until the launch of the station wagon and utility. Variants by Holden's performance vehicle partner, Holden Special Vehicles, were released soon after the sedan's debut alongside the long-wheelbase WM Statesman/Caprice models. The VE Ute entered production in 2007, coinciding with the unveiling of the Sportwagon concept car. The production version of the VE Sportwagon—which shared its 2,915 mm (114.8 in) wheelbase with the sedan instead of the extended wheelbase from the Caprice, like previous models—was introduced in July 2008.

Named the 2006 Car of the Year by Wheels, the VE consistently ranked as the best-selling automobile in Australia over its production run. Holden introduced updates to the VE as model year (MY) changes. Typically subtle, these recurring changes have involved alterations to colours and trim, increased standard equipment and reduced fuel consumption. More noteworthy adjustments have come in the form of a smaller 3.0-litre V6 engine for entry-level versions and "Series II" styling revisions in September 2010.

Official manufacture of the VE sedan began at Holden's production facility in Elizabeth, South Australia, on 13 July 2006. Three days later, Holden debuted the car at the Melbourne Convention Centre, an event that was broadcast simultaneously via the Internet. Its debut occurred alongside that of the company's flagship model, the Statesman/Caprice (WM). Before this, Holden announced that the VE station wagon and utility body styles would be delayed, while the VZ equivalents would continue to be produced. The VE Ute was revealed on 22 August 2007. This was followed by the unveiling of the Sportwagon concept late that year, the production version of which was released in July 2008.

Across the seven years of development the VE became Holden's largest and most expensive project, representing an expenditure of approximately A$1.03 billion and 3.4 million kilometres (2.1 million miles) of testing. Following the investment, some critics referred to the VE by the sobriquet "billion dollar baby".

In late 1998 design chief Michael Simcoe sketched the initial concept for the VE—a rakish sedan with a long wheelbase and shorter overhangs—to guide management and designers. The sketch formed the design basis for the eventual production-ready car. In early 1999 Peter Hughes—manager of exterior design for Holden—produced a two-dimensional image of a sketch drawn earlier by Simcoe. By late 2000 eight initial exterior sketches were selected, then narrowed down to four through a voting process within the design team. These designs featured the same core elements: prominent wheel arches, an aggressive stance, dynamic lines and short overhangs. Full-size clay models of the four chosen sketches were created.

By July 2002 the speculative phase had ended, and a single exterior design direction was chosen. With only four years left before the car's launch, and without having undergone practical testing or real-world engineering, the team turned to a computer-aided industrial design program, Autodesk Alias. One solitary VE concept was refined, sculpted, taken to Holden's Lang Lang Proving Ground, placed on the skidpan, and scrutinised by designers and directors from up close and far away to assess how much prominence it had on the road.