Having launched its Opel brand in Australia in September of 2012, General Motors has confirmed that it will shutter operations in the country effective immediately. The network of 20 dealers and 15 Melbourne-based head office staff were informed of the decision today.
In returning to Australia, sometimes referred to as the world’s most competitive automotive market, GM attempted to position the relatively unknown Opel brand as a somewhat premium brand that carried a price premium over other non-luxury marques. The brand launched with three new models, including the Corsa, Astra, and Insignia, with the Mokka subcompact crossover expected to join the lineup in September. Unfortunately, sales failed to meet expectations, with the brand struggling to make a profit.
“We can’t sell our cars at the price they need to be in order to meet our volume targets,” said Opel spokeswoman Michelle Lang.
“The Astra small car was supposed to underpin our brand but with the prices of most rivals dipping to close to $20,000 we just couldn’t compete.”
Opel management in Germany set sales targets to of 15,000 cars within the first three years, but the brand sold 541 cars in 2012, and 989 in the first six months of 2013.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, some Opel models (such as the Astra) were sold under the Holden brand, but in recent years, General Motors closely aligned Holden with the global Chevrolet brand. The decision to exit the market, thereby decreasing the number of available car brands in Australia from 67 to 66, will result in the remaining Opel inventory being sold at clearance prices. Meanwhile, the responsibility for warranty, parts, and service work of existing fleet of Opels on the road is still to be determined, but will likely be serviced by Holden dealers.
Update: following is the official announcement by Opel of Australia:
Opel Australia will cease operations and will commence winding down its network immediately.
In order to be competitive, Opel Australia would need to follow recent competitor price reductions, and significantly reposition the price of its core volume models. These changes, combined with the continued investment required to ensure brand awareness, result in a business which is not financially viable for any of the parties involved.
Opel will now begin analysis together with Holden regarding the potential for future Holden- badged niche product, in order to ascertain if opportunities for individual carlines exist.
Opel Australia is working closely with employees, dealers and suppliers to conduct this closure process in an orderly and responsible manner. As always, customers are of the highest priority, and Opel Australia will remain in close contact with them, to ensure all on-going obligations to these customers are met.
Customers are encouraged to contact the Opel Customer Assistance Centre on 1800 993 677 with any concerns or questions.
Comments
Would be interesting to know if this was a GM or an Opel-only decision and how the problems of Holden have influenced that!
It should have been clear that Opel cannot sell 15k units after one year with only 17 dealers from the beginning!
It’s a disgrace. How long now before GM pulls Opel from South Africa?? Thanks to GM interference, in the space of 10 years Opel has dropped from 50,000 units p/a to around 2,000 p/a. A decade ago GM was #3 behind VW and Toyota, now it’s at #6 or 7.
Even as recently as 2011, the Opel Corsa Utility was the fourth best selling vehicle in the country and GM’s best seller overall. Then they re-badged it to Chevrolet. GM couldn’t accept Opel selling more units than Chevrolet, so now the Opel range has been reduced to a few Corsa and Astra models.
For the time being Buick (China), Opel (Europe), Vauxhall (the UK) and Holden (Australia) are safe, especially given Chevrolet’s very poor showing across the European Union. But for the rest of the world it’s Chevrolet or bust … at any cost!
Exactly! GM does not want Opel to sell more cars than its beloved Chevy brand neither in Europe or somewhere else. But they need to realize that hardly anyone wants to buy a Chevrolet here in Europe. GM is not competitive with Chevrolet against other car makers on the European market and they have nothing better to do than to blame Opel/Vauxhall for their situation. Even Dacia sold more cars in the UK than Chevrolet and the Dacia brand was recently launched! Does GM seriously believes that something will change if they move Opel upmarket? In the end, they lose more than they win.
Couldn’t say it better! GM’s global strategic management is a complete disaster! GM was always unable to manage its brands and it seems that this will not change in the future! GM has no concept, no strategy and changes, fires and switches its key managers more often than I change my socks.
GM is wondering why they earn less money than Volkswagen and Toyota?! I can tell you why: Toyota’s and Volkswagen’s core brands are quality brands! GM’s core brand, Chevrolet is (outside of NA) a value brand with a low margin! Opel/Vauxhall is the only brand that could compete on the same level as Volkswagen, Toyota or Ford globally! But instead of supporting Opel to compete with these rivals, GM spends a lot of money to push Chevrolet even in markets where Opel was a established brand (India, Russia, South Africa)!
You should change your socks every day. You are not French are you?
I’m a American
An*. It’s pronounced I’m an American. Or I am American.
“Soy un Estadounidense”, en el primero idioma de America, y el segundo de los EE.UU.
“The German” queries if “if this was a GM or an Opel-only decision”.
Considering
– that it is an important strategic decision;
– that the Opel CEO K.T. Neumann sits on the GM Executive Committee, which is deciding strategy;
I am sure that this was a decision taken by the GM Executive Committee with Opel participation.
This is truely an unbelievable marketing and business disaster. I agree it takes time to develop a brand and to invest so much and pull out so quickly… Sounds like the business case was not developed and someone upstairs just said lets make it happen. Yikes… This is bad for GM’s image a total PR disaster… Anyway I relent, shocking… How is the economy over there, my understanding is there was a spike in Chinese investment and they wholesaled out there their minerals and mining to the Chinese, but that has dropped off and the Ausies are feelin the effects.
Saw it coming! No way could they compete in our market with what they were asking for their vehicles and what they expected to sell.
Did Opel really ask more than comparable brands like Volkswagen or Toyota? In my opinion the main reason is that Opel had only 20 dealers, not enough marketing efforts and only a thin lineup (Opel simply hasn’t the money to enter into a new market with the full range from the beginning). This could only have worked with a lot of time and the supply of GM which doesn’t exist when it comes to a globalization of the Opel brand.
They were trying to compete with VW… Prices were closer to VW than Holden and others.
I hope GM now understands that Opel can’t be positioned above Chevrolet in Europe. Chevrolet has Corvette and Camaro and models that can fight against Volkswagen and maybe even Audi. Opel should stay in Skoda/Kia class.
Don’t know what this has to do with Opel in Australia but Opel was never in Skoda/Kia class. Chevrolet should fight against Volkwagen in Europe??? Chevrolet even cannot fight with Skoda/Kia. Chevrolets main competitor in (Western-)Europe is Dacia which is at least one class below Skoda or Kia.
Wow is the brand image in Europe really that bad…
Yes, Chevrolet is seen as a low quality value brand. People know that Chevrolet isn’t American but a rebadged former Daewoo built in Korea. Skoda or Hyundai/Kia have a far better image. These cars are designed and built in Europe not in Asia. They fit much more to the European expectations than Chevy does.
So I am confused about “gm1652″s post!? Opel IS still positioned above Chevrolet. I don’t know anyone who would disagree with that!
I meant Opels image, how is it perceived.
Opel/Vauxhall products are equal to Volkswagen and Ford here in Europe and they are their main competitors. Opel has especailly in its home market Germany a bad image thanks to GMs mismanagement in the late 80s and 90s (See José Ignacio López) and negative headlines like this!
Opel has not a good reputation in Germany because of quality problems 20 years ago and of course because of the financial trouble! Although Opel is seen as a VW, Ford, Renault … competitor! No one sees Opel on the same level as Chevrolet! Outside of Germany the image is better! In Poland or Russia for example Opel is seen as semi premium brand which competes with Audi.
Edit: “vall” was faster! 😉
Thanks…
GM1652, when Holden was selling European models alongside & complementing their excellent range of V8’s they was market leader.
It makes sense for Holden to have its market to itself, one decent strong brand selling many, likewise in Europe Vauxhall & Opel should be left to do the same, maybe a decision to withdraw Chevy from Europe is imminent.
Damn are they crazy? What did they expect? Seriously 15,000 units within the first three years are quite unlikely and unrealistic, but 989 units in the first 6 months are not that bad! This means that Opel would have sold nearly 2,000 units in its first full year in Australia and I even expected that. The Mokka, Antara and the Astra sedan were not even available. The Mokka should arrive at the end of this year, but this won´t happen anymore. And 20 dealers are really a joke. Chevrolet cars are mainy sold by Opel dealers in Europe. Why didn´t they sold Opel cars at Holden dealers in Australia?
“We can’t sell our cars at the price they need to be in order to meet our volume targets” said Opel spokeswoman Michelle Lang.” As long as the vehicles turn a profit it doesn´t matter whether it is 2,000 or 200,000 units! Ferrari even tries to sell fewer vehicles. Opel and GM have again provided good headlines for Germany and Europe.
That’s the problem with economies of scale, they have to produce and sell a minimum. That’s why Holden is supposedly loosing money on Holden made cars. Holden were very much against Opel coming here so Holden wasn’t going to share dealer space with a brand selling competing products. GM practically forced them to give up head office space for them.
Why must Opel share its dealer network with Chevrolet in Europe? Opel is not allowed to sell the Ampera outside of Europe, but GM is selling exactly the same car here as the Chevrolet Volt. GM competes with itself!
“Why must Opel share its dealer network with Chevrolet in Europe?”
What makes you think that such an obligation does exist?
Can you provide any sources of this?
Cuz GM owns opel it’s not the other way around! You don’t tell somebody what to do if they own you! Ding ding ding we found a the smart one!
I don’t know if Brian Ritter wanted to answer Vall’s query “Why must Opel share its dealer network with Chevrolet in Europe?” If yes, he wrote nonsense.
Since GM does not own the dealers, and can’t force them so sell brands which the dealer does not want to see on his premises. OTOH, the manufacturer might write into the contract with the dealer that the dealer must not deal with brands which the manufacturer does not like. But that is against public policy pushing for general dog-eats-dog destructive competition instead of collaboration.
(Actually dogs are not like that).
Opel will be forced to share it’s dealer network or gm will tell the opel dealers try selling your opel cars with no updates or refreshed models while there are new chevys buicks Cadillacs being sold across the street!
Simple do as we ask or die on the vine!
Then once gm forces opel to sell chevys in the same dealer as opel gm keeps the chevys fresh and new with updates while leaving opels vauxhalls and holdens with no updates or refreshed models to sell!
Don’t think gm wont let cars sit on dealer lots without updates or new models to make a point! It’s happen time and time again!
Why do you think gm is wanting to position opel above chevy, the chevys will cost less making easier to sell! Chevys market share goes up opels vauxhalls holdens go down!
It’s brilliant if you ask me!
No, Chevrolet cars are NOT mainy sold by Opel dealers in Europe.
Daewoo had its own dealer network here, and that was simply renamed to Chevrolet dealer network in 2004.
At least here in Germany, I don’t believe that there are many Opel dealers offereing also Chevrolets.
I often travelled to Germany and saw many Opel dealers with Chevrolet cars! And the same applies for Belgium. V8 Jon do Vauxhall dealers sell Chevrolet cars?
Vall, some Vauxhall dealers also sell Chevy cars. The nearest one to me is in Salford, Mcr (around 11 miles away) so not far, the fact remains that nobody in Europe wants a Chevy regardless of its range of cars or local dealers. I was shocked at Opel in Australlia & thought it a strange move, as is Chevy in Europe perhaps in order to gain profit & market share GM needs to concentrate on its core Australlian & European operations.
I doubt the “many”.
You will mostly not see the real Chevrolet, i.e. Daewoo dealers, because those were like their brand: cheap, and in some back streets and back yards, no glittering show rooms on main streets.
There are certainly some Opel dealers who have also taken in Chevrolet; this is true especially for those car dealing corporations which operate a large number of dealerships selling all possible brands across all big and small auto corporations.
Well the original association of Opel dealers (VDOH — Verband Deutscher Opel-Händler) has changed its name to Verband Deutscher Opel- und Chevrolet-Händler, but without changing its acronym VDOH. It did not change to VDOCH. And they have separate membership application forms for Opel dealers (w/ and w/o Chevrolet) and Chevrolet dealers. Strange.
The European Opel/Vauxhall dealers association Euroda does say “European GM/Opel dealer Association” in the head of the landing page of the Euroda web site but does not mention Chevrolet or any other GM brand on this introductory page.
Today it’s opel in the future it will be holden!
All hell will break loose if GM tries to kill Holden. The bogans will rise and attack in numbers!!! The Aussie dollar has fallen below 90c US, expect everything to go back to normal soon.
It seems GM’s idea of two brands isn’t working outside America, Australlia won’t buy a premium product & Europe won’t buy a Chevy over budget brands Fiat, Peugeot, Dacia, Citroen, Skoda, Renault, KIA or Hyundai.
We buy premium, just not overpriced like Opel
GM’s idea is to have two global brands, namely Chevrolet and Cadillac, to be present in every country. “At the same time, the Holden, Buick, GMC, Baojun, Opel and Vauxhall brands are being carefully cultivated to satisfy as many customers as possible in select regions“, writes Dan Akerson in his introduction to the 2011 GM Annual report.
Now, in Australia they have left out Chevrolet and reduced Holden to rebadging (mainly Korean sourced, fromer Daewoo) Chevrolets as Holden. And then trying to introduce one of the other “carefully cultivated” regional brands (Opel) on the side of the local “carefully cultivated” regional brand Holden, which currently is not much more than the global brand Chevrolet in disguise.
Maybe GM is now trying to revert this anomaly of their global brand strategy, making way for the introduction of the two as global proclaimed brands Chevrolet and Cadillac in Australia, and give Holden back its own role as a regional brand, “carefully cultivating” its product line by sharing as much technology, design and products with the other regional brands, using the common resources of Opel, Vauxhall and Buick in a “hybrid global brand”, enlarging that trio to a quartet and adding the resources of the Melbourne technical and desing center to this international collaboration.
I don’t know it this is actually intended by GM, but it would make sense to me.
This sounds like a death knell for Opel globally.
Or for GM’s worldwide multibrand-strategy with “Chevrolet and Cadillac as global brands” plus a number of regional brands, among them the trio Opel, Vauxhall and Buick as a “hybrid global brand”.
Back to “one country, one brand”?
QUOTE
GM said it will investigate the potential of rebadging Opel models as Holdens, which could mark a return of nameplates like Astra to Holden showrooms, although how that model would be positioned relative to the locally built Cruze remains to be seen.
“Opel will now begin analysis together with Holden regarding the potential for future Holden-badged niche product, in order to ascertain if opportunities for individual carlines exist.”
/QUOTE
from http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2013/opel/opel-quits-oz-38007
If GM can´t manage the Opel brand in a high competitive market like Australia how do they want to create their pseudo “hybrid global brand”. I bet that this strategy won´t work.
No doubt very alarming…
GM is a gobal company and chevy buick Cadillac needs to be sold in every market! Ford and Toyota does it why should GM be any different?
You bring chevys, buicks, and Cadillac s into a market while still selling the local favorite, You give refreshing and updates to the chevys, buicks, Cadillacs while letting the opels, vauxhalls, and holdens just carry on with old sheet metal and old designs and watch the sells margin shift from the local brand to the GM big 3!
Do think GM will do it look at how long they let the old impala stay on the same platform and same sheet metal with very little changes for about a decade!
Are you serious!? Why should someone buy an Insignia with an Buick badge when it is the same car? Chevrolet has replaced most of its former Daewoo cars, but it has not changed much in Europe, because you can still see the Korean origin in these products. I am not sure for the US, but Europeans are not that stupid to figure out whats behind the badge. I’d rather spend some more and buy an Audi or BMW, where can I get the right image. From a marketing perspective, it looks grotesque if you sell an American car that was engineerd in Germany and built somewhere in Mexico for a lot of money. That´s why the Chevys in Europe are often seen as Koreans and not American except for the Camaro and Corvette of course.
GM is GM which was set up from numourus marques, GM is not Ford or Toyota so why should they try to be? GM’s strength in volume (sales) & it’s size has worked because of its many marques, why change something that has worked for almost a century
So the impala malibu cruze sonic camaro corvette are not made in north america?
Do you see what I mean. The Chevrolet Cruze, Aveo. Trax, Captiva, Malibu, Spark and Orlando for the European market are all built in Korea. Only the Volt and the Corvette are from the US, while the Camaro is from Canada. Most of the engineering work on small and compact Chevrolets were done outside of the US. For example the hatchback version of the Cruze which was designed by Holden. What does the Chevy brand stands for or Buick, Opel/Vauxhall, GMC, Cadillac? GM says Cadilac is a luxary brand, but at the global level they are very far behind the luxuary German Big 3 (Audi, BMW, Mercedes).
Vall, All good points… Hopefully GM establishes a clear direction for all its brands moving forward… I think that is the real issue. What vehicle would compare with the Zafira from other manufacturers in Europe.
Holden 4 life you are one of the few that really understand the big picture here. Price is everything and there is love for the Holden name but not much for the Opel.
Add to this the market in Australia is not as large as some people think. Many need to take a look at the numbers for different brands and models and they will be surprised how small some of the numbers are for the market.
You must keep in mind that while Australia is a large land mass there are not a lot of people between the coast.
I know there are many Euro people here that are loyal to Opel but you must understand there is not great love for Opel as it remains not unlike but unknown in many parts of the world. Here in America most people really have no clue what an Opel is let alone that the Regal is even based on one. Same applies to other countries.
The reality is GM has only so many models and they will share traditional names in many markets as there is equity and pride with these names. Just like the Cruze, Malibu and Colorado they will be Chevys here in America but they will get the tuning and badge change to Holden. The two divisions will be in on the development from the start to make sure they each will have what they need for their market.
Opel may make a try again later once they get their new product.
I think many forget that the Opel’s and Buicks that are coming will be much better than what we have now in refinement and quality. Not saying they are bad now but they will get upgraded to take on better competition.
But the Australian problem will remain price and the economy and value of the Euro or Dollar will remain the 800 pound gorilla in the room unless they can build them down under and I do not have enough info to show that would be profitable at a lower volume.
As for Chevy in Europe this is a marathon as they will not gain major market share over night. This will take time and care full work to make sure the cars have what Euro buyers want or need. GM has been doing better at this with a Cruze hatch and other models that are popular there. To change image and earn trust will come model by model going into the future.
Also once Opel goes up in price many will turn to Chevy as they have from Pontiac To Chevy here.
I know many do not like hearing this but you have to think with you head and not your heart on issues like this. This is no different than GM trying to earn the trust of Americans here with all their lines GM is doing it slowly but surely as they gain market share and profits here that many said they would never get back.
I still think it is key to have a very wise Euro born leader in Europe to oversee GM as a whole. They need someone that thinks like a Euro and knows the market inside and out. It is a complex market much more than any other market and it takes knowledge to deal with it.
For Opel I would just concentrate on making gains in profits where they already are and cut the markets where they are now working. Making Opel profitable and stronger will help bring better cars and more volume. GM gave them a reprieve so they best take advantage of it as they may never get a second chance.
What makes you think that car buyers will “turn to Chevy” when the Opels get to expensive for what they offer?
Why for everything in the world just Chevrolet?
People will turn to VW, Skoda, Hyundai, and Dacia.
But why Chevrolet?
Why cuz it has happen many times in the world and it will happen again
You are a dreamer, Mr. Ritter
This is what you will see.
As Opel expands the volume will drop a little or stay the same but they will be more profitable as mid upscale cars are much more profitable. This is a market wide deal and this too will happen to Opel. It is a good thing as it will increase Opels profits and they will be fine with the share they have if they should gain some all the more profits. If I were Opel I would love the fact I no longer have to worry about high volume sales.
Chevy as it is will not tale the lead but GM is slowly going through the line and as long as they continue to improve the product, keep the price competitive, then tune and market the cars properly in Europe they will gain share and grow in the market to where they need to be.
Hyundai here in the states was a joke years ago and no one would buy a Korean car unless they were desperate, Today Hyundai and Kia both have used this formula to grow in the US market. They are not yet Toyota but they are growing faster than any other import and making a lot of money. IF GM has the right mix of product, price and marketing they can very well do the same.
The key world wide is value and quality in this segment. Make a decent car and people in many cases will give it a try on price alone. Make it last for them and they will be back to buy another.
Now it remains to be seen if GM will do it right but of late I believe they have a shot.
Trust me I have no delusion that Chevy will replace VW in the market but I believe they can be competitive and profitable and grow in the market to where in the future they can compete head to hear.
The key is having the right people in place in Europe that can make sure they know the markets and Taylor the cars to the segments and countries there.
Yu will get a new Cruze, Sonic and Spark soon. A new Equinox is coming and even the Camaro will make the market and will be more in tune for the Euro market being lighter and smaller. I would not be shocked to see the Impala at some point too. Variations of these cars will be there in different forms vs. the ones here as like Hatches and more Diesel offerings. You can not judge this based on the cars we have at the moment as that all will be changing in the next 2-3 years.
If GM can do in Europe what VW does here that is a reasonable goal. VW is not number one here and may never be but they hold a sold share of the market and make money, That is the whole point is it not?
You have to use a business head about this and not think with an automotive head only. This is big picture stuff and you have to use all the factors not just what you want.
GM in the past failed because they have mostly did a half hearted effort and just tried to force a few odd models on the market. Today that has changed.
They may still fail but I expect they will do much better this time around but we will just have to sit back and see.
The bottom line is just because they are not Opel will they fail and just because they are Chevy will they win. You two look to think this way and it is what have you done lately is what matters. As of now you have not seen what matters yet but you will.
Apart from the classical and ongoing management malaise at GM, spare a thought for:
a) The poor sods who bought Opels in good faith in Australia and paid full or close to full sticker price and who are now driving around in orphan cars with zero resale value and probably minimal back up for spares and servicing
b) The dealers whom GM conned into taking Opel on and who invested heavily to upgrade showroom and service facilities and who are now not going to see any return on their investment
Both of which leave a bad taste behind and it’s one of the many reasons why GM is treated with contempt by many in this part of the world – look at how this has already happened in many Asia-Pacific markets where Opel has been unceremoniously dumped – Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, India, New Zealand and now Australia.
Exactly… Horrible Relations building…
Maybe its the other way ’round from what I originally thought, and actually Holden will be released from being the Australian sub-brand of Chevrolet, and return to their traditional way of rebadging Opel cars, joining the “hybrid global brand” then composed of four of the “carefully cultivated”[1] regional brands: Opel, Vauxhall, Buick and now also Holden.
One might recall that the flagship of the Buick China line is the Buick Park Avenue, a rebadged Holden WM Caprice, and that HSV vehicles are offered in the UK as Vauxhall VXR models.
Maybe the new Opel CEO K.T. Neumann has brought his colleagues on the GM Executive board to senses, and in the course of the next model changes, Holden will replace the rebadged Chevrolets by rebadged Opels? And Holden engineered cars will find their place in the Opel/Vauxhall/Buick lineups?
Which would also mean that Australia will no longer be the only place in the world where the “global brand” Chevrolet has no market…
Interesting concept. I for one, hope you are right!
As already quoted above:
QUOTE
GM said it will investigate the potential of rebadging Opel models as Holdens, which could mark a return of nameplates like Astra to Holden showrooms, although how that model would be positioned relative to the locally built Cruze remains to be seen.
“Opel will now begin analysis together with Holden regarding the potential for future Holden-badged niche product, in order to ascertain if opportunities for individual carlines exist.”
/QUOTE
from http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2013/opel/opel-quits-oz-38007
If I am right, then Chevrolet cars will — after a transition phase — no longer be sold in Australia under the Holden badge, but under their own brand name. Like in Europe, side by side with the intrenched local brands Opel and Vauxhall. Same then in Australia (and New Zealand). That would make sense, methinks.
That would mean another complete turnaround for Australia! So I can’t really believe that GM now restart selling Opel based cars as Holden just after one generation of selling Chevy based cars and introduce Chevy as a new brand in the same time! After this Opel disaster I don’t think that Australians will have the trust to buy a new introduced GM brand…
This article you mention only says that they are proving to offer some Opel niche models (Astra OPC) as Holden additionally beside the current Chevy based Holden lineup! So for the moment there is no clue of a future Opel based lineup. (…what does not mean that I wouldn’t like to see that)
Well, if they want to project Chevrolet as a global brand, they should not keep it out of Australia and New Zealand, hiding the Chevy there behind a different badge.
It would have made sense to federate those “carefully cultivated” (Dan Akerson in the preface to the 2011 GM Annual Report) regional brands right from the beginning, woudln’t it?
Who knows, I don’t know. I am only observing what happens. I have no stakes in it, exept being part of the working people whose livelyhood we all defend together.
But I hold it to be possible that the new Opel CEO K.T. Neumann, who has demanded to be included in the GM Executive Committe as a condition for his acceptance of the office, could have also pushed for a correction of the global brand strategy of GM.
Just speculating.
The equity of a name in a home market is valuable. Holden should keep the name even on rebadged Chevys just as we should not call Opels Buicks or Buicks Opels in their home markets.
GM has a 2-3 brand levels for each market planned and it will take time to complete. They may change the names but the models for the most part will be shared.
Now Holden may get the Camaro and talk was if they did would it be a Holden. A GM spokesmen said it would be a Chevy. This may be why they speak of the Chevy SS in the Holden adds. There could be a tie in on some models.
Australians love Chevy and import many yearly old and new.
We don’t love Chevy and importing a Chevy is costly and rare. It costs 100k just to import and convert to RHD for a Camaro. The Holden badged Korean crap sell simply because it has a holden badge. So many better cars are available. Holden mentioned the Chevy ss in their ads because they wanted to show how they are supporting the future of local production with an export deal and highlighting how the VF Commodore is a world class car.
“The Holden badged Korean crap sell simply because it has a holden badge.”
Interesting to read this from a local! So would you agree that Holden was more successfull when it used to sell Opel based cars?
And that the decline of Holden is a result of offering Chevy based cars instead of higher quality Opel based cars?
Well I have many customers that say otherwise.
It is true it is expensive but they still do it anyways. As for converting it all depends on where you live. I have customers in the Rockingham and Perth area that said in western Australia they do not have to convert to RHD. I asked when they sent me photo’s of their cars with LHD. I thought they all needed changed and they said out in the west they do not have to change or run the funny big sticker on the back declaring LHD.
Also many are race cars too.
I my company exports performance parts and business is so good that we have expanded out marketing there. And the parts we sell are not all Holden.
I do agree with the general public the Holden badges do help on the present Chevy based cars as they still see them as Holden’s.
As for Opel based cars and doing better. You have to keep in mind there were fewer Asian imports back then. Today Mazda and Toyota have taken a large chunk of the market. It is not that they liked Opel better but there were no Hyundai and others in the market taking sales in the past. It is a small market with many more competitors in it now.
Chevrolet on Great Britain is showing the Camaro on its website, so they should be able to provide RHD version. The image on that page shows a LHD inside, but there is a disclaimer on the bottom of the page saying “*Please note that images may differ slightly from UK specifications, more information coming soon.” No explicit mention of RHD vs. LHD
They also show the Corvette.
Disappointed / Gutted / Upset when the bad news was released!
I don’t think this is bad news
It’s a shame, as the Astra and Insignia are good cars essentially. I heard that the Orlando was supposed to be making its way to Australia as a Holden (on Taylor Swift’s forum where someone posted it – but not sure how verifiable that is! There was a full 30-page GM thread on there, until the mods pulled it there!).
I remember when Chevrolet sold the Oldsmobile Alero in Europe with the bowtie. Would Buick sell its Enclave as an Opel in Europe, or is that too risky to market as an Opel in Europe, Holden in Australasia?
KX46 writes “It’s a shame, as the Astra and Insignia are good cars essentially.”
So maybe they should be offered under the Holden brand instead of Opel, and the Daewoo-sourced Chevrolets should be offered under the Chevrolet brand instead of Holden.
How about that?
It could work. Incidentally, on the Taylor Swift forum’s GM thread I read that the Asüna name was being considered for launch in Europe and I thought that seemed odd, considering they want to sell Chevrolet and Vauxhall/Opel in Europe. The same source claimed Asüna would get its own Cruze spin-off too.
How can tell gm to do anything? Opel doesn’t own gm! Gm is the on that gets to pull the strings! You should be lucky gm hasn’t closed the door on opel already across the world!
You can only lose money for so long before you cut ties!
Tell your friends to start buying opels vauxhalls the holden s or they will be on the chopping block
Mr. Ritter,
It’s very clear to all that you wear a laurel garland round your neck, you have a tri-shield strapped to your chest and a bow-tie nailed firmly to your fore-head … all very noble of course!
But America is not the world and by circa 2018 the US will not even be the world’s leading super-power. China is GM’s biggest global market. Every year GM vies with VW to lead the Chinese market and the two chop and change annually to claim the prize. But it’s not your beloved Chevy that holds the flag high for GM and for that matter, neither is it Buick, successful as it is in China. Actually it’s the Wulong and Dongfeng brands that account for more than 50% of GM’s Chinese sales.
Now let me think a minute … Oh yes, that’s it – Opel commenced business some 123 years ago; Vauxhall originated in 1877 and started car production in 1903; Holden established 1948 … 65 years and counting!
Those of us who live in the old world (not including Oz!) tend to stick by our old brands, through thick and thin.
GM is #3 in Europe behind VW and PSA and that does not include any of the US’ C/B/C’s!
As for the Aussies, they are rightly and justifiably proud and loyal to Holden, just as they are to Ford and the Falcon. Watch Ford sales fall off a cliff when they shut down local production in 2016.
YOU CANNOT BUY LOCAL HISTORY! Get a passport, open your eyes and travel the world. Contrary to your belief or most fervent wish, not everything will appear rose-tinted!
I bet I’ve been to more countries then you have! Yes I have traveled, the one thing you seem to forget is the thanks you give us American s for keeping your country from getting it’s ass handed to you by a near by country!
If you think your opels vauxhalls and holdens are better cars then what chevy buick and Cadillac has to offer your sadly mistaken!
Yes I wear a bowtie on my forehead cuz quite frankly we own you, you don’t own us!
You will fight us on this and you will lose again just like you did almost 400 years ago!
Jeez … give it a break already Mr. Ritter. You’re an embarrassment to all of us in the US!
GM is global. It has six regional areas for technical development … USA/Canada, Europe, China, Korea, Latin America and Australia.
Here in the US the Regal, Verano, Malibu and Cruze are all based on European platforms. The Camaro and SS are based on Australian platforms. The Encore, Aveo, Spark, Traxx and Captiva are all Korean based. The Chinese and Latins largely do their own thing, with a bit of help from the other regions.
So that leaves the only true US engineered models as being all Cadillacs, Impala, Lacrosse, all the trucks and SUV’s. Oh and I almost forgot … the C7 ‘vette.
We need the rest of the world as much as they need us and whilst it may be a bitter pill for you to swallow, that includes Opel, Vauxhall, Holden, Wuling, Baojun, and yes … even Daewoo, which is still marketed in a number of Eastern European and Asian countries and is GM’s best selling brand in those territories.
The world does not start in Santa Monica and end in Chicago. I too am proud of the tri-shield and the bow-tie, but when I drive my Verano I am under no misapprehension that it is actually an Opel/Vauxhall Astra with a waterfall grille. I for one appreciate the European association!
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Has Daewoo ever sold their cars under their own name in Australia?
If yes, how did it happen, and when, that they were rebranded as Holden?
Yes but it was a while ago and before 21st century I believe. They sold a fair few but didn’t sell well enough. Holden sourced non Australian models from them and Opel for quite some time. Eventually Holden replaced most Opels with Daewoo because the Opels cost too much.
Also Hyundai and Kia were seen as being the better of Korean cars. Today, they are far more advanced then Chevrolet Korea.
If opel can be cut from Australia where else can it be cut from? If opel can be cut then vauxhall and holden aren’t safe either!
If your losing money selling holdens then what would be the difference if your losing money selling chevys in it’s place?
Holden’s market share, brand awareness and cultural identity is the difference. Chevrolet has little to no relevance here. Opel doesn’t have what Holden has either because there are other German brands. In Australia, Holden is the only Australian mainstream brand. There are only two others that are for niche markets, HSV (Holden Special Vehicles) and FPV (Ford [Australia] Performance Vehicles). FPV is going to be killed off as early as 2014 to 2016.
To loose Holden would be to loose a culture. In America, if GM’s 4 brands were to go you would still have Ford and Chrysler brands. We’ve lost the Australian Fords (Falcon & Territory will be gone in 2016) leaving Holden as our only pride and joy. There are operations advantages (and disadvantages too) but no marketing advantages. Also the Chevrolet outside of North America is no where near good enough. Holden is a lot like Chevrolet North America in terms of offerings and cultural significance. The existing Aussie made vehicles and the many many historic Australian vehicles give us a car culture that provides an initial need for Holden and not some wanna be global brand. Chevrolet outside of NA seems to be more like Hyundai 5 years ago (decent but could do way better) rather than the Hyundai of today.
The people of Australia are out of thier minds, they think their people will only buy holdens now and in the future which is a big load of crap!
If north America lost gm ford chrysler everybody would just fill there driveways with toy Nissan Hondas ect!
If you lost your holden new and different cars would show up and with in 5 to 10 no one would even remember they were gone!
You want examples, olds mercury Pontiac hummer and thers many more and now all those cars have been replaced no one even thinks of them anymore!
Your land is no different than any others! D/F
Brian Ritter,
You display that typical one eyed US patriotic opinion that proves to everyone else in the world that most Americans have no idea whats happening outside your borders.
I have 25 years experience in the Auto industry and I have touched every brand you guys have been talking about.
American cars are rubbish – But I’ll take a 68 Camaro anyday – they were real cars and symbolised American made not the junk they kick out nowadays.
Daewoo based Chevys & Holdens are just as bad if not worse and European based Holdens did not last long either in our conditions.
“I bet I’ve been to more countries then you have! Yes I have traveled, the one thing you seem to forget is the thanks you give us American s for keeping your country from getting it’s ass handed to you by a near by country! ” – Sounds like something Jack Nicolson would say in a movie. People only want to kick our arse because we are too blindly aligned with you guys!
I dare you Brian to get your hands on a new Chevy SS (Holden Commodore of course) or even an older Pontiac G8 (our previous model Commodore) and compare it against your current or last full size North American built Chevy which I believe is / was the Impala. Once you remove your pride you will see the build quality and handling is far superior on the Aussie built vehicles.
Opel in Australia – it was never going to work and Im glad they are leaving and many other brands shouldnt be here either. The previous Holden-badged Opel Astras we had here before made the top 10 list of worst lemons ever in our country. With that bad image already instilled here, Opel bringing the Astra name back was a mistake. Apart from our politicians – all us other Australians are not that stupid and knew it was a car and brand to stay away from.
Im not saying our Commodore is the best car in the world – even though Im a Holden man I drive a Toyota! Common sense.
As far as i see it, no matter if Holden use either Daewoo or Opel based vehicles in their model line up they are looking at a limited life here and will follow Ford and close down operations. The cars are that bad. People will buy better built and more reliable brands . If only they had a Japanese based partner to get models from – The Japs make the best cars – period! So when Holden stop building cars here they are just going to serve up all the other rubbish that they are trying to push all around the world. Either with the Holden badge on it or Chevrolet. With that, Australia’s love affair and loyalty with Holden will disappear.
Don’t feed the trolls!
Could Holden import the Buick Enclave as its own, and maybe do this with its line-up: have the European Corsa as the Barina, move the Cruze to the Asüna brand (and the Malibu possibly), and import the European Astra as a Holden, including the sedan version (Buick Verano).
In short Holden’s line-up would be: Barina, Astra, Commodore, Commodore SS and Captiva/Antara, along with the Enclave.
Market Asüna in Australia as the lower-market brand, Holden as upmarket and it could work out. Asüna sounds Eurasian enough to work.
The Corsa and Astra could be produced in Holden’s own factory, and Holden could produce those cars also for export with an Opel label to RHD markets such as Singapore or South Africa.
I don’t believe that GM wants to complicate its brand line-up again by adding a low cost brand (“Asüna”); the Chevrolets now marketed under the Holden brand could best be offered under the brand which they carry worldwide, currently with one exception: Australia.
GM’s brand conglomerate would simplify if they could move up Holden to the “hybrid global brand” of Buick, Vauxhall and Opel (and contribute the Holden rear-wheel-drive large cars to those brands).
For info, GM South Africa already builds the Corsa and Astra plus most of the Korean Chev range, though the Commodore is imported from Oz and sold as the Chevy Lumina (saloon and ute). Perhaps GM South Africa could export the new generation Chevrolet Utility (formerly Opel Corsa 1/2 ton pick-up) to Australia and New Zealand.
I agree with you though that from the next generation platform (I assume VG in 2016/17), Holden should develop, build and export all of GM’s large RWD vehicles including:
Buick – Electra and LWB Park Avenue (the latter is already exported to China – + USA, Canada)
Opel/Vauxhall – Omega/OPC/VXR8 GTS (Europe)
Chevrolet – SS/Lumina and LWB Caprice (USA, Canada, Middle East, South America, South Africa)
This would give Holden some decent volume, driving export prices down and ensuring production stays firmly in Australia.
New Zealand would have been a better market as the Opel brand is better known, what with cars being sold as Opels in the 1980s and 1990s, alongside Holdens.
Daewoo originally built cars based the Opel Kadett and Rekord – the Pontiac LeMans sold in New Zealand was based on Daewoo’s version of the LeMans. It should go back to producing Opel-based models and axe the Chevrolaewoo models which are unwanted, unloved and unneeded – that way, car buyers and accountants would both be happy.