We’ve known for sometime now Opel and Holden were going to be very closely aligned in the future, with a majority of Holden’s future lineup being sourced from Europe. Whether Aussie consumers are ready for them or not, the Holden Insignia VXR, Astra VXR, Astra GTC and Cascada convertible have just begun production in Rüsselsheim, Germany.
The Insignia VXR will be the first of four new European-sourced vehicles to join the Holden lineup in quarter two of 2015. Holden says this signifies their commitment to sourcing only the best vehicles from across the globe for the Holden brand, further refined, tested and tuned on the Lang Lang Proving Grounds in Australia.
“Astra, Cascada and Insignia are renowned in Europe for their performance credentials and premium execution, making them the perfect addition to Holden’s range as we continue to offer more choice for our customers,” Bill Mott, Executive Director of Holden Marketing, said regarding the new European built vehicles.
“We are determined to offer Australians the best possible products that we can source from GM’s global operations and Opel’s commitment to performance and quality aligns perfectly with our own heritage and brand.”
The news of this production follows the darker side of this transition, as 30 Holden manufacturing employees were laid off this past Monday due to the dipping demand at Holden’s Elizabeth facility.
Holden will continue to wind down Aussie based manufacturing as the Opel sourced Holdens continue to arrive at Australian shores, and will make up one-third of the brand by 2018.
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“Astra, Cascada and Insignia are renowned in Europe for their performance credentials and premium execution, making them the perfect addition to Holden’s range as we continue to offer more choice for our customers,”
– Not quite what Opels are renowned for in Europe, but it sounds good.
Also, the above mentioned vehicles won’t scratch the same itch the Commodore did.
The title to this article should read ” The final nails in Holden AUSTRALIA’S coffin are now being hammered in “
Actually its only the Holden Insignia VXR which is being built in Rüsselsheim (the first one ran off the assembly line on February 10), while the Cascada is being built in Gliwice (Poland) and the Astra both in Gliwice and in Ellesmere Port (Britain).
Astra’s were originally sourced from Belgium….