Holden Announces Final Day For Australian Production
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Holden manufacturing will fall just shy of its 70th anniversary when the brand switches from car maker to national vehicle importer and sales company. The iconic Australian brand has announced it will build its final vehicle on October 20th, 2017 at the Elizabeth plant in South Australia.
The date will mark 69 years of continuous production at the factory, where iconic models such as the Kingswood, Monaro, Torana and, of course, the Commodore have been produced for local consumption. Holden informed the plant’s remaining 1,000 workers and its supplier network about the plans yesterday morning.
Between now and October 20th, Holden has capped 2017 VF Commodore Series II production at 30,000 units, which includes the sport wagon, ute and Caprice variants.
Every Holden employee has access to a suite of transition services from the brand, including new job training. The current staff working at the Elizabeth plant will also remain on the job for several months following idled production lines to decommission the facility.
Holden will retain 1,000 employees at its Port Melbourne headquarters and keep 300 designers and engineers to ensure future product imported into Australia has the Holden stamp of approval.
Holden chairman and managing director, Mark Bernhard, praised the staff who will leave the company and looked towards what he hopes will be a more successful future as an importer.
They have continually pushed to improve the quality of their work for the benefit of our customers – this commitment, continuous improvement attitude and passion have been exhibited in spades in challenging circumstances.
It’s not surprising that their skills, work ethic and flexibility are highly sought after and they are leaving a legacy for Holden that deserves to be honored by ensuring this company has a bright and successful future.
Holden continues to change but we are proud to retain a significant presence in Australia for the long-term that includes more than 300 people across our local design and engineering workforces, in addition to the approximately 700 corporate staff and 10,000 people employed across our dealer network.
Holden remains committed to Australia and our customers for many, many years to come.
Holden will reveal a trio of final edition VF Commodores this month, which are expected to include a Motorsports edition, Director and more. The 2018 Holden NG Commodore, essentially a 2018 Opel Insignia Grand Sport, will arrive in early 2018 to take over sedan duties from the locally-assembled VF Commodore.
The brand recently ended production of its final V6 engine and locally-built Holden Cruze sedan last year. With this annoucement, Toyota is left as the last automotive company to announce its Australian plant’s closure. Ford Australia ceased production in Fall of 2016.
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Don’t feel sorry for Australia, just the Holden employees. Australians have told the world, they could care less about local manufacturing.
That sounds harsh but it’s true. If you stop buying what your country produces in favor of imports, you will eventually put your countrymen out of work. It’s common sense. Americans are no different, gorging themselves on a cornucopia of foreign brands for decades, insisting that domestic cars suck based upon decades old stereotypes. The import-loyal masses can’t seem to wrap their heads around why the country’s a shambles and so many of their friends and neighbors suddenly embrace protectionism. Even more ridiculous, most of these newborn “economic nationalists” still won’t touch an American car due to the same ancient stereotype. They’ll argue all day long that their Toyota’s made in a US factory, therefore it’s every bit as American as a Chevy and they’ve always bought Toyotas because GM screwed Paw-Paw in 1971 with the rusty Vega with a warped cylinder head and their entire family decided way back then enough is enough! No more American cars! Ever! And their resolute clan and all its future offspring remain true to that to this day and forevermore.
– Guess what? You’re colossal douchebags and so was Paw-Paw, God rest his soul –
We reap what we sow.
Joe G and Idiot Boy, you’s are both right on the money.
Here is an exerpt from acaresearch.com…About 15 years ago GM Holden had 27% of the market in Australia:
Looking at overall car sales, Toyota dominates with a 17.8% market share (an increase of 1.3%) with Mazda (9.9%) now clearly in second place. Holden (8.9%) continues to lose share, currently battling it out with Hyundai (8.8%) for the third and fourth positions. We would expect Holden’s downward trend to continue, with Hyundai moving up clear 3rd place as local manufacturing ceases.
The ultimate irony is that Japan and South Korea make it extremely hard on any company importing automobiles to their countries yet the Australians gorge (as Idiot Boy used) themselves on their autos.
here is the link:
http://www.acaresearch.com.au/australian-market-research-blog/2015-vehicle-sales-trends-in-the-australian-automotive-market
I don’t think either of you get it! One trick pony cannot keep the lights on. Look at Cadillac sedan sales – CTS tanked.
The new world order is SUV. GM missed the market and now reaps what it sowed – poor planning!
Another factor recognised is a small manufacturing base and limited exports – doomed to fail!
one trick pony?
what are you even babbling about.
SUV equals fashion. A questionable passing fancy like avocado colored kitchen appliances and a categorical one trick pony. Just wait and it’ll (thankfully) be another footnote in automotive history. They’ll look back and wonder what all the hoopla was about. Mark my words.
Holden on the other hand was an under-appreciated national treasure – a 69 year triumph of regional engineering and manufacturing doomed by the mindless and destructive worldwide pivot to Asia (which began long before Obama officially gave it a name and declared it US policy) and a populace that realized too late the importance of what they let slip through their hands. Its legacy is far greater than that of the SUV fad which will only leave future historians scratching their heads in collective disbelief and searching for the Pepto Bismol.
Didn’t they shuffle Reuss off to Oz to straighten out Holden after his dad got the axe? Then he came back and created the Aztek? Trail of Fail.
Sorry, I did not put in simply enough for you. Commodore was their dominate vehicle that has lost popularity; now they have nothing in the cupboard. If you don’t get that, I can’t help you!