Amid Sales Downturn, Holden Stops Production Of Commodore, Equinox
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Things haven’t shaped up for General Motors’ Holden subsidiary since the end of local production last year. Coming off of its worst sales performance in company history, the brand has ordered production to cease for Commodore and Equinox models.
Wheels reported Wednesday that new managing director and chairman, David Buttner, ordered the production stop as unsold inventory continues to grow. Holden reportedly has “thousands” of cars sitting in holding yards, but poor sales figures mean the cars are simply gathering dust. It’s understood Holden management completely misread the situation the brand would be in after ending local production.
“We’re trying to get back to a reasonable stock carry level by the end of the year, so we can get into the new year in a healthy position,” Buttner said.
Buttner’s decision to halt production of the Commodore and Equinox gained an OK from executives in Detroit, Michigan. The GM mothership brought on Buttner to turn the troubled brand around after years of declining market share and, let’s face it, a PR crisis following the end of local production. Many feel Holden remains in name only after locally built cars were taken off the table.
What’s most troubling is the Holden Equinox’s performance. The crossover launched last December as the market turned to more utility vehicles, but Holden has sold just 3,621 units in the first nine months of 2018. Holden’s rivals sell that many crossovers in a six-week period.
Buttner isn’t sugar-coating Holden’s situation any longer. He said the decision to turn off the taps on production means accepting Holden faces an “uphill battle” in the sales race.
Amid the downturn, Holden will soon introduce the Acadia full-size crossover SUV. It will mark the second utility vehicle launched at Holden since the end of local manufacturing, and the first time Holden will source a vehicle from GMC.
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Is anyone surprised by this? They replace a v8 powered rear wheel drive car with a mediocre at best fwd v6.
The V6 VXR is a lowly 6.2 seconds to 100kph, no wonder its not selling, my wife’s 1.5 Jazz is not far behind that at 8.9 secs. It must be embarrassing at the lights to know that you’ll struggle to beat a bog standard 4cyl off the line.
We should wait a bit because if it could be that Holden wants to develop a HSV Commodore … Power more …
HSV won’t waste their time polishing that turd, they looked at it and said not interested.
The idea of building a TT V6 was canned.
GM could move Holden’s headquarters to Detroit like they’ve done with Cadillac. That’s where the GM’s top talent phones in World Class Mediocrity.
Holden has been dying for years. The end of local production has brought us to a last gasp.
GM must be more than US and China. Maybe Buick should go global?
Nothing to see here it’s all over Red Rover!
Please bring Chevrolet to Australia and let Holden die. If GM brought the full suite of Chevrolet and Cadillac to Australia they would be number!!
Where is Jackass Jocaby in all of this, 3 from 3, stuffed Volvo, VW, Holden, well done champion
When you drive around my local area there are VF and VF 2 commodores all over mainly V8 models. I have only ever seen about 5 new Commodores and about 3 Stingers. However, there are hundreds of Ford Mustangs. Regardless of what the green fraternity say, Australian’s still want a V8 and that really shows. If GM want their sales back then they’d better look at a V8 and quick.
They have deserted their Heartland and are reaping the consequences.
Since the new mid engine Vette will be out soon… wouldn’t it be nice if GM built the concept vf 2 door here in the states and shipped it down under
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Holden should stop telling Australians what they want to drive and start listening to the public. The arrogance of this company and all the warnings fell on deaf and they stood their ground and moved the company offshore and buried the V8.
If you don’t start listening to the Australian public your sales will continue to decline until you’re all unemployed
The sorry fact is, the Australian market is minuscule compared to the rest of the world. We have as many people scattered over thousands of kilometres as they do in one city in Asia or the U.S. Add that to the fact that they were forced to pay brain surgeons wages to assembly line workers and were thereby losing money on every car they sold, the end was inevitable without major government (taxpayer) subsidies. Same for Ford, Toyota, and the rest if you want to go back far enough. I gave GM two years max. after the closure before they pulled out completely because of tanking sales, and I stand by that claim. No-one is going to buy a made overseas front wheel drive something else re-badged as a Holden, This is far from the first time a major global company has pulled out of Australia, and it won’t be the last. Same thing happened with global electronics giant Philips about six months before the GFC was even on the horizon, so it couldn’t have been a factor. They basically said that the Australian and New Zealand markets combined amounted to less than point one percent of their global market, so they just couldn’t be bothered being here any more. So if you think GM is going to lose any sleep over the complete loss of the Australian market, you’re sadly mistaken. Especially considering they would only have a slice, and as I predicted, a very small slice of our minuscule market due to the many competing brands, and bitter buyer resistance from the rusted on Holden fans. The stark reality is they couldn’t care less.
aussies want a rear wheel drive v6 and v8 basic car as well as a ute not a suv type vehicle, bring that back and you will have half a chance otherwise forget it.