End of road for Holden
ICONIC Aussie car brand Holden will be consigned to history with US parent company General Motors announcing it will axe the make by 2021. Holden yesterday told dealers about 600 workers will lose their jobs by June while 200 will remain to service Holdens still on the road.
AUSTRALIANS have until the end of this year to own the last Holden after the iconic brand was axed along with hundreds of jobs.
Our nation’s love affair with the classic Aussie car has been dealt a massive blow after it was revealed the name behind the Commodore and the Kingswood will disappear from production by 2021.
About 600 workers working for the company will be gone by June while another 200 will stay on to provide customer service for owners of the 1.6 million Holdens still in circulation. Staff at dealerships also face an uncertain future.
Holden yesterday told dealers General Motors had decided to pull out of the country after a decision to stop building cars in righthand-drive and plummeting sales. The Federal Government was given 15 minutes’ notice before the announcement was made.
GM’s senior vice-president of international operations Julian Blissett said the “overwhelming majority” of Holden staff would lose their jobs by the end of June.
“This was an agonising decision for us and one we didn’t make lightly or easily,” he said.
“After comprehensive assessment, we regret that we could not prioritise the investment required for Holden to be successful for the long term in Australia and New Zealand over all other considerations we have globally.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said more than $2 billion had been provided for Holden operations over its lifetime. “I am disappointed but not surprised,” he said.
“I am angry, like I think many Australians would be. They let the brand just wither away on their watch. Now they are leaving it behind.”
Mr Morrison said support would be provided to help workers move into new industries.
The company stopped local manufacturing in 2017 after the closure of a plant in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.
In December, Holden axed the Commodore and Astra due to slow sales and a push to focus on more profitable SUVs.
This year the brand has sold a total of just 43,176 cars, a far cry from the 106,092 cars it sold just five years ago.
The Commodore was the country’s best-selling car for 15 years and peaked with 94,642 sales in 1998.
Holden says its design and engineering operations will wind down by 2021.
Warranties and servicing offers will still be honoured.
The brand built its popularity on the back of events such as the Bathurst 1000, where victory on track once translated to showroom sales.
GM’s decision has sent a shockwave through the Supercars field, and the traditional Ford versus Holden rivalry, just days before the start of this year’s championship at the Adelaide 500.
The brand previously committed to supporting Australia’s Supercars category until the end of 2021.