News: Holden to pull out of Australia from 2016, according to senior Government ministers

Only going to get worse next year when IBM is rumored to be closing up shop (or majority) in AU and if Toyota cannot reduce the loss per car made in AU then they too have said they may close up shop here.
 
Paul_The_Aussie said:
Only going to get worse next year when IBM is rumored to be closing up shop (or majority) in AU and if Toyota cannot reduce the loss per car made in AU then they too have said they may close up shop here.
Click to expand...

IBM have been outsourcing alot of there work overseas for years (but not their prices to reflect it)
 
Hm.

I give them eight months to a year at the outside.
 
the biggest problem holden now have is that they have very little reason for people to buy them, as pointed out in some of the media here they're not class leading in any aspect (cost, quality, features)
 
Hidden_Hunter said:
the biggest problem holden now have is that they have very little reason for people to buy them, as pointed out in some of the media here they're not class leading in any aspect (cost, quality, features)
Click to expand...

The Commodore and Falcon represent exceptional value for money in the market. You can get a base model for less than $40k, which, in relation to the average wage, is more affordable than ever. The problem is that fewer and fewer people want to buy full-sized cars anymore. This is simply a failure of Holden and Ford to adapt to changing market demands.
 
Lurch0001 said:
The Commodore and Falcon represent exceptional value for money in the market. You can get a base model for less than $40k, which, in relation to the average wage, is more affordable than ever. The problem is that fewer and fewer people want to buy full-sized cars anymore. This is simply a failure of Holden and Ford to adapt to changing market demands.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Let me know where you can buy a full sized car that can fit 5 people, that has a touch screen (with optional GPS), can park it self, forward collision warning, 5 star safety rating, achieves under 10L/100km economy (ratings, I know, but...) for under $40k. That's not forgetting the other up class features on higher spec models. The VF Commodore is crazy value for money and actually has a decent interior which is ages ahead of VE.

They talked about VF originally being redesigned to be smaller than the VE - blame the GFC for putting a stop to that. If the VE didn't stay in production for 7 years without any real major updates, maybe people would've had more confidence in helping them.
 
Last edited:
Dsemaj said:
Agreed. Let me know where you can buy a full sized car that can fit 5 people, that has a touch screen (with optional GPS), can park it self, forward collision warning, 5 star safety rating, achieves under 10L/100km economy (ratings, I know, but...) for under $40k. That's not forgetting the other up class features on higher spec models. The VF Commodore is crazy value for money and actually has a decent interior which is ages ahead of VE.

They talked about VF originally being redesigned to be smaller than the VE - blame the GFC for putting a stop to that. If the VE didn't stay in production for 7 years without any real major updates, maybe people would've had more confidence in helping them.
Click to expand...

I was referring to the fact now the commodore/falcon don't exist, ford at least have some good competitive products - holden does not.
 
Sad, but ... good riddance (at last). Instead of blaming governments (providing artificial assistance), how about looking at simple, old-fashioned business analysis to see why they are leaving? Thanks to labour costs, the Australian Dollar, lack of an economy of scale, and bureaucratic red tape, it costs 4 times as much to produce a car in Australia as it does in Asia and twice as much as it does in Europe. Sales of the Commodore have fallen over 70% since the late 1990s (despite the new car market growing in that time). High production costs, low demand. Without a Veblen good phenomenon to save it, Holden was always going down. Unless you own a Commodore (or a Cruze), you (like me) are as much to blame for this announcement as anyone.

NOW... REPEAL the Luxury Car Tax!!!
 
My families had plenty of Holden's over the years, but I have to say that as a tax payer I got a bit sick of the annual cash grab that would supposedly keep them here for the next ten year
 
Last edited:
FWD Commodore? FUCK THAT AND THE HORSE IT RODE IN ON!
 
as I said, now the commodore is gone they really don't have anything class leading (or even close)
 
Coming from an outsider's perspective as I came to Adelaide from Singapore, I can say that Holden as a whole did not inspire me at all. For a while there was the Astra, which I thought was nice, but then they soon took it away. I'm also not interested in the big tanker Commodores too as they look so ungainly. There's just so many other options which are better. I could go Japanese/Korean for small and cheap (especially Korean as they're not superb value for money). Or I could go European if I wanted executive and luxurious. Ruling out the fact that some people are simply loyal to the brand, it's otherwise a pretty 'meh' brand.
 
Ever since they stopped rebadging Opels and started on Daewoos instead, Holden has been on the decline. But people kept buying them, and I dare say some of the people who did even thought their Daewoo Kalos with Holden written on it was made in Australia. I wonder how long the brand can maintain a good name after the Commodore leaves. To be honest after years of Epicas, Vivas, Craptivas and the like, I'm surprised Holden isn't already perceived as a budget brand - certainly Hyundai and Kia are offering better cars these days, even if brand perception is below that of Holden.
 
They pretty much had to get rebranded stock, though. GM was a support team and also a curse.
 
Yes, but they went from getting quality rebranded Opels at a premium, to getting crappy rebranded Daewoos to save money.

The Astra was pretty popular down here.
 
The Astra was the one that I thought, yes, maybe Holden is moving in the right direction. But then they pull it and bring out the Cruze...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top