You guys sure know how to...

[Calaber]

Top gear always liked the commos as well, it's a shame the government always made it easier for imports without negotiating any new export opportunities. I feel like GM wanted it to fail as well so they can focus on their core brands, they never gave a genuine attempt at establishing export markets. The AUD has dropped lots against the USD from previous highs but without overseas markets for the commodore it doesn't make australian production more attractive.

Holden doesn't have much of a future post commodore. The rest of the cars sold under the badge tend to be garbage, i would never trust one. I'd take a hyundai i30 or ford fiesta over a cruze any day.

Can't agree with your comment about the non-Commodore Holdens being garbage. Most of the Daewoos were, but the Opel-based cars are pretty competitive so far as engineering and design go. It's just that they can't match the Koreans on price.

 

[Commo Baba]

Can't agree with your comment about the non-Commodore Holdens being garbage. Most of the Daewoos were, but the Opel-based cars are pretty competitive so far as engineering and design go. It's just that they can't match the Koreans on price.

Last thing I heard....("Will Hagan" maybe?)....anyway, going with a rumour; was that they were going to go with the Opel sourced gear in the future and compete upmarket with the 'Euros' not try to match the Koreans on price. Remember the first Comm. was Opel based; that was way back in the 70's tho !

 

[Calaber]

Last thing I heard....("Will Hagan" maybe?)....anyway, going with a rumour; was that they were going to go with the Opel sourced gear in the future and compete upmarket with the 'Euros' not try to match the Koreans on price. Remember the first Comm. was Opel based; that was way back in the 70's tho !

Holden made a bad move back in the early 2000's, when, because of the poor exchange rate of our dollar at the time, they decided to ditch the Euro sourced small and medium car range (Barina, Vectra, Astra) and replace them with Daewoo's.

So, we got a Daewoo Kalos, which was already about three years old and a relatively poor seller, rebadged as the Barina. The Astra was replaced by the Viva (again, an old Daewoo we had seen previously) and the Epica (spew!) replaced the Vectra. Not one of the Koreans was a patch on the cars they replaced and with the exception of the Barina, they all nosedived in sales. (Buyers weren't stupid - they knew a dog with fleas when they saw one...or two). Ultimately, the Epica was seen off by the Cruze, which was an improvement.

With the "new" Holden company, the Koreans are to be replaced for the most part by cars designed in Europe but built in Thailand or Korea. Some will be European build - particularly the performance models and the new Insignia.And yes, the cars will generally be upmarket from their present or past market sectors. Look at the new Astras on sale already. Much dearer than the old models and appealing to a very small market indeed.

 

[Brettly-2008]

Can't agree with your comment about the non-Commodore Holdens being garbage. Most of the Daewoos were, but the Opel-based cars are pretty competitive so far as engineering and design go. It's just that they can't match the Koreans on price.

Have to agree here, the European-built Astras from TS onwards (1999) were amazing cars -almost over engineered in my view. Proof of the pudding is that most are still on the road today.

 

[figjam]

Have to agree here, the European-built Astras from TS onwards (1999) were amazing cars -almost over engineered in my view. Proof of the pudding is that most are still on the road today.

Our 2002 (Opel ) Barina is still going despite having over 200Km on it, and a neglected family hand-me-down since 2009. Missus looks at it, and nearly cries about its current state.
Holden may have input into its design, but built in Spain by Basil Fawlty's waiter.

 

[ls1mike]

Do you guys have the same Cruze we do? It is a big hit here and very competitive.

 

[Commo Baba]

Holden made a bad move back in the early 2000's, when, because of the poor exchange rate of our dollar at the time, they decided to ditch the Euro sourced small and medium car range (Barina, Vectra, Astra) and replace them with Daewoo's.

So, we got a Daewoo Kalos, which was already about three years old and a relatively poor seller, rebadged as the Barina. The Astra was replaced by the Viva (again, an old Daewoo we had seen previously) and the Epica (spew!) replaced the Vectra. Not one of the Koreans was a patch on the cars they replaced and with the exception of the Barina, they all nosedived in sales. (Buyers weren't stupid - they knew a dog with fleas when they saw one...or two). Ultimately, the Epica was seen off by the Cruze, which was an improvement.

With the "new" Holden company, the Koreans are to be replaced for the most part by cars designed in Europe but built in Thailand or Korea. Some will be European build - particularly the performance models and the new Insignia.And yes, the cars will generally be upmarket from their present or past market sectors. Look at the new Astras on sale already. Much dearer than the old models and appealing to a very small market indeed.

Nice model history detail thanks.
"Much dearer than the old models and appealing to a very small market indeed."
That's what I thought when I heard about it. I've only just got myself into the 21st century and now they are moving upmarket !
Since it's a 70km round trip just for fuel out here they better come up with a Tesla type car or I'll be looking elsewhere for the next vehicle. Tesla Model 3 for example.
The town won't have a mechanic when the current old bloke retires anyway. As it is he's got no 'diagnostic' gear anyway.

 

[Calaber]

Do you guys have the same Cruze we do? It is a big hit here and very competitive.

Hi Mike

Yeah, our Cruze is a Chev over there. I think the engines are pretty much the same and a recent face-lift - the last before local production ceases around October this year, is simply the current Chev split grille design with Holden badges replacing the bow-tie. There is, however, a great deal of local engineering input in our Cruze and it's a safe bet that it would run rings around the US version (or Cruze's sold in any other market) when it comes to handling. When it was first released here in 2010, it was a big seller and I think it led that segment of the new car market. It's been around too long now and more modern competition has knocked it off its perch. It's now just a modest seller.

The problem for Australia is that we are so open to imports from Korea in particular, and Japan as has been the case since the 1960's, that are demonstrably superior to just about any four cylinder Holden. Kia and Hyundai are leaping ahead in local sales while Holden models gradually slide down the sales charts. Commodore for years was No. 1. Now its around 4 or 5. GM-Holden was No. 1 from around 1951 or 52, when production finally matched demand, until 2003 or 4, when Toyota took over and has remained on top since. Mazda and Toyota are the two major players but I think it's a fair bet that Mazda will be overtaken by Hyundai within a couple of years, if not sooner. Imports used to be restricted to a percentage of the total market until around the mid 80's, and high tariffs protected our local industry, but let them build sub-standard vehicles due to lack of competition. This has changed over time but now it's too late and locals can't compete on quality, features, design or price. That's pretty much why we will become a nett importer late next year.

 

[Calaber]

Our 2002 (Opel ) Barina is still going despite having over 200Km on it, and a neglected family hand-me-down since 2009. Missus looks at it, and nearly cries about its current state.
Holden may have input into its design, but built in Spain by Basil Fawlty's waiter.

Whatever you do, don't neglect the timing belt. It's an interference design engine - if the belt breaks, the valves and pistons meet dramatically and expensively. Replacement interval is 60k which is stupidly low these days but originally it was set around 100k and they found the belts breaking before that distance had been travelled.

 

[Brettly-2008]

Our 2002 (Opel ) Barina is still going despite having over 200Km on it, and a neglected family hand-me-down since 2009.

We put 200,000kms on a French-built Astra (2004 TS) in 9 years and only put a set of tires on it. Sold it at 240,000kms without a clunk or rattle anywhere.