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30 Holden dealers to close dec 17

Noeleter

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Didn't think the rot would set in that fast!
 

zero_tolerance

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Who knows but Holden are been outsold by Ford who doesn't have a locally produced product but does have a Mustang, what do Holden have coming? crap!

Quiet frankly, GM have lost the plot and Holden is paying the price!

The thing with Ford though is that they are relying on a single product to maintain their sales figures - Ranger.
The rest of their range sells appallingly. Mustang is a flash in the pan that will eventually die off just like Monaro did.
 
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c2105026

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I was looking through my VTII Handbook and noticed that quite a few dealers have gone in the last 17 years.

In 2000, Sydney Metro area had 29 Holden dealers. They now have 22 - 8 closed, and a new suburb was serviced. This net loss of 7 would have possibly come as a result of natural attrition, family-based franchises that weren't that big and closed upon the retirement of the dealer principal, as well as GMH amalgamating less profitable dealers into new, bigger ones.

In 2000, Regional NSW and ACT had 102 dealers - whilst 2 seem to have opened up in Wollongong, 37 have closed since then. Many of these would have been small family franchises that just sold up as the owners retired with noone interested in taking it over. Some were servicing very small towns where even if things went well it wouldn't be that profitable. In my local area, Blayney, Parkes, Wellington, Canowindra are/were fairly major dealers in their local communities who pulled the pin.

With the demise of local manufacturing, I don't see a long future for the 'Holden' brand.
 

BLACK-VE

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The thing with Ford though is that they are relying on a single product to maintain their sales figures - Ranger.
The rest of their range sells appallingly. Mustang is a flash in the pan that will eventually die off just like Monaro did.

true to a degree but my misses runs fleet for a national company ordered 3 rangers 5 Mondeos wagons and 4 transit vans 3 merc vans and a kluger this week. Ford seem to want the business and chasing the sales with great fleet pricing. May 17 Ford sales were up 16%

seen on facebook one Adelaide dealer even stating that it was keeping its franchise, maybe worried about losing sales

https://www.facebook.com/cityholden/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE&fref=nf
 

Immortality

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The thing with Ford though is that they are relying on a single product to maintain their sales figures - Ranger.
The rest of their range sells appallingly. Mustang is a flash in the pan that will eventually die off just like Monaro did.

If it sells it sells right?

What plan do Holden have other than to try and maintain the Commodore marquee to hold up sales which if the commentary you see is right is failing.

At the end of the day you bloody Aussies have a thing for V8's, clearly Ford has recognised this and is maintaining a platform to satisfy this customer base, again Holden seems to think this portion of the market is small and not worth pursuing. Holden = fail

Monaro was a niche market that worked on the basis if limited sales, GM has the Corvette and Camaro but doesn't see fit to import these to satisfy the Holden/bogan V8 market base, this is a huge fail on the part of GM/Holden.

Even if as you say these 2 door Coupe's are a flash in the pan item, at least in the mean time it's a product to maintain turnover in the market until you get some sort of market saturation. Personally I don't see it this way at all however it seems that Holden/GM have missed this boat. Next I see all the major beer breweries pulling out of Australia because clearly the beer drinking culture you Aussies have is also a dying market right?
 

Calaber

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I don't think they've all shut down. I reckon a few have seen the writing on the wall and switched to other makes.
 

Immortality

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Seriously, how can GM/Holden think that something like this won't sell?

Nothing HSV would even come close to something like this.
 

Calaber

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Seriously, how many Camaros would sell? They'd be overly expensive and only a niche seller at best. Holden needs a volume model and nothing in their current or proposed range will fill that spot.

They're pushing the Colorado but it's running behind the Ranger and Hilux month after month. Nothing even comes close to the Commodore's numbers and the NG won't do it either.

They need a vehicle that is clearly superior to its competitors, in the right market sector at the right price, to ensure volume sales. What have they got?
 

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That's the beauty of the Camaro, it comes and many different flavours right down to the mundane V6 model. If Holden imported these just like they do with all the other models there should be no reason for them to be very expensive. The top level Camaro should sell for no more than a top level HSV and beat it performance wise and the base model V6 should be no more than your entry level Commodore is now. Remember these things are really dirt cheap in the US.

Clearly the Camaro is superior to the Mustang that Ford offers :D
 

Calaber

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But it still won't sell in significant numbers. Holden needs a big seller - not just another niche model.

And traditionally, coupes have their cycles out here. Good sales in year one falling away so that by year four or five they struggle.
 
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