Welcome to Just Commodores, a site specifically designed for all people who share the same passion as yourself.

New Posts Contact us

Just Commodores Forum Community

It takes just a moment to join our fantastic community

Register

Confirmed: Holden Manufacturing in Australia to Close 2017

Reaper

Tells it like it is.
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Messages
6,493
Reaction score
11,463
Points
113
Location
SE Suburbs, Melbourne
Members Ride
RG Z71 Colorado, 120 Prado , VDJ200, Vantage
GM to Transition to a National Sales Company

Company to cease manufacturing in Australia by 2017 in Australia and New Zealand DETROIT - As part of its ongoing actions to decisively address the performance of its global operations, General Motors today announced it would transition to a national sales company in Australia and New Zealand. The company also said it would discontinue vehicle and engine manufacturing and significantly reduce its engineering operations in Australia by the end of 2017.

"We are completely dedicated to strengthening our global operations while meeting the needs of our customers," said GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. "The decision to end manufacturing in Australia reflects the perfect storm of negative influences the automotive industry faces in the country, including the sustained strength of the Australian dollar, high cost of production, small domestic market and arguably the most competitive and fragmented auto market in the world."

As a result of the company's actions, approximately 2,900 positions will be impacted over the next four years. This will comprise 1,600 from the Elizabeth vehicle manufacturing plant and approximately 1,300 from Holden's Victorian workforce.

Holden will continue to have a significant presence in Australia beyond 2017, comprising a national sales company, a national parts distribution centre and a global design studio.

GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mike Devereux said an important priority over the next four years would be to ensure the best possible transition for workers in South Australia and Victoria.

"This has been a difficult decision given Holden's long and proud history of building vehicles in Australia," said Devereux. "We are dedicated to working with our teams, unions and the local communities, along with the federal and state governments, to support our people."

The sale and service of Holden vehicles will be unaffected by this announcement and will continue through the extensive network of Holden dealers across Australia and New Zealand. Warranty terms and spare parts availability will remain unchanged.

"GM remains committed to the automotive industry in Australia and New Zealand.

We recognize the need for change and understand the government's point of view. Moving forward, our business model will change significantly however, GM Holden will remain an integral part of its communities and an important employer both directly and through our dealers," Devereux said.

Since 2001, the Australian dollar has risen from US$0.50 to as high as US$1.10 and from as low as 47 to as high as 79 on the Trade Weighted Index. The Australian automotive industry is heavily trade exposed. The appreciation of the currency alone means that at the Australian dollar's peak, making things in Australia was 65 percent more expensive compared to just a decade earlier.

With the decision to discontinue vehicle and engine manufacturing in Australia by the end of 2017, GM expects to record pre-tax charges of $400 million to $600 million in the fourth quarter of 2013. The charges would consist of approximately $300 million to $500 million for non-cash asset impairment charges including property, plant and equipment and approximately $100 million for cash payment of exit-related costs including certain employee severance related costs. Additional charges are expected to be incurred through 2017 for incremental future cash payments of employee severance once negotiations of the amount are completed with the employees' union. The asset impairment charges will be considered special for EBIT-adjusted reporting purposes.
 

galahs

Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2006
Messages
140
Reaction score
14
Points
18
Members Ride
VT
Once Holden ceases production in Australia, my loyalty to the brand is over.

Holden or Hyundai. They'll be one and the same. This will also be the end of the iconic Aussie ute.

Expect HSV's GTS to become a sort after collectors item.
 

Skydrol

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Messages
1,043
Reaction score
10,916
Points
113
Location
USA
Members Ride
Pontiac G8 GT
I wonder how HRT is going to be called... GMRT?

At this pace we are all going to be driving Cookie-Cut-Cars; one size/type fits all; some like a Lada/Trabant.

From my side of the fence, my perception is the land of Oz is getting dismembered one limb at the time.

Here is the speech from the movie Network; can be seen in Youtube.
The movie was made in the mid 70s but carry so much truth.

Jensen:

You have meddled with the primal forces of nature, Mr. Beale, and I won't have it!! Is that clear?! You think you've merely stopped a business deal.

That is not the case. The Arabs have taken billions of dollars out of this country, and now they must put it back!

It is ebb and flow, tidal gravity! It is ecological balance!

You are an old man who thinks in terms of nations and peoples.

There are no nations. There are no peoples. There are no Russians. There are no Arabs. There are no third worlds. There is no West.

There is only one holistic system of systems, one vast and immense, interwoven, interacting, multivariate, multinational dominion of dollars.

Petro-dollars, electro-dollars, multi-dollars, reichmarks, rins, rubles, pounds, and shekels.

It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet.

That is the natural order of things today. That is the atomic and subatomic and galactic structure of things today!

And YOU have meddled with the primal forces of nature, and YOU WILL ATONE!

Am I getting through to you, Mr. Beale?

You get up on your little twenty-one inch screen and howl about America and democracy.

There is no America. There is no democracy.

There is only IBM and ITT and AT&T and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those are the nations of the world today.

What do you think the Russians talk about in their councils of state -- Karl Marx?

They get out their linear programming charts, statistical decision theories, minimax solutions, and compute the price-cost probabilities of their transactions and investments, just like we do.

We no longer live in a world of nations and ideologies, Mr. Beale.

The world is a college of corporations, inexorably determined by the immutable bylaws of business.

The world is a business, Mr. Beale. It has been since man crawled out of the slime.

And our children will live, Mr. Beale, to see that perfect world in which there's no war or famine, oppression or brutality -- one vast and ecumenical holding company,

for whom all men will work to serve a common profit, in which all men will hold a share of stock, all necessities provided, all anxieties tranquilized, all boredom amused.

And I have chosen you, Mr. Beale, to preach this evangel.
 

commodore665

expat Saffa
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
Messages
2,845
Reaction score
2,265
Points
113
Age
54
Location
New Zealand via Cape Town
Members Ride
2005 SV6 & Alfa Romeo 156 V6
While the news of Holden's closure is sad ,the fact that an icon of manufacturing is coming to an end and also the employees who will lose their jobs in 2017 , it comes as no real surprise to me , of course one part thought it would not happen , its going to be interesting as to what GM decides what to replace the Commodore , lets hope its something good . On a side note , is it strange that I'm not looking at my VZ the same at the moment ? .
 
Last edited:

Skydrol

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Messages
1,043
Reaction score
10,916
Points
113
Location
USA
Members Ride
Pontiac G8 GT
Here in the US.
To build some takes so much effort, you need to pay (legal bribe) someone, fight with unions, environmentalist, on each turn someone wants a slice of that pie. At the end selling a subpar product at a premium price that nobody wants.

The US is not longer the place where you can come up with some and make a business of it. Too much red tape and the only people that seems to be helped are foreigners. I do not know about Oz but will not be surprised if it works the same way.
 
Last edited:

doms1

New Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
Messages
74
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Adelaide
Members Ride
BANNED
Won't 11111111111111111111111111111111
 
Last edited:

Reaper

Tells it like it is.
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Messages
6,493
Reaction score
11,463
Points
113
Location
SE Suburbs, Melbourne
Members Ride
RG Z71 Colorado, 120 Prado , VDJ200, Vantage
The thing I don't understand is the number of people who won't buy a Holden because they are stopping manufacturing here and are moving to either a brand that never manufactured here or in the case above left our shores 20 or so years ago.
 

mr calais 5.0

New Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2011
Messages
1,723
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
victoria
Members Ride
vy s 2003
How long till the parts suppliers close down and get more cheap parts from off shore?
 

c2105026

Active Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2009
Messages
900
Reaction score
141
Points
43
Location
NSW
Members Ride
2000 VTII Commodore Olympic, 2012 Ford Focus ST
Well the following brands did manufacture here at some point in the last 60 years:
Toyota
GM
Ford
Nissan
VW
Peugeot
Renault
Mercedes
Citroen
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Chrysler
If you were to boycott all brands that have upped and left there's not much left to choose from.......
 

Reaper

Tells it like it is.
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Messages
6,493
Reaction score
11,463
Points
113
Location
SE Suburbs, Melbourne
Members Ride
RG Z71 Colorado, 120 Prado , VDJ200, Vantage
Well the following brands did manufacture here at some point in the last 60 years:
Toyota
GM
Ford
Nissan
VW
Peugeot
Renault
Mercedes
Citroen
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Chrysler
If you were to boycott all brands that have upped and left there's not much left to choose from.......

Nissan left twice??? You also forgot Leyland and Mitsushitti amongst others I'm sure :)
 
Top