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Goodbye... Holden :(

Zehq

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As an American living in Australia who has been driving Commodores for more than 15 years, I can assure you that there were a lot more factors that contributed to Holden's demise than just General Motor's parenting skills. Your car industry was heavily subsidized by government up until a few years ago, effectively creating a bubble that burst when the Government decided to stop subsidizing the industry. Car production costs in Australia are/were some of the most expensive in the industrialized world, thanks to your unions. But really, the main cause is Australians voted with their wallets these last few years and were not buying Holdens in volumes that would justify a GM presence. You have a very small car market in Australia that does not justify a GM subsidiary. If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves.


At the risk of being tarred and feathered, I have said it before and I will say it again, the current ZB Commodore is the best Commodore ever sold. Anyone who say's it's not a real Commodore has either not driven one or is just being a subjective fanboy. And your sentiment is exactly the reason why GM has closed shop here. If you don't buy the products, don't expect the store to remain open.

Import tariffs going from the 22.5% in the mid-90s to 5% in 2005 allowed many car manufacturers a presence in Australia they couldn't previously justify. No surprises that the car that cost a **** ton to build went under when you don't have the market share.

Oh and a source: https://www.aph.gov.au/sitecore/con...rary/Publications_Archive/CIB/CIB9697/97cib22
 

figjam

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At the risk of being tarred and feathered, I have said it before and I will say it again, the current ZB Commodore is the best Commodore ever sold. Anyone who say's it's not a real Commodore has either not driven one or is just being a subjective fanboy. And your sentiment is exactly the reason why GM has closed shop here. If you don't buy the products, don't expect the store to remain open.

And if the shop doesn't provide, or sell the product that you want, the store won't remain open due to lack of customers. This closure re-affirms with me that Australians are not blind mice that follow the Pied Piper over the cliff.
GM had the option of providing Holden with extra goodies to sell, but deliberately starved them of new vehicles and places to sell them.
I wish GM and all its management the best with their Chinese enterprises.
 
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zero_tolerance

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As an American living in Australia who has been driving Commodores for more than 15 years, I can assure you that there were a lot more factors that contributed to Holden's demise than just General Motor's parenting skills. Your car industry was heavily subsidized by government up until a few years ago, effectively creating a bubble that burst when the Government decided to stop subsidizing the industry. Car production costs in Australia are/were some of the most expensive in the industrialized world, thanks to your unions. But really, the main cause is Australians voted with their wallets these last few years and were not buying Holdens in volumes that would justify a GM presence. You have a very small car market in Australia that does not justify a GM subsidiary. If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves.

There were many contrubuting factors, but the fact remains that Holden went from a thriving profitable company to nothing due to poor decisions and incompetence by the parent company.
The rot started when they got rid of Hanenberger and started selling Daewoos as Holdens.

An interesting read...
https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/hanenberger-its-not-my-gm-anymore-109467
 

Smithston

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As an American living in Australia who has been driving Commodores for more than 15 years, I can assure you that there were a lot more factors that contributed to Holden's demise than just General Motor's parenting skills. Your car industry was heavily subsidized by government up until a few years ago, effectively creating a bubble that burst when the Government decided to stop subsidizing the industry. Car production costs in Australia are/were some of the most expensive in the industrialized world, thanks to your unions. But really, the main cause is Australians voted with their wallets these last few years and were not buying Holdens in volumes that would justify a GM presence. You have a very small car market in Australia that does not justify a GM subsidiary. If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves.


At the risk of being tarred and feathered, I have said it before and I will say it again, the current ZB Commodore is the best Commodore ever sold. Anyone who say's it's not a real Commodore has either not driven one or is just being a subjective fanboy. And your sentiment is exactly the reason why GM has closed shop here. If you don't buy the products, don't expect the store to remain open.

Go on. Kick us while we're down.
 

tml678

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At the risk of being tarred and feathered, I have said it before and I will say it again, the current ZB Commodore is the best Commodore ever sold.Anyone who say's it's not a real Commodore has either not driven one or is just being a subjective fanboy

I would suggest that 'best' is subjective as well. The perception of a car has a lot more to do than the lump of metal you see in front of you. It's the heritage, the way it makes you feel when driving it etc. I have no doubt the ZB is an excellent car and deserved to sell a lot more than it did. But for most of on here, it seemed to be an attempt to cash in on a treasured nameplate at a time when Holden was losing its soul (manufacturing).

as an American, I'd ask how you'd feel about driving an imported vehicle with a Cadillac or Corvette badge slapped on it? Doesn't really hold the same significance does it?
 

Overwatch

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Import tariffs going from the 22.5% in the mid-90s to 5% in 2005 allowed many car manufacturers a presence in Australia they couldn't previously justify.
Good point Zehq, I forgot about that. Yes, that, the fact that is a ridiculous Luxury Car Tax that slugged anyone who bought an HSV, up-market Colorado, etc is also another one. Stamp Duty. etc. All ridiculous things that Australians get slugged for that Americans don't. The consumer can only afford so much. The government wants everyone driving s**tty little Corollas, i30's and Polo's like Europe.
 

Overwatch

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Go on. Kick us while we're down.
I'm not kicking anyone, as a loyal Holden driver who starting driving VE's right up to the current ZB, I feel as sad as everyone that my current Commodore will be my last.

For what it's worth, GM has in the past occasionally resurrected marques when the economic conditions change. The Holden brand may rise again, just like Hummer has with its next EV truck.
 

figjam

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They will still make it, been that the car is mid engine, swapping steering and driver controls is fairly straight forward with nothing in the front getting in the way.

That is how they are going to do the RHD, but can they be bothered doing it ? Future RHDs will probably be a special order only and cost nearly as much as a new Ferrari/Lambo. If people really want one, they will be prepared to pay whatever fantastical sum is asked.
With unlimited $$$$, I would rather a Bolwell Nagari 500. A 'what ?' I hear you say.
 

Overwatch

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as an American, I'd ask how you'd feel about driving an imported vehicle with a Cadillac or Corvette badge slapped on it? Doesn't really hold the same significance does it?

It's a fair point, nostalgia, namesake and history does play an important part in someone's driving but for me, it doesn't. I assess vehicles purely on technical performance because that's what a mechanical device is meant to do. Whenever I go back home, I always try and drive a Buick Regal (ZB under another name) and before that, Pontiac G8's. The re-badging doesn't bother me as long as the performance is the same.

Holden should have written to every VF owner in the country and given them an AWD V6 ZB for a 24 hours test drive. 25Kw more coupled to an AWD drive train is just sweet. Maybe if they did that, they would have sold more ZB's.
 

Trevor loves holden.

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Price of wages and greedy CEO along with cost of utilities pushed them off shore, to many taxes and regulations Like ( Climate Change tax)
Besides all that commodore sales in the past 5 years are on decline only just under six thousand commodores sold last year. People just haven't got the money in this country to spend 40-60k for a new car.. They are feeling insecure of holding a job and the cost of living is making them broke so what money they have they holding onto it instead of helping out the economy.
 
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