Holden no more: 600 jobs go, 10 yr support.

[Holden17]

I watched it on ABC iView which was a little disappointing as it was more a nostalgia fluff piece that a piecing investigative expose'. The view that the last cars were best of breed but people had moved on to SUV's as being the cause was so single dimensional that it was meaningless.

Sadly Holden's demise was a lot more complex than the simplistic product view pushed. A delving look into why Holden failed and whether GM held them back from achieving their true export potential (even into the USA) was not even a thought within the program. Whether government support of the industry should have continued rather than been withdrawn was also not delved into. I don't think it was even mentioned that all vehicle manufacturers around the globe are heavily subsidized (possibly from a national security perspective as well as for employment and capability cross pollination into other industries perspective).

Basically it was a nostalgic fluff piece with Mark Skaife on board along with a non Holden driving A-B car type Economist and a old enthusiast who restores Holden's for a living. Hardly an expose'

I guess I didn’t have any expectation of investigative journalism...it was only that my elderly Mum messaged me that it was on a couple of hours before it went to air so I hadn’t seen it being promoted anywhere...I really only expected that the ABC would string some nostalgic file footage together seeing that it was just 29mins...was pleasantly surprised that there was some panel discussion which I thought was balanced but yes without depth given the short time frame.

Subsidisation was mentioned and I was heartened that it wasn’t the I’ll informed ignorance of why should a Govt spend money on vehicle manufacturing as if Aust is the only Govt to do so. To go deeper on such an issue would be a great program in itself if done thoroughly.

Yes, I would also love to see an actual expose of what Holden did achieve for our history and economy with global design, exports etc and what could have been achieved in these areas with a supportive parent company.

 

[Calaber]

I guess I didn’t have any expectation of investigative journalism...it was only that my elderly Mum messaged me that it was on a couple of hours before it went to air so I hadn’t seen it being promoted anywhere...I really only expected that the ABC would string some nostalgic file footage together seeing that it was just 29mins...was pleasantly surprised that there was some panel discussion which I thought was balanced but yes without depth given the short time frame.

Subsidisation was mentioned and I was heartened that it wasn’t the I’ll informed ignorance of why should a Govt spend money on vehicle manufacturing as if Aust is the only Govt to do so. To go deeper on such an issue would be a great program in itself if done thoroughly.

Yes, I would also love to see an actual expose of what Holden did achieve for our history and economy with global design, exports etc and what could have been achieved in these areas with a supportive parent company.

I think the definitive history of Holden, what it meant to Australia throughout its existence, its contribution to our industrial base and national identity and its demise, has yet to be written. There are numerous books of recent release but they all appeared following the closure of local production. The death of the brand now has to be addressed.

 

[figjam]

Mark Skaife's input regarding past Red v Blue rivalries in the ATCC/V8supercars was a bit hollow, as it was his COTF ideas which went away from the road based chassis, and has contributed to the decline in interest in the Red v Blue contest.

 

[VS 5.0]

Mark Skaife's input regarding past Red v Blue rivalries in the ATCC/V8supercars was a bit hollow, as it was his COTF ideas which went away from the road based chassis, and has contributed to the decline in interest in the Red v Blue contest.

And he raced a Nissan.

 

[HarryHoudini]

I watched it on ABC iView which was a little disappointing as it was more a nostalgia fluff piece that a piecing investigative expose'. The view that the last cars were best of breed but people had moved on to SUV's as being the cause was so single dimensional that it was meaningless.

Basically it was a nostalgic fluff piece with Mark Skaife on board along with a non Holden driving A-B car type Economist and a old enthusiast who restores Holden's for a living. Hardly an expose'

Yeah very average expose on Holden although the host tried hard.What about the 'Whichcar' guy,been in the country 5 minutes and didn't know any Holdens before the VE,but he was very 'passionate about Holden' ..Pleeeze...

 

[Clintix]

No surprise that this happened, holden sales drop sharply

https://www.perthnow.com.au/busines...otors-decision-to-retire-brand-ng-b881480104z

 

[VS 5.0]

No surprise that this happened

https://www.perthnow.com.au/busines...otors-decision-to-retire-brand-ng-b881480104z

This article has a bit more detail - https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/holden-sales-freefall

Trax sold more than Commodore

 

[lmoengnr]

Trax sold more than Commodore

There are some sick and twisted people in this world...

 

[Calaber]

Those sales figures are for February. Once Holden was axed, and the discounts were announced commencing for March, who would buy a car a month earlier? I'll bet the March figures are going to show an upsurge of some size.

 

[Forg]

Trax sold more than Commodore

The reason that is a concern is because Trax only has one purpose; torturing someone.
Stick 'em in the driver's seat, hold a gun to their head, make them drive it ... on a freeway, around a car park.
I'm really sorry about the horror & graphic violence in this post, but it's an important point.
I'm therefore worried that if Traxes are selling, more of this torture is happening in society. Who's buying them, drug-dealing bikie gangs? I hope it's not any of our law-enforcement agencies!