Will ZB be the end of GM in Australia

[vs-lover]

Exactly my point. Since when do GM take orders from toothless tiger Governments ?

 

[Taranaki]

Holden are sadly locked into Peugeot for 5 years with the ZB and only then will they be able to change to a totally new GM platform vehicle to replace the current model. By then it may well be too late.

Well Chev/Buick are also using Epsilon platform. Their stuff wouldn't fare any better than the Opel-made ZB.
Also note that the "leaner and fitter" GM has abandoned their RHD markets, such as Britain and South Africa.
If they make a new platform to replace Malibu/Regal sedans, would they even bother to do RHD conversions?

 

[ausmac91]

Both Ford and Holden were caned for building cars nobody wanted at the tail end of manufacturing. Now GM are trying to sell us a car built offshore nobody wants. With a badge which will likely lose a few sales on top, trying to attract a Commodore buyer with that badge was a ill considered move. As a car it’s mediocre, no standout points, buy one anywhere, pick a reputation, pick quality warranty support, where ya gonna go? Unlikely a Holden dealer. Karma. On top of dumping Australian jobs and ignoring the memories of a generation.

What happened to the Holden marketing machine? I come primarily from the blue side of the fence. The Holden marketing spin was legendary. They could’ve sold ice to the eskimos. Their ads make zero sense anymore. Carry zero emotion. Are they just going through the motions? That’s what it feels like. I spotted a billboard today around 7 year warranty ‘For Sure’. WTF is that supposed to mean?

Sorry if I convey canned anger, I’m one of those who can’t quite get past the loss of manufacturing here, or the ball drop by both to get us here. I went to the final Ford event at Avalon and also the Dream Cruise here in Elizabeth.... I’m of the age when buy Australian means something and it feels like a door being slammed in your face. While neither deserve a medal Ford were smarter just closing that door...VF was the last Commodore. And with ZB and Equinox as examples of the new generation, I doubt the Holden brand will be around in 5 years either. It feels like a cull.

 

[vc commodore]

That may be so, however if GM shuts Holden down, there is no one for the Govt or anyone else to hold to account under the requirement.

Good point....Good chance the aftermarket suppliers for these cars will start to thrive as a result....Well, one would hope

 

[Holden17]

Both Ford and Holden were caned for building cars nobody wanted at the tail end of manufacturing. Now GM are trying to sell us a car built offshore nobody wants. With a badge which will likely lose a few sales on top, trying to attract a Commodore buyer with that badge was a ill considered move. As a car it’s mediocre, no standout points, buy one anywhere, pick a reputation, pick quality warranty support, where ya gonna go? Unlikely a Holden dealer. Karma. On top of dumping Australian jobs and ignoring the memories of a generation.

What happened to the Holden marketing machine? I come primarily from the blue side of the fence. The Holden marketing spin was legendary. They could’ve sold ice to the eskimos. Their ads make zero sense anymore. Carry zero emotion. Are they just going through the motions? That’s what it feels like. I spotted a billboard today around 7 year warranty ‘For Sure’. WTF is that supposed to mean?

Sorry if I convey canned anger, I’m one of those who can’t quite get past the loss of manufacturing here, or the ball drop by both to get us here. I went to the final Ford event at Avalon and also the Dream Cruise here in Elizabeth.... I’m of the age when buy Australian means something and it feels like a door being slammed in your face. While neither deserve a medal Ford were smarter just closing that door...VF was the last Commodore. And with ZB and Equinox as examples of the new generation, I doubt the Holden brand will be around in 5 years either. It feels like a cull.

Don’t know about Ford being smarter...unless you’re referring to Global Ford looking after its own agenda at the expense of Aussie customers.

I might be totally misinterpreting the situation but it was always said that for Aussie manufacturing to survive there had to be at least 3 strong homeland manufacturers. Seems to me that Toyota & Holden pushed on until the very end while (Oz) Ford largely clocked off a decade or more back.

How many years back did Ford drop the LTD and higher end ‘limo’ type models in general?...long before anyone knew what an SUV was. Then they gave the wagon the boot (yes, smarter to bring the Territory online but they turned their back on numerous companies & individuals who needed/preferred a wagon). It’s like Oz Ford were too big a threat to their international masters, having a superior product and at the beck & call of ‘Global Ford’, having to wind down since about 2005.

After the debacle of the turn of the century AU they basically gave up advertising the Falcon....came up with the Ecoboost before the SUV mania took off but again didn’t bother advertising it...was always the gripe of the Blue side; why could they not be bothered to proudly advertise their bread & butter Aussie product?

To save money further Ford pulled out of Supercars a decade or more back, happy to have their vehicles race and their product on show (because they were always going to be one of the two horses in the race anyway) yet too lousy to contribute $$$ for their teams - remember the anger of Dickie Johnson, Triple 8 et al who pulled Ford decals & badging from their vehicles? - looks like that’s all changing next year but only because Mustang is selling by itself (no competition) so why not milk it??

Even to the end Falcon had a brilliant auto transmission, turbo model & straight eight yet they were happy to leave a drastically dated interior as is...yes, maybe cleverly saving money for themselves but too bad for their customers. Perhaps Holden was foolish in spending $$$ to continually develop & update to the end yet we complain on here because Holden skimped on a few goodies that they included in the Chevy export or we harbour conspiracy thoughts such as thinning panels & paint to save $$$ on the final model....even though journalists were & still are pretty much universal that the VF was a truly world class car (for the money).

And now with all the doom & gloom over Holden monthly sales, Ford is not selling that many more vehicles in any month and without the Ranger (the Mustang aside) they would be languishing well behind Holden. Do the figures for yourself, exclude the Ranger from Ford’s figures and exclude either Commodore or Colorado from Holden’s figures and Ford is well behind.

Toyota, KIA/Hyundai & Mazda are of course currently, and probably for years to come, the winners in all this but I, like probably all of us on here still remain absolutely gutted by the closure of Aussie car manufacturing....ultimately, I do blame the Government for their short sightedness.

 

[losh1971]

Good point....Good chance the aftermarket suppliers for these cars will start to thrive as a result....Well, one would hope

problem i have found with my VR is even though very little genuine parts can be bought a few things you struggle to find an aftermarket equivalent even close in quality to the original part.

 

[ausmac91]

Don’t know about Ford being smarter...unless you’re referring to Global Ford looking after its own agenda at the expense of Aussie customers.

Smarter in dropping the Falcon nameplate It was the right thing to do.

 

[losh1971]

Smarter in dropping the Falcon nameplate It was the right thing to do.

Didn't know the Falcon had that bad a rep that the name needed to be removed from Ford altogether. The E series were pretty ordinary. Although the redtop engines were pretty decent. But no different to some of the Commodore line up that had and still do have a bad rep.

 

[ausmac91]

Didn't know the Falcon had that bad a rep that the name needed to be removed from Ford altogether. The E series were pretty ordinary. Although the redtop engines were pretty decent. But no different to some of the Commodore line up that had and still do have a bad rep.

Nah, just saying it was best left with the last of the Aussie built cars, rather than slapping onto a Mondeo or similar. Commodore name, IMHO, best left on the VFII arguably the best Australian car ever built.

 

[losh1971]

Nah, just saying it was best left with the last of the Aussie built cars, rather than slapping onto a Mondeo or similar. Commodore name, IMHO, best left on the VFII arguably the best Australian car ever built.

Agree there; why call an Opeldore a Commodore. GM seems to love rebadging a poor product, who knows why because it doesn't take long for the general population to realise what H'sOS GM are reselling as a Holden's. IMO surely it must be embarrassing that nothing new with a GMH badge will be actually any good, either that or they don't care. I'd feel embarrassed driving a Craptiva yet those who unwisely own them reckon they are driving a Holden and not Daewoo...... To me if it looks like a turd and smells like a turd, it still remains a turd no matter what you call it.....