A little about Holden in the post-manufacturing era.
Unlike Ford, which has already shown what its showroom will be like once it pulls out of car-making in Australia in late 2015, Holden is providing very few details about the shape of its post-manufacturing product line-up.
 
One clue is that that Holden’s parent, GM, plans to cut it’s production in South Korea which has been the feeding ground for many of the models filling Holden showrooms today. The future line-up of Holden’s product range is also mentioned in the news that its former loss-making European division, Opel, is slowly returning to profit and will figure in GM’s global plan.
 
Holden managing director Mike Devereux revealed early in 2014 that Holden’s Melbourne-based design studio was already working on the next-generation of large car, mainly in an effort to quell persistent rumors that the next one wouldn’t be designed and built in this part of the world.
 
However the announcement that Holden will quit making cars means the Commodore name is now likely to be attached to an all-new global car that will include design tweaks to make it look distinctively Australian beyond just the badge. The design is also likely to underpin a new generation of Buick vehicles that will help General Motors, cement a foothold in China, one of the world’s fastest-growing new-car markets.
 
Holden have launched a new advertising campaign titled “We’re Here to Stay” and the aim of the campaign was to ensure customers understood the Holden brand would remain in Australia and New Zealand. It follows the announcement that Holden is to become a full-line importer and national sales company from the end of 2017.
 
Holden are talking about producing hundreds of thousands of world-class cars and engines over the next 3 years. Beyond that time, Holden will be offering world-class cars sourced for Australia and New Zealand from GM’s global network with servicing and parts unaffected along with continued warranties and roadside assistance.
 
With all of that going on we can see that Holden will be marketing strongly to keep sales volumes as high as possible. Their sales grew faster in the first three months of 2014, compared to the same period last year. Commodore continues to be in the top three passenger cars in Australia.
 

Trax	Captiva	Colorado

Holden’s SUV range continues to be an important part of their vehicle lineup with the all-new Trax, the Captiva and Colorado.

Other Holden models doing well with good sales include the Colorado Pick-Up and the Commodore VF.

 

Spark	Barina	Cruze

The rest of Holden’s lineup includes the small car options. The Spark, Barina and Cruze. The medium sized Malibu replacing the Epica in 2014 and the larger Caprice. Holden are also offering the electric Volt as a small/medium vehicle.
 

Malibu	Caprice	Volt

May 2015