Holden ends production in Australia with the final Commodore – 7.6m vehicles made over 69 years

Holden ends production in Australia with the final Commodore – 7.6m vehicles made over 69 years

It’s the end of an era Down Under. Three weeks after Toyota ended production in Australia, the car brand that’s synonymous with Australian cars – Holden – has done the same. Last week, GM Holden celebrated nearly 70 years of manufacturing heritage with the final Holden Commodore rolling off the Elizabeth line 26 km north of Adelaide.

From the very first Holden 48-215 to roll off the Fishermans Bend production line on November 29, 1948, to the final VFII Commodore Redline to come out of the Elizabeth factory on October 20, 2017, Holden has been a part of the fabric of Australia with over 7,687,675 vehicles produced in the country.

The Lion brand is committed to maintain that status for years to come, despite not producing in Australia. The General Motors subsidiary says that it will be a diversified business employing approximately 1,000 direct employees in Melbourne plus 6,000 people across its 200-strong national dealer network, Holden will also retain its design and engineering teams, working on local and global vehicle and transportation programmes.

Holden ends production in Australia with the final Commodore – 7.6m vehicles made over 69 years

This includes retention of Holden’s Design Studios and the Lang Lang vehicle Proving Ground in Victoria – the latter will ensure that “Holdens will always drive and feel like Holdens should”. Holdens for Aussies will be imported from cheaper manufacturing bases, but there will be a new vehicle onslaught with an ongoing commitment to launch 24 new products by 2020.

Holden’s employee transition centre will remain open on the Elizabeth site for at least two years’ post factory-closure to ensure all Holden and supply chain employees have the best possible chance to successfully transition. Holden chairman and MD Mark Bernhard says that 85% of its plant workers have successfully transitioned to date, an industry benchmark.

“The end of Holden making cars in Australia is a very sad day for the workers and for every Australian. It is the end of an era. Everyone has a Holden story,” Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull said.

Think Holden Commodore, think Ford Falcon. The high cost of manufacturing Down Under had earlier claimed Ford’s manufacturing business in the country.

GALLERY: Holden Commodore VFII

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • The front 2 got huge payday while the rest behind looks like going to choke them when cameras r gone.

    So sad for their auto heritage and their 7,000 skeleton staff workers. This is what happens when aussie stop plotek. Opel/Vauxhall, Ford, Toyota, now GM/ Holden all gone.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 19
    • Deepak on Oct 23, 2017 at 1:19 pm

      Ringgit, one of Asia’s worst-performing currencies over the past year, has further to fall, but would boost car exports and Malaysia is a net oil exporter with robust car GST earnings.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 16
      • The fall of RM did helped the record breaking exports, however RM is on a upward trend so exports my be affected towards the West holidays season. As for oil, we are effectively net importer since 2011. See here (indexmundi.com/energy/?country=my)

        But let me paraphrase what u said: Nobody is taling about MY here. We are talking about Aussie lost their automotive sector.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 21
        • Malaysia Got Free Parking on Oct 23, 2017 at 4:16 pm

          Malaysia also considered lost their auto sector. We once were the CKD Detroit of Asia. But because of tongkat issues, all Japanese, Americans and Germans opened in Thailand and made it the Detroit of Asia.

          Malaysia lost hundreds of billions USD in investments. That is Trillions of RM. Also, Malaysia lost hundreds of thousands of jobs.

          Those jobs too, the past 20 years, would have brought Trillions of RM in revenue to Malaysia.

          Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 64 Thumb down 8
          • kzm (Member) on Oct 23, 2017 at 7:32 pm

            No, when in the past Boleh land of Detroit of Asia? 80’s biggest CKD car producer is between Indonesia n Thai. Boleh try to challenge them in late 80’s to late 90’s with the introduction of p1 in 1985 n p2 in 1993. In 1990 p1 produce 160k out of 190k in boleh. Thai at the same time produce 304k.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 47
        • Lokman Saad on Oct 23, 2017 at 8:20 pm

          You keep on saying Ringgit is on the upward trend the past few months but Ringgit seems to be going lower and lower and lower

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
          • Kristell on Oct 24, 2017 at 9:54 am

            last year, Abang orso said Don’t panic, Ringgit will bounce back this September. But but….

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
          • Really? Last year RM was 4.7 and now its 4.1x. If this is not an improvement then what is?

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
      • kzm (Member) on Oct 23, 2017 at 7:11 pm

        fyi for Jan-Sept best performing asian currency against USD is THB, TWD, SGD n the worst is PHP, HKD, IDR. Last month India Rupee is the worst performing currency last month. RM is the best performing currency against USD last month.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 57
    • halldisc on Oct 23, 2017 at 2:07 pm

      do you really understand what does it mean by skeleton crews?

      F1 with 16 mechanics attending 1 car is huge.
      a workshop repairing 10 cars a day with 2 mechanics. that is called skeleton.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 5
      • The Holden factory is huge if u ever seen it. Easily can fit >10,000 workers and another 10k in their sales & dealer network. Holden is a huge huge brand there.

        What u see the 7,000 remaining staff is those crew that remained to push this last car out the door and out of the showroom. Its a skeleton staffs by any definition.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 11
      • my england is bad on Oct 23, 2017 at 3:46 pm

        Huge or Skeleton?? 1.6 million civil servants…

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 3
        • 12yrsold on Oct 23, 2017 at 5:14 pm

          1.6 million is NOT huge. It is HUMONGOUS. He he he. Cheers …

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
          • GINORMOUS waste

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
          • Lokman Saad on Oct 23, 2017 at 8:41 pm

            Malaysia has 30 million people and 1.6 million gomen servants

            Australia has same 30 million people and has 250,000 gomen servants.

            Goyang kaki and rilaks

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
          • Ekceli its more. Aussie public servants totaled close to 2million in 2016. So much wastage there, huh?

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
        • kzm (Member) on Oct 23, 2017 at 7:34 pm

          1.6M including army/police/doctor/teacher/bomba/nurse. other country dont count them as public servant

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 18
          • Lokman Saad on Oct 23, 2017 at 8:29 pm

            our Army only got about 100,000 personnel. So, still 1.5 gomen servants to feed

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
          • So u think teachers, doctors, polis, bomba, & rela shud work for u for free kah?

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
          • kzm (Member) on Oct 24, 2017 at 3:00 pm

            teacher 500k+, doctor+nurse 100k+, police 100k+. bomba, SPRM, APMM, JPJ, every state work force?

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Honda Malaysia still holding very strong.

    Here everyone has a Proton story, our golden local manufacturing heritage continues.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 5
    • Colin on Oct 23, 2017 at 1:16 pm

      Err. What has Holden Australia got to do with Honda Malaysia. I simply cannot connect.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 0
  • Malaysia Got Free Parking on Oct 23, 2017 at 12:16 pm

    Toyota and Holden ended production in Australia. Proton also should think about closing shop in Malaysia.

    Learn from Toyota and Holden

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 9
    • 12yrsold on Oct 23, 2017 at 1:26 pm

      I think if M’sia were to learn from Toyota & Holden, most will be happy. Only parts suppliers & it’s associate will Not be happy.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
    • Lucky Aussies…no more plotek, no more bailout. Wealthy nation, cheaper imports…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 14
      • But no job, means no salary. Gip free car oso no money for petrol, how to use.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 18
  • 7.6m Holden vehicles over 69 years. Avg 110K units/year….not bad at all.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 0
    • 12yrsold on Oct 23, 2017 at 1:23 pm

      Any car manufacturer make only 110k units per yr will not survive let alone profit bcos they do not have economic of scale. That is why Holden TUTUP. But M’sia P1 can still “survive” even with 72k units per yr. M’sia Boleh !!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 0
      • Lcians on Oct 23, 2017 at 1:30 pm

        M’sia Boleh !! TQ MY pipu !! Berbaris P1 Maju !!

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
      • U mean Geely Boleh!! Cuz thanks to Geely it now has a chance to grow. Meanwhile what is P2 doing except sending pipu to early KO.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 12
      • ex-VGM staff on Oct 23, 2017 at 2:13 pm

        Holden is part of GM, sister company to Opel and Vauxhall. together they produce cars like Vauxhall/Opel Astra, Vauxhall/Opel/Holden VXR, Vauxhall/Opel Carlton etc. This means Holden is not making 110k a year alone, but a part of maybe 1 million units a year all in all (Opel+Vauxhall+Holden).

        its like UMW Toyota making assembly of Vios. per year the volume is only may 30K but put all vios sold in one year (indonesia, philiphine, thailand, china) the figures maybe 500k a year and that does justify the requirement of assembly plant.

        proton on the other hand is a very sad story. 70k per annual for the whole world (95% cars produced for malaysia, 5% for the world).

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 9
        • Nobody is talking about MY here. We are talking about Aussie lost their automotive sector.

          Anyways, heres the effects of ur demands for removal of plotek. If u dare tell this to those now ex-holden workers, u come out alive.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 13
        • Iriz, the Global small car. Game changer.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • applegreen on Oct 23, 2017 at 12:42 pm

    When will toyota end production in malaysia?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
    • Not so soon new $2Bil plant in Bukit Raja Industrial Klang. Good job MAI

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • C. P. MOHAN on Oct 23, 2017 at 1:37 pm

    Only the “fitters” can survive, sad but true. I see more of this happening with EV.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Proton King's Man on Oct 23, 2017 at 2:05 pm

    Proton is the best. I wont ever die. It never die.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 3
  • Population too small to support auto industry. The workers actually paid from government subsidies. Australia same population as malaysia lol.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
    • MdAfiq on Oct 23, 2017 at 3:52 pm

      Population too small to support auto industry. The workers actually paid from government bailouts. Malaysia same population as australia lol.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • Uncle Lim on Oct 23, 2017 at 3:13 pm

    Australia economy is crippling down. So many plants are closing down these days and jobs are getting more difficult to land on one amongst the youngsters! What a shame! This is what happen when foreigners are being favored over the local Aussies! Send em back home to China, Malaysia, and the Philippines! Too many of them here and Melbourne has already feel like Chinatown these days!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 2
    • Send em back home to Bangla, Indon, Burma and Nepal! Too many of them here in KL

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 0
  • Mr Suka Syukur Selalu on Oct 23, 2017 at 4:06 pm

    Siannn Holden. Syukur P1 ada lagi, sokong lah P1.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 5
    • 12yrsold on Oct 23, 2017 at 5:02 pm

      Dah lama sokong bro. Tapi siapa sokong kita bila kereta kena tarik sebab barang barang & makanan dah meningkat lepas GST ??! Sekarang kena Ikat Perut sambil kerja sebagai Uber driver untuk bayar barang yg mahal.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 4
  • Jay Welinkar on Oct 23, 2017 at 9:18 pm

    So long Holden ! A Holden not made in Australia will not be the same in my books. The first car I ever rode in was my Fathers Holden. Back in the day, (circa 1963), we had 2 Holden’s in the family. Very tough, comfortable and powerful. The interior touches was like no other car. I hope GMH ensures they keep the Holden DNA alive. General Motors should have kept selling Holden’s in Malaysia instead of Opel & Chevrolet. End of a golden era.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • I remember when some of our Police force uses Holden as their official cars.Probably circa 1970s.

    I also remembered my uncle owning a 6 cyclinder 2 door Holden Torana.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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