BREAKING: Holden to be retired at end of year.

[4Vman]

It does make me laugh the whole "Holden is Australian and Ford is NOT" argument.

Falcon was pretty much 100% Australian after XA, Australian designed from XR. Commodore was an Opel, screwed together in Australia with Kingswood engines and gearboxes... Then came VL and even the engine was made by someone else.

Just think of the money they flushed away with the Daewoos, and the dithering between Opels and Daweoos for their smaller cars.

For all this doom and gloom, Ford is expanding (and has more, higher paid employees now than it did in the 90s) and GM is walking away. I wonder if Opel (or Vauxhall) will re-appear and try to move in on the small car market, sold through Peugeot dealers.

The caveat to all this is the share price of Ford....

While we feel safer they are in deep poo over there too.

[Perko]

While it is sad, I am also weirdly very happy. With all the shit Holden supporters have gone on with the Ford bashing over the years, this is vindication of my brand loyalty. Found myself driving around in the Ranger subconsciously giving the forks to all the Commodores and other Holdens on the roads. Yes the Falcon is gone but in the end we won they lost. That makes me happy.

SC's is dead. They will do everything they can to let Commodore finish on a high. Scotty will go and his timing is now a stroke of genius. Whether a GT4 comp starts up is still yet to be seen.

[4Vman]

While it is sad, I am also weirdly very happy. With all the shit Holden supporters have gone on with the Ford bashing over the years, this is vindication of my brand loyalty. Found myself driving around in the Ranger subconsciously giving the forks to all the Commodores and other Holdens on the roads. Yes the Falcon is gone but in the end we won they lost. That makes me happy.

SC's is dead. They will do everything they can to let Commodore finish on a high. Scotty will go and his timing is now a stroke of genius. Whether a GT4 comp starts up is still yet to be seen.

This is like a bushfire through overgrown forests, sure it's upsetting, but it helps regrowth.

[Perko]

This is like a bushfire through overgrown forests, sure it's upsetting, but it helps regrowth.

Different way of looking at it but correct. The demise of Holden will push some of the market to other brands, which will help with their profitability. I can't see it making too much impact on the smaller market. Colorado buyers will move to Ford, Toyota, Isuzu, or whatever they see value in. The rest of the traditional Holden market was pretty much well dead.

[VZTRT]

Vin fast just found a pool of people they can hire I guess.

[FTe217]

Very clear thoughts M.

I've got to say that you're spot on though. From day 1 of the "Australian Car", Holden, has been lies and exaggerations. What made a GM product built in Fishermans bend in 1948 more Australian than Ford product built in Geelong in 1925? Or the Australian concept of the Coupe' Utility?

yes mate my sentiments exactly.
Ford was just as Aussie and before, it irks of their marketing quoting things Ford never dream doing.
Thats what irks me as well re Ford, always let them have the morale high ground for I have my I have my axe to grind about them as well.
Yep Tony/Flappist, can't help saying how I feel, especially having to cop it since a young boy following Moff.........

Overall I'm glad were finally at a reset regards our racing.
I'll have no more Falcon ghosts that follow me hopefully thanks to CAMS/GM.
Our wonderful pioneering days of Production and Class racing at Bathurst (the best those days) and the later marketing of Blue vs Red is finally coming to rest.
I'm very saddened but glad its finally over.
Now to wonder what becomes and where I'll be - I'm a Blue blood but I'm no big fan of the racing pony as it is in COTF guise but Thankful its Ford.
What form of racing is to become has me anxious and optimistic, if its like the GT4 Mustang that has looks like a street Mustang I'll relate to it far more than what we currently have, fingers crossed its something like this.

[VZTRT]

If your game. Cheap Holden's.

https://www.caradvice.com.au/827940/holden-discounts-2/

[flappist]

Was talking with a buddy of mine who is among other things a holden dealer this morning.
Here are some of the highlights. (opinions)
Holden is not a mob of pricks but GM definitely are. Holden did their best to try to hold off a lot of the GM stupidity over the last decade or so.
Lots of unhappy campers.

An idea was floated (mine actually).

As GM are pulling out of RHD and the majority of RHD is India what if one of the large Indian companies e.g. TATA were to take over the marque and produce new tech vehicles in India which were designed and tested in Australia?
After all TATA own Aston Martin and they are still pretty good.

Just a thought.

[FTe217]

Its not out of the realm for TATA......
They also own Jag/Land Rover AND have joint ventures with Fiat/Daewoo if I recall right.
No skin off my back if it were to occur.

T,go back more than the decade or so before the cancer really started to smell, the Holden heir achy/Motorsport managers etc and lower minions were arrogant Pricks alright, way before GM made it worse......
So yes they were P's
Look at the arrogance of their chosen ones, Skaife/other Holden drivers back in the day and to date, the backroom lobbying against Ford team improvements etcetc, that wasn't GM playing the game but the locals - stop listening to your mate selling up a good feel storey
Sure I expect the lasy decade or so the locals were trying to counter GM's bundling but all way way tooo late.
What new Franchise he going to take up to replace the dead carcass ?

[Paxton]

T,go back more than the decade or so before the cancer really started to smell, the Holden heir achy/Motorsport managers etc and lower minions were arrogant Pricks alright, way before GM made it worse......

The Rot started to creep in when the well regarded European Holdens, including the then Australian assembled Vectra were replaced with sub-par, poorly built Daweoos, including some that just had the badges swapped. How arrogant do you have to be to think a European built car is the same as a Korean built Daweoo?

Then there was the $200,000,000 bailout from the Government when the Commonwealth Bank refused to provide a line of credit. Ironically, about the same time, a sponsorship of the NRL was announced for $200,000,000...

Holden have been a dead company walking since Elizabeth closed down. I am not even sure why they bothered having a local design and engineering presence in the end. What did they work on?