Sad day in Australia GM killing off Holden

[JRoberts]

Most of the manufacturers over here have concluded that the market only wants pickup trucks and SUV's.

Boy oh boy is that ever the truth. Around here check any high school parking lot during a school day and you will see a truck lot.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I some how missed the end of Opel. Did they just do away with the marque or only sell it in certain places?

Opel is part of the company that owns Peugeot ... GM sold them in 2017.


It's funny, people get after GM for having 'all those brands' then get after them for selling them off or closing them... make up your mind. sheesh.

Was Ford right in not having diverse brands? after all GM took the tact that regional brands could compete better, Ford maintained their American brand name.... notice GM is still selling in Australia, (and Europe) - but no one is complaining that Ford shuttered their plant and is doing exactly the same thing as Toyota and GM...

After all Ford shuttered their plants in Australia in 2016.... but oh to hear the angst when Opel was on the block, or Saab, or Vauxhall and now Holden....

[Monster]

[65RHDEER]

After all Ford shuttered their plants in Australia in 2016.... but oh to hear the angst when Opel was on the block, or Saab, or Vauxhall and now Holden....

Ford in Australia is doing okay since shutting down their Australian manufacturing, they were the first to announce in 2013 and to stop, they probably planned longer for post that time. Ford has vehicles the people want and that sell. Ford stopped building here 12 months before GM. There wasn't much time after Ford decided that Toyota and then GM followed. Maybe GM wasn't as ready, but then you hear what's going on globally and it sounds like a lot has changed in the past few years.

When GM pulled the pin on building here it was the same day a Federal politician more or less said the may as well stop building too!

[RockJustRock]

Maybe you'll get a half price sale too!

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1861084/buyers-flock-to-chevrolet-showrooms-for-cheap-cars

[65RHDEER]

Maybe you'll get a half price sale too!

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business...for-cheap-cars

There is talk of Holden selling cars here around 20% off RRP. The problem comes at resale, the resale is going to be pitiful without the brand being here.

Some of those Thailand prices look to be closer to 50%, welcome to the GM fire sale

[65RHDEER]

Some of the Supercar retired Holden drivers talk some numbers in this, there is a bit of dribble in it.

[SuperBuickGuy]

three things from the video
1) yes, market share is everything
2) a surprise? we saw it coming in America so I'm not sure how it's a 'surprise'
3) rhd.... convenient excuse, but making a rhd car isn't the elephant in the room, it's all those laws labelled environment and safety which differ markedly from US laws that make up the expense. For example, Europe passed laws (the EU) which mandate fuel economy standards then forced manufacturers to build vertical grills 'for pedestrian safety' which fly directly in the face of aerodynamics.....

I still think Australia should be thankful that GM didn't do to Holden what they did to Saab - which is rebadge a couple of SUVs as Saab then close them. Saab was all about clever quirk....

Ford sending condolences was a bit over the top.... they were the first to close in Australia....

[65RHDEER]

In the video it's said that around 1% of GM's manufacturing was RHD at the time of the announcement. It was a no brainier for GM to drop Holden

I just hope GM becomes big enough again to offer a RHD car.

You know up until 1968 GM built the B bodies in RHD, my Impala was assembled RHD by Holden. The ones sent to Commonwealth countries were sourced out of Canada as there were tax breaks for getting them from a Commonwealth country. The Impala was double the price of the top level Holden in 65.

[67 Malibu]

This whole electric deal is going to fail, lots of money wasted on it. Oh there will be a small urban market for these things but that's it. What you will see is people holding on to older cars and keeping them up, a fact we already see that happening. Gas will always be the cheaper fuel, it takes hydrocarbons to make electricity and then there's that nasty awaking when you are told to replace those batteries in your car plus disposal fee of the old batteries. Funny how no one talks about that.

True enough Dave. Had a friend here that took a beating trading his "Tampon Car" (Prius) in on a new one when he found out what the new battery was going to cost him. I heard a news story the other day on the "soaring popularity" of the Mustang "E" model. First thing that I thought was that I had not heard that anywhere. Hell, I haven't even seen one yet. Then the conspiracy theorist in me started to get suspicious. It wouldn't surprise me if someone wasn't greasing someones palm to get that type of story onto the news.

[Captain]

Just something to think about.......
If you have a true electric car, you have to get a dedicated HIGH AMP circuit for the charger.
So 50% of your neighbors buy in, multiply that by your states population.......
I'm pretty sure your power company won't be able to deliver, and have to build NEW CARBON EMITTING POWER PLANTS!!!
And as mentioned, the batteries die, where are they going to stock pile those, with the Spent Nuclear Rods of the "Clean Energy" of Nuclear Power Plants?

Just Saying......

[Monster]

The end of the internal combustion engine is inevitably very close, probably by 2050.

[SuperBuickGuy]

The end of the internal combustion engine is inevitably very close, probably by 2050.

which is fine because those flying cars we got in 2015 make it moot.

[Monster]

Exactly.

[cstmwgn]

The end of the internal combustion engine is inevitably very close, probably by 2050.

Thank god - I will be in advanced decay by then!