GM Detroit Axes Iconic Aussie Brand Holden.

[J.A.W.]

GM has announced that it has no interest in right-hand-drive vehicles, ( & Isuzu in Nippon?),
hence it is adding Australia's Holden to Oldsmobile/Pontiac, as regards recently deleted brands.

While Australian production of GM vehicles ceased a couple of years ago, both the R & D centre
& the 'V8 Supercars' race series were ongoing 'downunder', but they are both 'up for the chop' now.

With the French outfit Citroen/Peugeot having taken over Opel & thus production of British RHD GM
Vauxhall cars, the question is, will Peugeot - which coincidentally also has a 'Lion' - as brand icon
also take over the Holden brand itself, to effectively use the cultural context to marketing advantage.

What has been a bit of a suprise, is that most Australians seemed unaware thw Holden was,
& always had been as a mass producer of cars, wholly owned by GM Detroit, & thus was not
really as 'local-homegrown' as they'd imagined ( albeit any check of the stock-market, duly showed it).

[Pat Pending]

As you say, GM are retiring the brand, not selling it, so the Holden brand won't be free for Peugeot or any other manufacturer to use willy-nilly.

[Jolle]

GM has deleted more brands in the past without seizing production. Daewoo is an example. In Europe at least they got rebranded as Chevy’s.

Could this be the case here? Streamlining marketing and the brand to have a single name? Just like Ford.

[strad]

Still have trouble accepting them killing off Oldsmobile.

[Greg Locock]

Just an aside, Holden's operations in Australia since they stopped manufacturing have been restricted to a styling studio, localisation, and sales and marketing. There was no remaining R&D function of any significance. I don't know what they were using their proving ground for.

[djos]

As you say, GM are retiring the brand, not selling it, so the Holden brand won't be free for Peugeot or any other manufacturer to use willy-nilly.

No one in their right mind would want it anyway - Holden have spent the last 20 years committing brand suicide via that wonderful combination of arrogance and incompetence.

You only need to read the ACCC judgment from 2017 to see just why only an idiot would have bought a Holden.

https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/h ... guarantees

In the past couple of years, in particular, most of their cars were less than great American SUV's or rebadged Daewoo small car garbage! And then there was the most cynical marketing exercise in Australian automotive history where they slapped Commodore badges on Opel Insignia's! Holden had tried to sell these in Australia before as Camry/Mondeo competitors and no-one bought them then either!

[djos]

Just an aside, Holden's operations in Australia since they stopped manufacturing have been restricted to a styling studio, localisation, and sales and marketing. There was no remaining R&D function of any significance. I don't know what they were using their proving ground for.

I believe It was used by GM as part of their global vehicle testing operation.

[Greg Locock]

There is a steady market for hiring proving grounds out. Lindsay Fox bought Anglesea a long time ago, I assume it wasn't just a vanity project (well maybe it was).

[hudnut]

And then there was the most cynical marketing exercise in Australian automotive history where they slapped Commodore badges on Opel Insignia's!

As opposed to slapping the original Commodore badges on an Opel Senator?

[djos]

And then there was the most cynical marketing exercise in Australian automotive history where they slapped Commodore badges on Opel Insignia's!

As opposed to slapping the original Commodore badges on an Opel Senator?

The commodore was not an Opel Senator, (eg the VN+) it was based on an Opel vehicle but heavily engineered to be bigger in every dimension and came with a very different powertrain (RWD powered by Buick V6 and Chev V8’s).

[Tim.Wright]

The Commodore was always an inported platform with the exception of the 4th Gen.

[AJI]

Big question, what is the relevance of the V8 Supercar series now and what will it become?
They moved from Group A to establish the Aussie GM Holden Commodore vs Aussie Ford Falcon series, which was a success. 'Car of the Future' was introduced for BoP and to allow new brands, and only a few years on we have the intrinsically not Australian Mustang vs. nothing...
Supercars Australia have got a serious marketing problem.

[djos]

The Commodore was always an inported platform with the exception of the 4th Gen.

https://b3jfuq.dm.files.1drv.com/y4m8w- ... pmode=none

It was based on the Opel platform but fully reengineered for local conditions with very different powertrains. It was never an Opel Clone.

The VL commodore even had the Nissan RB30 straight six in natmo and turbo versions along with a locally designed V8.

The local V8 (nicknamed the iron lion) was only replaced by the Chevrolet LS range in the VT series iirc.

[djos]

Big question, what is the relevance of the V8 Supercar series now and what will it become?
They moved from Group A to establish the Aussie GM Holden Commodore vs Aussie Ford Falcon series, which was a success. 'Car of the Future' was introduced for BoP and to allow new brands, and only a few years on we have the intrinsically not Australian Mustang vs. nothing...
Supercars Australia have got a serious marketing problem.

Ford moved to the Mustang for Supercars last year and it was widely publicised that Holden investigated moving to the Camaro body style but couldn’t make it work with the gen 2 Regs. They were hoping the gen 3 regs for 2023 (iirc) would better suit 2 door, low roof body styles.

I imagine this would be accelerated as the Camaro is sold here (converted to RHD in Aus).

Edit, this just appeared in my news feed

https://www.speedcafe.com/2020/02/21/su ... en-demise/

[Ringleheim]

Still have trouble accepting them killing off Oldsmobile.

Why? The market for those guys was literally dying off and not being replaced by younger, newer buyers.

The same is going on now with Buick. Wouldn't be surprised to see that one go next.

Saturn, Hummer, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Holden.....RIP.

GM is great at producing obsolete model lines.