Holden is closing down for good. Here's what that means for consumers moving forward.
Following GM's announcement to discontinue the Holden brand, due to a "fragmented right-hand-drive market", it is expected that up to 600 of 800 jobs at the company will be axed.
However, in a company announcement, Holden stated it will continue to support customers in the following ways:
In a frequently asked questions section on the Holden site, the company explained it would investigate the options out there for the Lang Lang Proving Ground, which is also closing. The site has put every new Holden vehicle through its paces since 1957. In 2018, GM and Holden invested $15.9 million in the facility, including 7,500 tonnes of new asphalt.
Holden Special Vehicles, the firm's performance division, may live on under a GM-centric name. It is thought the facility would import LHD models from the factory before converting them to RHD, somewhat like Ram Trucks Australia.
The GM Holden Melbourne design studio will shut up shop, as will the engineering division, the financial services wing and the Maven car-sharing service.
Holden has a heritage fleet of past models and those with historical or national significance. Wording on the website suggests the preserving of key examples will happen, but little other info is given, other than preparation is underway.
You might think that with Holden closing for good, you'd be a bit mad to buy a car. The reality, though, is dealers will likely have a significant stock of vehicles that they need to sell. Consequently, Holden or independent dealers may run clearance sales, resembling the End of Financial Year offers.
Holden has already promised it will honour warranty periods and operate an aftersales network for at least 10 years, meaning these promotions could offer massively slashed prices to buyers.
Already, people are starting to speculate on Holden social media groups that used prices for certain models could go up. Those would likely be the made-in-Australia examples that have a dedicated following.
Picture: Supplied
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