Early history In 1852,
James Alexander Holden emigrated to South Australia from
Walsall, Staffordshire, England and, in 1856, established J. A. Holden & Co., a saddlery business in
Adelaide. In 1879, J. A. Holden's eldest son
Henry James Holden, became a partner and effectively managed the company. In 1885, German-born
Henry Adolph Frost joined the business as a junior partner and J. A. Holden & Co. became
Holden & Frost Ltd.
Edward Holden, James's grandson, joined the firm in 1905 with an interest in automobiles. From there, the firm evolved through various partnerships, and in 1908, Holden & Frost moved into the business of minor repairs to car upholstery. The company began to re-body older chassis using motor bodies produced by F. T. Hack and Co from 1914. Holden & Frost mounted the body, and painted and trimmed it. The company began to produce complete motorcycle sidecar bodies after 1913. After 1917, wartime trade restrictions led the company to start full-scale production of vehicle body shells. H. J. Holden founded a new company in late 1917, and registered Holden's Motor Body Builders Ltd (HMBB) on 25 February 1919, specialising in car bodies and using the former F. T. Hack & Co. facility at 400
King William Street in Adelaide before erecting a large four-storey factory on the site. By 1923, HMBB were producing 12,000 units per year. From 1924, HMBB became the exclusive supplier of car bodies for GM in Australia, with manufacturing taking place at the new
Holden Woodville Plant (which was actually in the adjacent suburb of
Cheltenham). These bodies were made to suit a number of
chassis imported from manufacturers including
Austin,
Buick,
Chevrolet,
Cleveland,
Dodge,
Essex,
Fiat,
Hudson,
Oakland,
Oldsmobile,
Overland,
Reo,
Studebaker and
Willys-Knight. In 1926, General Motors (Australia) Limited was established with assembly plants at
Newstead, Queensland;
Marrickville, New South Wales;
City Road, Melbourne, Victoria;
Birkenhead, South Australia; and
Cottesloe, Western Australia using bodies produced by HMBB and imported
complete knock down chassis. In 1930 alone, the still independent Woodville plant built bodies for Austin,
Chrysler,
DeSoto,
Morris,
Hillman,
Humber,
Hupmobile and
Willys-Overland, as well as GM cars. The last of this line of business was the assembly of
Hillman Minx sedans in 1948. The
Great Depression led to a substantial downturn in production by Holden, from 34,000 units annually in 1930 to just 1,651 units one year later. Throughout the 1920s, Holden also supplied 60
W-class tramcar bodies to the
Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board, of which several examples have been preserved in both Australia and New Zealand.
1940s Ben Chifley at the launching of the
Holden 48-215 on 29 November 1948 was the company's first wholly domestically produced model, when introduced in 1948. Holden's second full-scale car factory, located in
Fishermans Bend (
Port Melbourne), was opened on 5 November 1936 by
Prime Minister Joseph Lyons, with construction beginning in 1939 on a new plant in
Pagewood, New South Wales. However,
World War II delayed car production with efforts shifted to the construction of vehicle bodies, field guns, aircraft, and engines. Both GM and Ford provided studies to the Australian government outlining the production of the first Australian-designed car. Ford's proposal was the government's first choice, but required substantial financial assistance. GM's study was ultimately chosen because of its low level of government intervention. After the war, Holden returned to producing vehicle bodies, this time for Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Vauxhall. The
Oldsmobile Ace was also produced from 1946 to 1948. From here, Holden continued to pursue the goal of producing an Australian car. This involved compromise with GM, as Holden's managing director,
Laurence Hartnett, favoured development of a local design, while GM preferred to see an American design as the basis for "Australia's Own Car". In the end, the design was based on a previously rejected postwar Chevrolet proposal. The Holden was launched in 1948, creating long waiting lists extending through 1949 and beyond. The name "Holden" was chosen in honour of Sir Edward Holden, the company's first chairman and grandson of J. A. Holden. Other names considered were "GeM", "Austral", "Melba", "Woomerah", "Boomerang", "Emu", and "Canbra", a phonetic spelling of
Canberra. Although officially designated "
48-215", the car was marketed simply as the "Holden". The unofficial usage of the name "FX" originated within Holden, referring to the updated suspension on the 48–215 of 1953.
1950s was the first to be tested at the
Lang Lang Proving Ground During the 1950s, Holden dominated the Australian car market. GM invested heavily in production capacity, which allowed the company to meet increased postwar demand for motor cars. Holden 48–215 sedans were produced in parallel with the 50-2106
coupé utility from 1951; the latter was known colloquially as the "ute" and became ubiquitous in Australian rural areas as the workhorse of choice. Production of both the utility and sedan continued with minor changes until 1953, when they were replaced by the facelifted
FJ model, introducing a third
panel van body style. The FJ was the first major change to the Holden since its 1948 introduction. Over time, it gained iconic status and remains one of Australia's most recognisable automotive symbols. A new horizontally slatted grille dominated the front end of the FJ, which received various other trim and minor mechanical revisions. In 1954, Holden began exporting the FJ to New Zealand. Although little changed from the 48–215, marketing campaigns and price cuts kept FJ sales steady until a completely redesigned model was launched. At the 2005
Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, Holden paid homage to the FJ with the
Efijy concept car. Commercial success underpinned the rise of Holden as a cultural icon, as the Holden car became synonymous with the 'Australian way of life', coming to symbolise the stability of post-war Australian capitalism. Holden's next model, the
FE, launched in 1956, offered in a new
station wagon body style dubbed "Station Sedan" in the company's sales literature. In the same year, Holden commenced exports to
Malaya, Thailand, and
North Borneo. This was the first Holden to be tested on the new
Lang Lang Proving Ground in
Lang Lang, Victoria. In 1957, Holden's export markets grew to 17 countries, with new additions including Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Fiji, Sudan, the East Africa region, and South Africa. In 1959, complete knock-down assembly began in South Africa and Indonesia. The FB became the first Holden that was adapted for left-hand drive markets, enhancing its export potential, and as such was exported to New Caledonia,
New Hebrides, the Philippines, and Hawaii. , produced on 26 October 1962. In 1960, Ford unveiled the new
Falcon in Australia, only months after its introduction in the United States. To Holden's advantage, the Falcon was not durable, particularly in the front suspension, making it ill-suited for Australian conditions. In response to the Falcon, Holden introduced the facelifted
EK series in 1961; the new model featured two-tone paintwork and optional
Hydramatic automatic transmission. A restyled
EJ series came in 1962, debuting the new luxury oriented
Premier model. The
EH update came a year later, bringing the new
Red motor, providing better performance than the previous
Grey motor. The
HD series of 1965 had the introduction of the
Powerglide automatic transmission. At the same time, an "X2" performance option with a more powerful version of the six-cylinder engine was made available. In 1966, the
HR was introduced, including changes in the form of new front and rear styling and higher-capacity engines. More significantly, the HR fitted standard front seat belts; Holden thus became the first Australian automaker to provide the safety device as standard equipment across all models. This coincided with the completion of the
Acacia Ridge Plant. Holden offered the LC, a Torana with new styling, in 1969 with the availability of Holden's six-cylinder engine. In the development days, the six-cylinder Torana was reserved for motor racing, but research had shown a business case existed for such a model. The LC Torana was the first application of Holden's new three-speed Tri-Matic automatic transmission. This was the result of Holden's A$16.5 million transformation of the Woodville, South Australia, factory for its production. This included Holden's first
V8 engine, a Chevrolet engine imported from Canada. Models based on the HK series included an extended-length prestige model, the
Brougham; and a two-door
coupé, the
Monaro. The mainstream
Holden Special was rebranded the
Kingswood, and the basic
fleet model, the
Standard, became the Belmont. On 3 March 1969,
Alexander Rhea, managing director of General Motors-Holden's at the time, was joined by press photographers and the Federal Minister of Shipping and Transport,
Ian Sinclair as the two men drove the two-millionth Holden, an HK Brougham, off the production line. Following the Chevrolet V8 fitted to the HK, the first Australian-designed and mass-produced V8, the
Holden V8 engine debuted in the
Hurricane concept of 1969 before fitment to facelifted
HT model. This was available in two capacities: . Late in HT production, use of the new Tri-Matic automatic transmission, first seen in the LC Torana was phased in as Powerglide stock was exhausted, but Holden's official line was that the HG of 1971 was the first full-sized Holden to receive it. Despite the arrival of serious competitors – namely, the Ford Falcon,
Chrysler Valiant, and Japanese cars – in the 1960s, Holden's locally produced large six- and eight-cylinder cars remained Australia's top-selling vehicles. Sales were boosted by exporting the Kingswood sedan, station wagon, and utility body styles to Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago, Pakistan, the Philippines, and South Africa in complete knock-down form.
1970s Holden launched the new
HQ series in 1971. At this time, the company was producing all of its passenger cars in Australia, and every model was of Australian design; however, by the end of the decade, Holden was producing cars based on overseas designs. The HQ was thoroughly re-engineered, featuring a perimeter frame and
semi-monocoque (unibody) construction. Other firsts included an all-coil suspension and an extended wheelbase for station wagons, while the utilities and panel vans retained the traditional coil/leaf suspension configuration. The series included the new prestige
Statesman brand, which also had a longer wheelbase, replacing the Brougham. The Statesman remains noteworthy because it was not marketed as a "Holden", but rather a "Statesman". was an evolution of the record-selling
HQ, with more than 480,000 units shifted throughout the car's lifetime. The HQ framework led to a new generation of two-door Monaros, and despite the introduction of the similar-sized competitors, the HQ range became the top-selling Holden of all time, with 485,650 units sold in three years; 14,558 units were exported and 72,290 CKD kits were constructed. This new bodywork was to remain, albeit with minor upgrades, through the HX and HZ series. Detuned engines adhering to government emission standards were brought in with the HX series, whilst the HZ brought considerably improved road handling and comfort with the introduction of radial-tuned suspension. As a result of GM's toying with the
Wankel rotary engine, as used by
Mazda of Japan, an export agreement was initiated in 1975. This involved Holden exporting with
powertrains, HJ, and later, HX series
Premiers as the
Mazda Roadpacer AP. Mazda then fitted these cars with the
13B rotary engine and three-speed automatic transmission. Production ended in 1977, after just 840 units sold. Development of the Torana continued in with the larger
mid-sized LH series released in 1974, offered only as a four-door sedan. The LH Torana was one of the few cars worldwide engineered to accommodate four-, six-, and eight-cylinder engines. This trend continued until Holden introduced the
Sunbird in 1976, essentially the four-cylinder Torana with a new name. A final UC update appeared in 1978. During its production run, the Torana achieved legendary racing success in Australia, achieving victories at the
Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales. , was replaced by an interim four-cylinder version of the
Commodore until the
Camira was launched in 1982. In 1975, Holden introduced the compact
Gemini, the Australian version of the "
T-car", based on the
Opel Kadett C. The Gemini was an overseas design developed jointly with Isuzu, GM's Japanese affiliate; and was powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine. Fast becoming a popular car, the Gemini rapidly attained sales leadership in its class, and the nameplate lived on until 1987. was introduced in 1978, following the success of its Kingswood forebear. It would become Holden's bestselling vehicle to date. Holden's most popular car to date, the Commodore, was introduced in 1978 as the
VB. The new family car was loosely based on the
Opel Rekord E body shell, but with the front from the
Opel Senator grafted to accommodate the larger Holden six-cylinder and V8 engines. Initially, the Commodore maintained Holden's sales leadership in Australia. However, some of the compromises resulting from the adoption of a design intended for another market hampered the car's acceptance. In particular, it was narrower than its predecessor and its Falcon rival, making it less comfortable for three rear-seat passengers. With the abandonment of left-hand drive markets, Holden exported almost 100,000 Commodores to markets such as New Zealand, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Malta and Singapore. Holden discontinued the Torana in 1979 and the Sunbird in 1980. After the 1978 introduction of the Commodore, the Torana became the "in-between" car, surrounded by the smaller and more economical Gemini and the larger, more sophisticated Commodore. The closest successor to the Torana was the
Camira, released in 1982 as Australia's version of GM's medium-sized "
J-car".
1980s , Holden's version of the global "J-car" platform slumped significantly. This placed a huge financial burden on the Australian subsidiary, which was already operating at a loss at this time. The 1980s were challenging for Holden and the Australian automotive industry. The Australian Government tried to revive the industry with the
Button car plan, which encouraged car makers to focus on producing fewer models at higher, more economical volumes, and to export cars. The decade opened with the shut-down of the Pagewood, New South Wales production plant and introduction of the
light commercial Rodeo, sourced from Isuzu in Japan. The range was updated in 1988 with the TF series, based on the
Isuzu TF. The second generation
Holden Gemini from 1985 was also based on an Isuzu design, although, its manufacture was undertaken in Australia. In 1981, the Fishermans Bend engine plant began production of the
Family II – part of a global engine program for GM's compact vehicles. The plant supplied the engine locally for the Camira model, and to export markets – mainly to GM's plants in Europe for installation in Opel/Vauxhall vehicles. While GM Australia's commercial vehicle range had originally been mostly based on
Bedford products, these had gradually been replaced by
Isuzu products as the Bedford brand was being retired in Britain. This process began in the 1970s and by 1982 Holden's commercial vehicle arm no longer offered any Bedford products. The new
Holden WB commercial vehicles and the
Statesman WB limousines were introduced in 1980. However, the designs, based on the HQ and updated HJ,
HX and
HZ models from the 1970s were less competitive than similar models in Ford's lineup. Thus, Holden abandoned those vehicle classes altogether in 1984. When released in 1982, the Camira initially generated good sales, which later declined because buyers considered the 1.6-litre engine underpowered, and the car's build and ride quality below average. pictured)'' overcame the previous generation's width problems. In 1984, Holden introduced the
VK Commodore, with significant styling changes from the previous
VH. The Commodore was next updated in 1986 as the
VL, which had new front and rear styling. Controversially, the VL was powered by the 3.0-litre
Nissan RB30 six-cylinder engine and had a Nissan-built, electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission. Holden even went to court in 1984 to stop local motoring magazine
Wheels from reporting on the matter. The engine change was necessitated by the legal requirement that all new cars sold in Australia after 1986 had to consume unleaded petrol. Because it was unfeasible to convert the existing six-cylinder engine to run on unleaded fuel, the Nissan engine was chosen as the best engine available. However, changing currency exchange rates doubled the cost of the engine and transmission over the life of the VL. The decision to opt for a Japanese-made transmission led to the closure of the Woodville, South Australia assembly plant. Emboldened by the apparent sign of turnaround, GM paid off Holden's mounted losses of A$780 million on 19 December 1986. This involved the splitting of Holden into ''Holden's Motor Company
(HMC) and Holden's Engine Company
(HEC). For the most part, car bodies were now manufactured at Elizabeth, with engines as before, confined to the Fishermans Bend plant in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The engine manufacturing business was successful, building four-cylinder Family II'' engines for use in cars built overseas. The final phase of the Commodore's recovery strategy involved the 1988
VN, a significantly wider model powered by the American-designed, Australian-assembled 3.8-litre
Buick V6 engine. In the previous year,
Nissan Pulsar hatchbacks were rebadged as the
Holden Astra, as a result of a deal with Nissan. This arrangement ceased in 1989 when Holden entered a new alliance with Toyota, forming a new company:
United Australian Automobile Industries (UAAI). UAAI resulted in Holden selling rebadged versions of Toyota's
Corolla and
Camry, as the
Holden Nova and
Apollo respectively, with Toyota re-branding the Commodore as the
Lexcen.
1990s of 1995 represented a mild facelift of the
VR, which in turn was an update of the 1990
VQ – Holden's long-wheelbase version of the
VN Commodore series. The company changed throughout the 1990s, increasing its Australian market share from 21 percent in 1991 to 28.2 percent in 1999. Besides manufacturing Australia's best selling car, which was exported in significant numbers, Holden continued to export many locally produced engines to power cars made elsewhere. In this decade, Holden adopted a strategy of importing cars it needed to offer a full range of competitive vehicles. During 1998, General Motors-Holden's Ltd name was shortened to "Holden Ltd". On 26 April 1990, GM's New Zealand subsidiary
Holden New Zealand announced that production at the assembly plant based in
Trentham would be phased out and vehicles would be imported duty-free, this came after the 1984 closure of the
Petone assembly line due to low output volumes. During the 1990s, Holden, other Australian automakers and trade unions pressured the Australian Government to halt the lowering of car import tariffs. By 1997, the federal government had already cut tariffs to 22.5 percent, from 57.5 percent ten years earlier; by 2000, a plan was formulated to reduce the tariffs to 15 percent. Holden was critical, saying that Australia's population was not large enough, and that the changes could tarnish the local industry. , introduced in 1997, marked the Commodore's global expansion. Holden reintroduced its defunct Statesman title in 1990 – this time under the Holden marque, as the
Statesman and Caprice. For 1991, Holden updated the Statesman and Caprice with a range of improvements, including the introduction of four-wheel
anti-lock brakes (ABS); although, a rear-wheel system had been standard on the Statesman Caprice from March 1976. Another returning variant was the full-size utility, and on this occasion it was based on the Commodore. The VN Commodore received a major facelift in 1993 with the
VR; compared to the VN, approximately 80 per cent of the car model was new. Exterior changes resulted in a smoother overall body and a "twin-kidney" grille – a Commodore styling trait that remained until the 2002
VY model and remained on HSV variants. Holden introduced the all-new
VT Commodore in 1997, the outcome of a A$600 million development program that spanned more than five years. The new model featured a rounded exterior body shell, improved handling and many firsts for an Australian-built car. Also, a stronger body structure increased crash safety. The locally produced Buick-sourced
V6 engine powered the Commodore range, as did the 5.0-litre Holden V8 engine, and was replaced in 1999 by the 5.7-litre
LS unit. continued Holden's trend of sourcing its mid-size and smaller model lines from Opel in Europe. The UAAI badge-engineered cars first introduced in 1989 sold in far fewer numbers than anticipated, but the Holden Commodore, Toyota Camry, and Corolla were all successful when sold under their original nameplates. The first generation Nova and the donor Corolla were produced at Holden's Dandenong, Victoria facility until 1994. UAAI was dissolved in 1996, and Holden returned to selling only GM products. Sales of the full-size
Holden Suburban SUV sourced from Chevrolet commenced in 1998 – lasting until 2001. Also in 1998, local assembly of the Vectra began at Elizabeth, South Australia. These cars were exported to Japan and Southeast Asia with Opel badges. However, the Vectra did not achieve sufficient sales in Australia to justify local assembly, and reverted to being fully imported in 2000.
2000s In the 1990s, Holden's share of the Australian market surged and peaked at 27.5 percent in 2000 before declining to 15.2 percent in 2006. From March 2003, Holden no longer held the number one sales position in Australia, losing ground to Toyota. Commodore sales had peaked in 1998 at 94,642 vehicles and were relatively stable up to 2004 before going into a steady decline. Total Holden sales peaked in 2002 at 178,392 vehicles and were stable up to 2005 before declining for the rest of the decade and the next. This downturn affected Holden's profits; the company recorded a combined gain of A$842.9 million from 2002 to 2004, and a combined loss of A$290 million from 2005 to 2006. Factors contributing to the loss included the development of an all-new model, the strong Australian dollar and the cost of reducing the workforce at the Elizabeth plant, including the loss of 1,400 jobs after the closure of the third-shift assembly line in 2005, after two years in operation. Holden fared better in 2007, posting an A$6 million loss. This was followed by an A$70.2 million loss in the 2008, an A$210.6 million loss in 2009, and a profit of A$112 million in 2010. On 18 May 2005, "Holden Ltd" became "GM Holden Ltd", coinciding with the resettling to the new Holden headquarters on 191 Salmon Street, Port Melbourne, Victoria. coupé was resurrected in 2001 as a low-volume niche model. Unanticipated overseas demand proved otherwise, with the Monaro selling in the UK as a Vauxhall Monaro and throughout the United States as the
Pontiac GTO. Holden caused controversy in 2005 with their Holden Employee Pricing television advertisement, which ran from October to December 2005. The campaign publicised, "for the first time ever, all Australians can enjoy the financial benefit of Holden Employee Pricing". However, this did not include a discounted dealer delivery fee and savings on factory fitted options and accessories that employees received. At the same time, employees were given a further discount of 25 to 29 percent on selected models. Holden revived the Monaro coupe in 2001. Based on the
Commodore VX architecture, the coupe attracted worldwide attention after being shown as a concept car at Australian auto shows. The VX Commodore received its first major update in 2002 with the VY series. A mildly facelifted
VZ model launched in 2004, introducing the
High Feature engine. This was built at the Fishermans Bend facility completed in 2003, with a maximum output of 900 engines per day. This has reportedly added A$5.2 billion to the Australian economy; exports account for about A$450 million alone. After the VZ, the
High Feature engine powered the all-new
Holden Commodore (VE). In contrast to previous models, the VE no longer used an Opel-sourced
platform adapted both mechanically and in size, but was based on the Holden developed
GM Zeta platform, that was earmarked to become a "Global RWD Architecture", until plans were cancelled due to the
2008 financial crisis. with the
VE series in 2006, Holden's first "clean-sheet" design since 1971. Throughout the 1990s, Opel had also been the source of many Holden models. To increase profitability, Holden looked to the South Korean
Daewoo brand for replacements after acquiring a 44.6 percent stake – worth US$251 million – in the company in 2002 as a representative of GM. This was increased to 50.9 percent in 2005, but when GM further increased its stake to 70.1 percent around the time of its 2009
Chapter 11 reorganisation, Holden's interest was relinquished and transferred to another (undisclosed) part of GM. The commencement of the Holden-branded Daewoo models began with the 2005 Holden Barina, which based on the
Daewoo Kalos, replaced the Opel Corsa as the source of the Barina. In the same year, the Viva, based on the
Daewoo Lacetti, replaced the entry-level Holden Astra Classic, although the new-generation Astra introduced in 2004 continued on. The
Captiva crossover SUV came next in 2006. After discontinuing the
Frontera and Jackaroo models in 2003, Holden was only left with one
all-wheel drive model: the
Adventra, a Commodore-based station wagon. The fourth model to be replaced with a South Korean alternative was the Vectra by the mid-size
Epica in 2007. As a result of the split between GM and Isuzu, Holden lost the rights to use the "Rodeo" nameplate. Consequently, the Holden Rodeo was facelifted and relaunched as the
Colorado in 2008. Following Holden's successful application for a A$149 million government grant to build a localised version of the
Chevrolet Cruze in Australia from 2011, Holden in 2009 announced that it would initially import the small car unchanged from South Korea as the Holden Cruze. Following the government grant announcement,
Kevin Rudd, Australia's Prime Minister at the time, stated that production would support 600 new jobs at the Elizabeth facility; however, this failed to take into account Holden's previous announcement, whereby 600 jobs would be shed when production of the
Family II engine ceased in late 2009. ; the last locally produced model in Holden's lineup
2010s In March 2012, Holden was given a $270 million lifeline by the Australian Federal Government (Labor Party of Australia) along with the South Australian and Victorian state governments. In return, Holden planned to inject over $1 billion into car manufacturing in Australia. They estimated the new investment package would return around $4 billion to the Australian economy and see GM Holden continue making cars in Australia until at least 2022. In mid-2013, Holden sought a further A$265 million, in addition to the A$275 million that was already committed by the Federal, South Australian and Victorian governments to remain viable as a car manufacturer in Australia. A source close to Holden informed
The Australian newspaper that the car company was losing money on every vehicle that it produced and consequently initiated negotiations to reduce employee wages by up to A$200 per week to cut costs, following the announcement of 400 job cuts and an assembly line reduction of 65 (400 to 335) cars per day. From 2001 to 2012, Holden received over A$150 million a year in subsidy from Australian government. The subsidy from 2007 was more than Holden's capital investment of the same period. From 2004, Holden was only able to make a profit in 2010 and 2011. Industry Minister
Kim Carr confirmed on 10 July 2013 that talks had been scheduled between the Australian government and Holden. On 13 August 2013, 1700 employees at the Elizabeth plant in South Australia voted to accept a three-year wage freeze to decrease the chances of the production line's closure in 2016. Holden's ultimate survival, though, depended on continued negotiations with the Federal Government – to secure funding for the period from 2016 to 2022 – and the final decision of the global headquarters in Detroit, US. Following an unsuccessful attempt to secure the extra funding required from the new Liberal-National coalition government, on 11 December 2013 As a result, 2,900 jobs would be lost over four years. Beyond 2017 Holden's Australian presence would consist of a national sales company, a parts distribution centre and a global design studio. In May 2014, GM reversed their decision to abandon the Lang Lang Proving Ground and decided to keep it as part of its engineering capability in Australia. In 2015, Holden again began selling a range of Opel-derived cars comprising the Astra VXR and
Insignia VXR (both based on the OPC models sold by Vauxhall) and
Cascada. Later that year, Holden also announced plans to sell the European Astra and the South Korean Cruze alongside each other from 2017. In December 2015, Belgian entrepreneur
Guido Dumarey commenced negotiations to buy the Commodore manufacturing plant in Elizabeth with a view to continue producing a rebadged Zeta-based premium range of rear and all-wheel drive vehicles for local and export sales. The proposal was met with doubt in South Australia, and it later came to nothing. On 20 October 2017, Holden ceased manufacturing vehicles in Australia with the closure of the Elizabeth plant. Afterwards, Holden became an importer of
rebadged cars from various GM subsidiaries located in the United States, Canada, Germany, Thailand, and South Korea.
2020s ; a re-badged
Opel, was the last Commodore model before the discontinuation of the Holden marque On 17 February 2020, General Motors announced that the Holden brand would be retired by 2021, after GM stated it would no longer make right-hand drive vehicles globally, leaving the Australia and New Zealand market altogether. Holden produced nearly 7.7 million vehicles. == Vehicles ==