Sad news for our 'down under' brothers... https://www.nbcnews.com/business/au...-automobile-industry-just-closed-down-n812756
Sadly it's true. We have known for a long time the end was coming. Unfortunately the sales of full size family cars are not high enough to keep going . Ford Falcon was built here from 1960 and Holden from 1948. Fortunately for Hambers we live in the past so this won't affect us much. I have to admit that when GM announced the end was coming I did buy a new "SS" Holden Commodore Ute. Brilliant car but life goes on.
That does suck. A supervisor, where I work, had one imported. Looked like a very well made car. A Commodore, I believe. Supposed to be pretty fast.
While I work in a Holden dealership, what it really wrong with this picture is that we have now lost GM, Ford, Toyota manufacturing in recent times, but over the years Nissan and also Mitsubishi, which had developed from our local Chrysler manufacturing base. The local parts suppliers have been closing or diversifying for a while now, or moving their manufacturing offshore. Mind you, I live in a town which has the oldest surviving Ford dealership in Aus and we also still have a heavy engineering works capable of designing and building trains from scratch, so we aren't totally screwed yet.
A sad end to 69 years of making Holden cars. Australia's Prime Minister was there to greet the first car off the line, but not a politician in sight when production ends. Holden is ingrained into the Australian psyche, your brand was either Holden or Ford, Red or Blue, Brock or Moffat. Feelings would run deep, particularly on the first Sunday in October when Holden and Ford locked horns in annual battle on Mt Panorama. But now Australia no longer has a car industry with the recent departures of Ford and Toyota. The auto industry has gone the way of many manufacturing industries over recent decades. Pretty sure l'm not ready to buy a Kia, might just stick with my old Holden a little longer.
KIA - killed in action. For a Korean car company, they could have researched their corporate name for a better choice. This news is bad for the plant workers who are out of a job, along with those who depended on the extra cash flow in the local economy. Bad news all around. K6
Sadly the US makers could be facing the same demise. Chrysler has been bailed out by the Government twice along with GM once. People keep buying these foreign makes claiming "they are made in Alabama, or Tennessee, or Ohio." True but money still eventually goes back to the Country of origin.
For us "Buy American" the retirement plan you save may be your own. For you Australian folks it is the same thing with Australian in place of American. The New World Order is destroying both of us.
Plant closures been the story of my working life. Some small some big...in business nothing is guaranteed and nowadays you have to worry about it till your pensions done because that may not be covered. So thoughts are with you all affected.
You forgot Valiant . So how long does a Bathurst 1000 take if the entrants are SmartCars vs Prius ?? Or will the current V8 supercars carry on for decades, run by die-hards ??
Someone who gets it - not to get political. but globally most politicans on both sides of politics are owned and push for agendas and local manufacturing is but one of the many "casualties". Same Stateside, but of course on a larger scale. Holden, Ford AND Chrysler here have all gone the way of the dodo - but so has most manufacturing here. The nest generation would know the ass end of a screwdriver from the front of one. Its heartbreaking, esp for anyone over 40; younger folk dont really understand the legacy these 3 companies have left. Sad day indeed.
Sad news. Hopefully the Aussie politicians will take care of the remainder of the country's manufacturing base.
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