Comments on: Holden announces big production cuts

By: The wise man

The wise man — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:32:06 +0000

Wheelnu says: “Yeah GM will go Bankrupt but that doens’t necessarily mean they will go out of business forever.. I mean look at Alan Bond in the time that he was bankrupt he worked on ways as to how he coud restructure and redevelop his operations so when the time came he could start up a new business venture..”

Oh dear. Some people speak, and are very vocal. But are absolutely clueless…

Alan Bond is an individual. GM is a company. When an individual goes bankrupt, they don’t die. They live on. Move on with life. Do other things, or do the same things. Whatever. Company goes bankrupt, it gets liquidated. No more company. It is dead. Company is not a person. Do you see Enron coming back? Or OneTel? No? Exactly!

By: Lazybones

Lazybones — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 09:03:53 +0000

Personally I think the life lines would be:-

1) Rudd Loans Holden 450m to help them produce the 4cyl. Not a fare policy for the other aussies car makers but would save Holden.

2) Buyout by some like Hyundai.

Holdens plant at SA would hopefully be useful or valuable to another manufacturer given its recent upgrades for the VE.

“$150m isn’t the only GM belives Holden to be a viable company.”, Oh its totally the reason Holden is considered viable. Large car expertise is not selling period. Holden hasn’t turned a profit since 2004. Given the large car market is only getting worse and export options are closing, the only thing that would make them viable is a small car.

But i’ll agree that aussie manufacturing is more efficient than the US. I’ve heard this before from another manufacturing sector. It appears the US attitude of “If it aint broke, don’t fix it” translates into we’ll keep on doing it the same way until we go bankrupt!

By: Bret

Bret — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:47:39 +0000

I see one lifeline for Holden, and that is GM’s cheap Korean design/manufacturing arm (Deawoo) is effectively listed as being “owned” by GM Holden in the corporate chain. GM may ahve to keep Holden to keep this cheap (& profit making?) facility.

By: Brett

Brett — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 22:19:43 +0000

Over the weekend Henderson has stepped-up the bankruptcy rhetoric following the US Government’s rejection of the first reorganisation plan. The Government is demanding that the GM Board ‘shrink the company’ but there is only so far that they can go in the US. Inevitably the Board will look overseas to find ways to pare it down further. Holden isn’t essential to GM’s survival and seems an obvious choice for divestiture.

If GM can’t satisfy the Government and enters Chapter 11 Holden is really sc**wed. There will be no funds for the all the grand plans, which will be promptly dumped, and Holden left to its own devices will die under the weight of crashing sales and revenue and poorly aligned product. It is very hard to see it surviving.

Holden is in deep s**t.

By: Naughtyius Maximus

Naughtyius Maximus — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 11:09:54 +0000

So from an abacus viewpoint its simple but dearer to do…
now I have heard it all! But then again its you so par for course! LOL

By: Tomas79

Tomas79 — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 10:18:01 +0000

Wheelnut Says: “Insignia [Torana]”
…. No it’s Opel Insignia!!

Wheelnut Says: “their RWD Expertise”

You are kidding yourself!!
RWD is the most simple (but maybe not cheap) setup!!
Most manufacturers were making RWD, before FWD,AWD!

By: Wheelnut

Wheelnut — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:53:17 +0000

Ryan – Holden aren’t in this position because they make terrible cars [which they don't]. They are in the position they are in because of poor decisions that have been made by a number of out of touch old farts in their ivory tower known as GM Headqquarters in Detroit.

Compared to a number of other GM car companies [based in the USA] Holden has one of the most flexible modern and productive assembly lines and the Zeta platform on which the Commodore is built is one of the most versatile RWD platforms in GM..

By: Ryan

Ryan — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:27:37 +0000

If they didn’t conintually make terrible cars this wouldn’t have happened. Hopefully they’ll learn by there mistakes…

By: swampdawg

swampdawg — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 07:27:04 +0000

Holden will have to get ultra smart to counter what the chinese and other makers want to dump on our local market. Free trade agreements means free unemployment for Aussie workers.

Holden, go and do some damn counter spying and build something versatile and reliable while your at it. You have very clever people working there, let them do the thinking not the cheapskate bean counters or the gazoos at GM.

By: Wheelnut

Wheelnut — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 05:00:42 +0000

Opel – I don’t think RWD will disappear completely from GMs “international” line-up.. Sure development of the RWD Zeta platform has ben put “on ice” for the time being.. However; there are always going to be those who want the power and performance that only a RWD car can deliver.

Look at the various perfomance cars from around the world and tell me how many of them are FWD…?

Not only that – RWD is one of the reasons GM have said that they will be Holden on to Holden.