ACDelco here to stay, Holden’s Project Monaro still up for grabs

For ACDelco – General Motors' in-house parts division – it’s business as usual for the foreseeable future, with the brand reaffirming it’s here to stay and assist with keeping Holden’s existing car park running in the wake of the brand's announcement that it will withdraw from the Australian market.

Despite being a GM division, ACDelco not only supplies Holden spares but also provides aftermarket filters, wipers, fluids along with other consumables and mechanical components for a wide gamut of makes and models.

The company isn’t yet prepared to discuss any potential expansion plans for its non-GM products in Australia.

Part of Holden’s closure terms is a commitment to supply parts and service support for 10 years, though not all parts are covered. Essential parts and service items will be furnished, though less critical parts, like trim pieces may not be.

ACDelco also finds itself in the midst of a promotional campaign, targeted at both trade and retail customers with the top prize – perhaps a little unusually – being a 2004 Monaro with 210,000km on the clock, rather than the usual new car prizes often seen.

“Project Monaro is going ahead,” a Holden spokesperson confirmed. While the brand remains in operation for the time being, so too, its current competition will run its term.

Project Monaro, as it is known is a one-of-one special restomod project which builds on the classic VZ Monaro formula with a range of new and improved components including a reworked 5.7-litre LS1 engine built by the the ACDelco Pro Slammer Monaro drag racing team.

Full details on the car and its inclusions can be found here.

Currently, Project Monaro is valued under ACDelco’s promotional terms and conditions at “up to AUD$150,000” giving some wriggle room for the stamp duty and registration variances between states and territories.

In the case of Holden’s future, the details of how the brand will operate parts and service centres are still in the works. However, early suggestions are that little will change from the current aftersales business model.

A representative from Holden suggested “there’s effectively no change to the operation” of the brand’s aftersales branch. “The expectation is dealers will continue.”

Individual dealer agreements are not finalised yet, but CarAdvice understands many– particularly those already part of multi-franchise dealer groups – will maintain service and parts departments wearing existing Holden branding

Amongst ACDelco’s customer-facing branding, the future of the ‘Holden Trade Club’ name is still to be decided, and the possibility exists that Holden parts and servicing branding may change over time.

There’s no reliable predictor of future values, of course, but the immediate panic reaction to Holden’s announcement has seen some used Holdens get marked up in a wave of nostalgia. How the market reacts to this ‘special edition’, built with the approval of – and in cooperation with – Holden, remains to be seen.

Further announcements about GM’s aftersales presence, and the divisions outside of Holden’s core brand will be made on a case-by-case basis later in the year.

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