Holden closure

The iconic Holden brand appears to have taken its last breath, with zero cars reported as sold in January 2021 – after just 28 vehicles were delivered in December 2020. It is the first time since November 1948 – when the first Holden rolled off the line – that the brand has not recorded a single sale in a given month. MORE: New-car sales wrap for January 2021 US car giant General Motors declared in February last year that 31 December 2020 would be Holden’s last day.

With Holden only five weeks away from closing its doors in Australia – and after 31 months in a row of new-car sales decline – a Senate Inquiry in Canberra has been told current franchise laws make it too easy for multinational car companies to shut-up shop locally, wipe out jobs, and leave customers high and dry.

A relatively unknown start-up car company called Vinfast – owned by one of Vietnam’s richest men – has been confirmed as the new owner of Holden’s historic test track. The General Motors proving ground in Lang Lang on the south-eastern outskirts of Melbourne has been the birthplace of every Holden since 1958, but will now be used as a test track to develop vehicles by a foreign car maker for the Asia-Pacific region.

EXCLUSIVE US car giant General Motors has written to the Federal Government outlining what it claims is the true number of job losses in Holden showrooms across Australia – just days after all 185 dealers united to appoint a high powered law firm to represent them in negotiations over compensation.

The Federal Government will launch a Senate Inquiry into the sudden announcement that Holden will exit the Australian car market by the end of this year. The Senate Inquiry – which has been supported by both sides of politics – was announced 24 hours after a delegation of Holden dealers met with Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Canberra on Wednesday.