Holden

Holden was an Australian automobile marque and former automobile manufacturer. It manufactured cars in Australia before switching to importing cars under the Holden brand. In 2010, Holden incurred losses due to the strong Australian dollar, and reductions of government grants and subsidies. On 20 October 2017, the last existing vehicle plant was closed as the production of the Holden Commodore ended. On 17 February 2020, General Motors announced that the Holdenbrand would be retired by 2021.

About Holden in brief

Summary Holden Holden was an Australian automobile marque and former automobile manufacturer. It manufactured cars in Australia before switching to importing cars under the Holden brand. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer in South Australia. In 1908, it moved into the automotive field before later becoming a subsidiary of the United States–based General Motors. From 1994 to 2017, all Australian-built Holden vehicles were manufactured in Elizabeth, South Australia, and engines were produced at the Fishermans Bend plant in Melbourne. In 2010, Holden incurred losses due to the strong Australian dollar, and reductions of government grants and subsidies. This led to the announcement, on 11 December 2013, that Holden would cease vehicle and engine production by the end of 2017. On 20 October 2017, the last existing vehicle plant was closed as the production of the Holden Commodore ended. On 17 February 2020, General Motors announced that the Holdenbrand would be retired by 2021. It will be replaced by GM Specialty Vehicles, which will import the Chevrolet Silverado and Corvette C8. In the past, Holden has offered badge-engineered models due to sharing arrangements with Chevrolet, Isuzu, Nissan, Opel, Suzuki, Toyota, and Vauxhall Motors. In previous years, the vehicle lineup consisted of models from GM Korea, GM Thailand, GM North America, and self-developed models like the Holden Caprice, and the Holden Ute. Holden also distributed the European Opel brand in Australia in 2012 until its Australian demise in mid-2013. Holden briefly owned assembly plants in New Zealand during the early 1990s.

The plants had belonged to General Motors from 1926 until 1990 in an earlier and quite separate operation from GM’s Holden investment in Australia. The last line of cars of this line of business of GM Roadster, Humbermobile and Willys-Overland Roadster were made in 1930, as well as the last GM Roadmobile line of Humberman Roadmobile and Roadster. In 1930, the company still built chassis for Austin, Chrysler, DeSoto, Morris Hillman, Oldsmobile Overland Roadmobile, and Willy-Knight-Knight Studebaker. In 1926, the General Motors-Holden Limited was established with assembly plants at Newstead, Marrickville, New Wales; City City, Victoria; Birkenhead South Australia; and Cotteshead, Western Australia. From 1924, HMBB became the exclusive supplier of car bodies for GM in Australia, with manufacturing taking place at the new Woodville plant to suit a number of chassis imported from manufacturers including Austin, Buick, Dodge, Essex, Fiat, Fiat and Oldsmobiles Overland, Reo. In 1936, the Holden Body Building Company was established. By 1923, H MBB were producing 12,000 units per year. The firm evolved through various partnerships, and in 1908, Holden & Frost move into the business of minor repairs to car upholstery. In 1852, James Alexander Holden emigrated to South Australia from Walsall, England, and established J. A. Holden & Co. in Adelaide. In 1879 J A Holden’s eldest son Henry James Holden, became a partner and effectively managed the company.