Though often badged as Vauxhalls, we've become rather familiar in Britain with Holden over the past decade or so. The Monaro and VXR8 enamoured many with their affordable prices (mostly) and a surfeit of V8 muscle.
What a Holden without a V8 looks like
The news that Holden is to stop vehicle production in Australia is rather concerning then, as it puts the marque's future in some doubt. The decision came following a confrontation with Australia's Treasurer Joe Hockey on Holden's non-committal stance on domestic manufacturing. Rumours that he drives a Ford Falcon are unconfirmed...
Australian Holden production will end in 2017, when it will become an importer for dealerships and a parts distribution company. The Holden design studio will be retained by GM.
One of the biggest contributing factors in Holden's manufacturing demise was the strength of the Australia. In the past few years it has been suggested that the cost of production had rise by 65 per cent when compared to a decade previously. Toyota is the last manufacturer left making cars in Australia.
Holden production in Oz will stop in 2017
As you will probably know, the Holdens that have most interested us in Britain are those fettled by Holden Special Vehicles (HSV). Though independent of Holden, the relationship was particularly close. Across the office somewhere, our Autocar colleague Matt Prior has written an insightful blog
on Holden and HSV
; it's definitely worth a read.
There's been no comment yet from Vauxhall about the impact of Holden's news on the UK models. But with the latest VXR8 GTS being launched next month, we're at least guaranteed some Aussie V8 silliness in the UK for a while yet.