News A terrible day for all Australians - Holden axed in Australia

[Psycho Doggie]

Holden axed in Australia as General Motors gets out of right-hand-drive globally

The Holden brand will be retired at the end of this year, selected showrooms may stock a limited range of Chevrolet vehicles under new General Motors Specialty Vehicles badge.

Holden will be axed in Australia at the end of 2020 – just three years after the end of local manufacturing and the lowest monthly sales since it was established in 1948 – as US car giant General Motors gets out of right-hand-drive markets globally.

Although Holden had been posting record low sales – which led to the end of the Commodore and Astra models late last year – the announcement has still come as a shock to industry veterans now the brand has lost its final lifeline.

General Motors will also close its Melbourne design studio and test track at Lang Lang on the south-east outskirts of Melbourne. Approximately 600 of the 800 jobs will be lost, with all being awarded redundancies. The remaining workforce of 200 people will take care of Holden's ongoing service and warranty commitments for up to 10 years.

Holden management informed head office staff and dealers about midday today. An official media statement from Holden is forthcoming.

Sauce

Can I be the first to say NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[Papa Emeritus]

Is this really that surprising? I could not ever picture people wanting to buy Holdens after they offshored their manufacturing.

 

[Psycho Doggie]

Is this really that surprising? I could not ever picture people wanting to buy Holdens after they offshored their manufacturing.

No, its not surprising. More so after the G'ment declined to give any aid to car manufacturing. Market economics make it less profitable (though not unprofitable) to make RHD cars. It still sucks though.

 

[Alan79]

No, its not surprising. More so after the G'ment declined to give any aid to car manufacturing. Market economics make it less profitable (though not unprofitable) to make RHD cars. It still sucks though.

I don't know if people will agree with my opinion here. But government subsidies to the vehicle manufacturers coincided with a former liberal governments desire to undermine industries that had strongly unionised employment forces. Virtually every country that still manufactures vehicles have government subsidies in place. Ford initially mentioned that they would cease manufacturing vehicles in Australia specifically because of the lack of subsidies. And Holden at the time also said that it would effect the viability of their business.

So aside from the fact that we have no internally produced car brands now, it's a pity that a few thousand jobs for Australians have been abolished in order to undermine unions and the funding for the labour party.

Cue the calls that I'm wearing a tinfoil hat. But it's just a pity that the libs are willing to screw up Australia in such ways to improve their chances of getting elected.

RIP Holden.

 

[Ecca]

Ford Wins

 

[BELMORE]

I don't know if people will agree with my opinion here. But government subsidies to the vehicle manufacturers coincided with a former liberal governments desire to undermine industries that had strongly unionised employment forces. Virtually every country that still manufactures vehicles have government subsidies in place. Ford initially mentioned that they would cease manufacturing vehicles in Australia specifically because of the lack of subsidies. And Holden at the time also said that it would effect the viability of their business.

So aside from the fact that we have no internally produced car brands now, it's a pity that a few thousand jobs for Australians have been abolished in order to undermine unions and the funding for the labour party.

Cue the calls that I'm wearing a tinfoil hat. But it's just a pity that the libs are willing to screw up Australia in such ways to improve their chances of getting elected.

RIP Holden.

Fuck unions.

 

[KambahOne]

Heaps
Of
Loud
Derelict
Engine
Noises

 

[Hacky McAxe]

Heaps
Of
Loud
Derelict
Engine
Noises

Fucked
On
Race
Day

 

[KambahOne]

Fucked
On
Race
Day

Fix
Or
Repair
Daily

 

[KambahOne]

Now do Datsun lol

 

[Hacky McAxe]

It was always coming. After they shipped manufacturing off shore after the VF models, the new models were options of Front Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive.

They printed articles about how they worked hard on ensuring that the drift was still there, but everyone knows that front wheel drive can never match RWD on the drift control.

The new models were also basically Mazda 6's

 

[Alan79]

Fuck unions.

Hopefully enough people in this country disagree with your opinion. You might not notice significant effects before you retire, but Australia only elevated the working class above the poverty line because unions demanded that fair wages be paid. Less than a hundred years ago you can see evidence of the results of employers being allowed to set wages themselves in the photos of managers and low level staff. I'll see if I can find it, but a local paper showed a series of photos of the managers and their staff in my town which displayed managers dressed in nice suits, while their staff wore threadbare clothing and didn't even own shoes.

I'll be buggered if I want that to be the way my descendents live. And if you don't think that's potentially going to happen, have a look at the amount of poverty in America. Probably one of the richest countries in the world.

 

[SARGE]

Found
On
Rubbish
Dump

 

[KambahOne]

Hopefully enough people in this country disagree with your opinion. You might not notice significant effects before you retire, but Australia only elevated the working class above the poverty line because unions demanded that fair wages be paid. Less than a hundred years ago you can see evidence of the results of employers being allowed to set wages themselves in the photos of managers and low level staff. I'll see if I can find it, but a local paper showed a series of photos of the managers and their staff in my town which displayed managers dressed in nice suits, while their staff wore threadbare clothing and didn't even own shoes.

I'll be buggered if I want that to be the way my descendents live. And if you don't think that's potentially going to happen, have a look at the amount of poverty in America. Probably one of the richest countries in the world.

Is it a coincidence that lower union membership across the country results in a decade of wage stagnation?

 

[Howard Moon]

Oh no

 

[Scoooby]

Hold
On
Love
Damn
Engines
Nackered (left the silent K off for obvious reasons lol).

Axed in NZ also lol.!!!

 

[Psycho Doggie]

I don't know if people will agree with my opinion here. But government subsidies to the vehicle manufacturers coincided with a former liberal governments desire to undermine industries that had strongly unionised employment forces. Virtually every country that still manufactures vehicles have government subsidies in place. Ford initially mentioned that they would cease manufacturing vehicles in Australia specifically because of the lack of subsidies. And Holden at the time also said that it would effect the viability of their business.

So aside from the fact that we have no internally produced car brands now, it's a pity that a few thousand jobs for Australians have been abolished in order to undermine unions and the funding for the labour party.

Cue the calls that I'm wearing a tinfoil hat. But it's just a pity that the libs are willing to screw up Australia in such ways to improve their chances of getting elected.

RIP Holden.

I suspect part of it is ideologically driven. While certainly not denying your points, another aspect to this is the love affair some have with free market philosophy (although interestingly some of the peddlers of this philosophy are quick to scream for regulation when they are on the bad end of the "free" market). Fact is that Australia is on the wrong side of the car manufacturing market, because we drive on the left, therefore have right hand drive cars. We are part of the minority end of the market, so free market economics means that companies get less profit per unit selling cars to us (and other countries that have right hand drive). The evidence for this can be seen very simply in the fact that GM has pulled out of countries that have right hand drive.

The short version of this is that there is a VERY good reason for locally manufactured cars to get government subsidies. Free market realities mean that Aussie consumers will be disadvantaged on the global market, and subsidies can help make up for this. The only other solution is of course for the government to decide to switch everything to driving on the right hand side and left hand drive vehicles...

 

[Alan79]

Is it a coincidence that lower union membership across the country results in a decade of wage stagnation?

I don't think so. The fair work commission has seemingly been corrupted now too. You just have to look at the fact that the hospitality industry is no longer eligible for overtime rates on weekends. It's very unfortunate that the media is largely going to keep presenting unions in a bad light. There's no denying that the occasional case of corruption in union leaders happens. But these cases get a lot more publicity than things like Barnaby Joyce buying back non existent water from a friend and former liberal party member.

And the sad thing is that Morrison is attempting to bring in a bill that will give the government significant powers to destabilize and destroy unions. Check this link out.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/stop_ei

 

[Papa Emeritus]

because we drive on the left, therefore have right hand drive cars. We are part of the minority end of the market,

For most of my life I thought that the USA was weird and wrong because of how they drive on the right. Then I looked up this map and I was blown away by how much we have fked ourselves thanks to England.

Even Antarctica drives on the right.

We are very lucky that we at least have Japan on our wrong side.

 

[Mr 95%]

Hopefully enough people in this country disagree with your opinion. You might not notice significant effects before you retire, but Australia only elevated the working class above the poverty line because unions demanded that fair wages be paid. Less than a hundred years ago you can see evidence of the results of employers being allowed to set wages themselves in the photos of managers and low level staff. I'll see if I can find it, but a local paper showed a series of photos of the managers and their staff in my town which displayed managers dressed in nice suits, while their staff wore threadbare clothing and didn't even own shoes.

I'll be buggered if I want that to be the way my descendents live. And if you don't think that's potentially going to happen, have a look at the amount of poverty in America. Probably one of the richest countries in the world.

I wish I could give that two best posts..I’d go into what the value of unions are..and the little things at work that are taken for granted which unions fought for.. But it’d take me too long and I ain’t got the time nor the inclination.. However, rest assure that the rights of the worker, and the relatively good conditions that he/she experiences is greatly attributed to the Union movement before them.. Yeah sometimes they go a little too far..but heck with out em..think about how far the boss would go..or would have gone..