Details have emerged about how the new GMSV venture will be formed in Australia
As revealed last week, GM and the Walkinshaw Group, the parent of Holden Special Vehicles, are deep in negotiation to finalise an agreement that will result in selected North American-built Chev models converted to right-hand drive in Melbourne for local sale.
Wheels understands Holden veteran Peter ‘PK’ Keley is leading the GM investigation into what is referred to as GM Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) and may also end up leading the new venture. Keley refused to comment on the matter when contacted.
Keley’s been a senior player at Holden from the glory days of the Zeta global architecture, right through to the dismal final stanza as an importer.
Passionate and personable, he even owns a HSV GTSR W1 (as well as a WB Caprice and a Monaro GTS 308 V8 coupe).
Former Holden and current GM president Mark Reuss voiced his support for the new business model in the press release that announced Holden’s death in February.
“We do believe we have an opportunity to profitably grow the specialty vehicle business and plan to work with our partner to do that,” he was quoted as saying.
Wheels understands three possible business structures exist for the new venture.
As much as I would like to see you guys get a bit more variety I just don't see any of the scenarios as economically feasible. For either country. Add in the ill will GM has accumulated in Australia and it becomes even less feasible.
I don't know if it's been tried or not but partially assembled vehicles shipped without unneeded left hand components should save some on disassembly/assembly costs. If GM is really serious they could also make some of the major RH components to ship with the vehicles. I don't see that happening.
Leading up to Holden's demise began with a change of government with an agenda of slashing financial support to the car industry and almost literally daring Holden to leave by asking them to come clean on future plans. Well ScoMoFo got his answer with closure of local production, anyone with a brain knew that Holden was mortally wounded and no surprise, buyers deserted the brand in droves once the local Commodore was no more.
How ironic it is to see the same mean spirited politician now leading the country in the middle of a pandemic throwing out $160 billion in government support to prevent collapse of business and people's livelihoods.
Well ScoMoFo got his answer with closure of local production, anyone with a brain knew that Holden was mortally wounded and no surprise, buyers deserted the brand in droves once the local Commodore was no more.
How ironic it is to see the same mean spirited politician now leading the country in the middle of a pandemic throwing out $160 billion in government support to prevent collapse of business and people's livelihoods.
ScoMo was minister for Immigration and Border Protection when Holden announced they were shutting local production. Joe Hockey (then treasurer) was the one who dared GM to leave, and they did. The muppet did such a good job that he lasted 2 years before racking off to the US. Abbott was a muppet too for that matter, didn't give a rats ass about local production or jobs.
One question I've got is, will GM still want to bother selling cars here post-COVID? Especially with the way the US economy is going and their rising infection numbers.
I agree they have completely screwed themselves in Australia. Unless GM reinstates manufacturing in Australia then GM is dead and buried. As soon as they sold Opel they should have announced they were going to keep making cars in Australia because the Commodore used parts from the GMNA parts bin. Such bad management in Detroit there is.
Mary Barra doesn't realise how much she has pissed off Australia. Even Ford fans are pissed off at her for what she has done to Holden. Nothing from GM will work except for an apology and re investment in Australia and manufacturing in Australia.
There was never any intention to do a RHD Camaro and from the moment the
zeta based gen 5 Camaro arrived, GMNA began planning it's replacement.
I was told by a highly respected contributor here on GMI that Aussie Mustang
sales would Peter out after about 5,000 sales because two door coupes just
don't sell well in Australia......Mustang is now around 21,000 sales and counting.
The difference being that US companies don’t through develop RHDs at the same time as their LHD domestic stuff, even Ford did the RHD Mustang dev well after lefty was on sale.
Now contrast that with Ford Europe’s vehicles and Ford Asia’s Ranger/ Everest, RHD and LHD on sale at the same time. Definitely a difference in philosophy and execution.
That's not totally true - GM's E2xx platform had so much US involvement that ignored the high power engine positioning on RHD vehicles which meant that UK and Australia never got a performance version of Insignia/Regal/Commodore - it's not a matter of timing, more a matter of blinkered vision.
If I were steering the ship of GM, I'd be deeply embarrassed over the whole RHD thing and their complete incompetence in understanding more or less every market outside of NA and China.
Holden's sales dropped because when the US managers came in they decided that fleet sales weren't what they wanted. They completely had no idea of how things were done here and screwed things up monumentally. The Commodore, Falcon and Camry sold in the droves to the fleet and then all of a sudden this market segmented severely as this line of US managers came to being at Holden. These 3 cars were over 50% of the market in the year 2001. This was because they were all fleet darlings. Losing the fleet is what killed these Australian made vehicles.
Correct. One of DM's first "executive decisions" (around 2004) was to tell Telstra, and a few other major fleet customers, to literally f/off. Telstra used to buy around 15,000 p.a. Commodore wagons at that time.
GM decided to pursue private sales instead, with their finest Daewoo product.
I have just seen the future of Australian manufacturing and aside from the fact it is an SUV it may have to be my next purchase in 5 years or so. A Hydrogen powered vehicle seems interesting but I figure it will probably end up being fully electric since we don't have hydrogen stations in Australia that I know of. It would be nice if it was available in a sedan form.
Considering they shut Holden off from the Middle East market then i can go along with the idea of deliberately knobbling.
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