Joined
·
6,834 Posts
Holden to overtake Toyota by 2020, General Motors president Dan Ammann says
Joshua Dowling
3 October 2014
www.news.com.au
The president of General Motors, Dan Ammann, has boldly backed Holden’s claim that it will overtake market leader Toyota in Australia by 2020 — even though Holden hasn’t been number one for 11 years and has just posted its lowest sales in 19 years.
The most senior man within General Motors made the comments at the Paris motor show overnight and gave an insight into the global cars that would drive Holden sales.
It means Holden will have more European cars in its line-up (rather than sourcing solely from South Korea and Thailand) and could have the iconic Camaro muscle car and heavy duty pick-ups from the US in Australian showrooms within the next five years.
“I think (being number one again) is achievable,” said Mr Ammann.
“I think it’s the right plan for Holden to have and I think it’s important at this time, with the reconfiguration of the business down there, that we make a very clear statement about our intentions and that we’re going to be in the market with a total portfolio.”
Mr Ammann, originally from New Zealand, said Holden now had friends in high places in Detroit who would unlock the doors to a host of US and European cars that have previously been off limits to Holden.
Former Holden boss Mark Reuss (2008 to 2009) is now in charge of global vehicle development, and his successor at Holden, Alan Batey (2009 to 2010), is now the executive vice president of General Motors in North America.
“A lot of the senior leadership in (General Motors) have an association and a strong affiliation with Holden,” said Mr Ammann.
“There is a disproportionate amount of emotional attachment to Holden. Watch this space. We have more to come.”
Mr Ammann admitted Holden had lost focus on growing segments of the new-car market because it had spent the past decade trying to protect the Commodore as customer demand faded.
“If you looked over the last few years with the benefit of hindsight, having the strength that we’ve had in Commodore has probably taken the focus off some of the other areas where we could have been stronger and had more product in the market,” said Mr Ammann.
But General Motors had emerged from the Global Financial Crisis in 2009 with a new way of thinking and was planning to build more cars for right-hand-drive markets, he said.
Continue here
Paris Motor Show gives glimpse of future of Australia’s car industry
4 October 2014
www.news.com.au
The end of Australian car manufacturing in 2017 after almost 100 years has some sections of the community — and the government — concerned prices will rise once we become entirely dependent on imported vehicles.
But in fact a perfect storm is likely to see Australian car buyers spoilt for choice — and strong competition will continue to keep prices affordable.
That’s the analysis from the Paris Motor Show this week, the biggest European car show of the year.
Customarily, the weird on wheel takes centre stage at Paris. But this year the talk was all about the market slowdowns in Europe and parts of the Asia-Pacific.
Even though the car industry shut dozens of factories in Europe and North America in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis — to cut overcapacity — production levels have crept up and, once again, too many cars are being made for too few buyers.
In the past month several big brands have announced temporary factory shutdowns, known as “down days”, to try to match factory output with falling customer demand.
However, problems abroad mean that Australia will continue to become the car industry’s pressure valve, absorbing excess production — as long as our currency remains strong and exchange rates remain favourable.
The other important factor in our favour: once Ford, Holden and Toyota no longer have to protect their locally made cars, they will go all-out and get the best possible imported cars to make up for lost sales.
Continue here
![]()
Joshua Dowling
3 October 2014
www.news.com.au
The president of General Motors, Dan Ammann, has boldly backed Holden’s claim that it will overtake market leader Toyota in Australia by 2020 — even though Holden hasn’t been number one for 11 years and has just posted its lowest sales in 19 years.
The most senior man within General Motors made the comments at the Paris motor show overnight and gave an insight into the global cars that would drive Holden sales.
It means Holden will have more European cars in its line-up (rather than sourcing solely from South Korea and Thailand) and could have the iconic Camaro muscle car and heavy duty pick-ups from the US in Australian showrooms within the next five years.
“I think (being number one again) is achievable,” said Mr Ammann.
“I think it’s the right plan for Holden to have and I think it’s important at this time, with the reconfiguration of the business down there, that we make a very clear statement about our intentions and that we’re going to be in the market with a total portfolio.”
Mr Ammann, originally from New Zealand, said Holden now had friends in high places in Detroit who would unlock the doors to a host of US and European cars that have previously been off limits to Holden.
Former Holden boss Mark Reuss (2008 to 2009) is now in charge of global vehicle development, and his successor at Holden, Alan Batey (2009 to 2010), is now the executive vice president of General Motors in North America.
“A lot of the senior leadership in (General Motors) have an association and a strong affiliation with Holden,” said Mr Ammann.
“There is a disproportionate amount of emotional attachment to Holden. Watch this space. We have more to come.”
Mr Ammann admitted Holden had lost focus on growing segments of the new-car market because it had spent the past decade trying to protect the Commodore as customer demand faded.
“If you looked over the last few years with the benefit of hindsight, having the strength that we’ve had in Commodore has probably taken the focus off some of the other areas where we could have been stronger and had more product in the market,” said Mr Ammann.
But General Motors had emerged from the Global Financial Crisis in 2009 with a new way of thinking and was planning to build more cars for right-hand-drive markets, he said.
Continue here
Paris Motor Show gives glimpse of future of Australia’s car industry
4 October 2014
www.news.com.au
The end of Australian car manufacturing in 2017 after almost 100 years has some sections of the community — and the government — concerned prices will rise once we become entirely dependent on imported vehicles.
But in fact a perfect storm is likely to see Australian car buyers spoilt for choice — and strong competition will continue to keep prices affordable.
That’s the analysis from the Paris Motor Show this week, the biggest European car show of the year.
Customarily, the weird on wheel takes centre stage at Paris. But this year the talk was all about the market slowdowns in Europe and parts of the Asia-Pacific.
Even though the car industry shut dozens of factories in Europe and North America in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis — to cut overcapacity — production levels have crept up and, once again, too many cars are being made for too few buyers.
In the past month several big brands have announced temporary factory shutdowns, known as “down days”, to try to match factory output with falling customer demand.
However, problems abroad mean that Australia will continue to become the car industry’s pressure valve, absorbing excess production — as long as our currency remains strong and exchange rates remain favourable.
The other important factor in our favour: once Ford, Holden and Toyota no longer have to protect their locally made cars, they will go all-out and get the best possible imported cars to make up for lost sales.
Continue here
