Exclusive: Documents reveal secret plans that were supposed to save Holden

[fgpsi]

https://www.caradvice.com.au/925460/...o-save-holden/

[Peuty]

A sad decline, no question. Can only imagine the outrage (rightfully so) if the plan went ahead.

[Bossxr8]

Imagine the hate if Holden started rebadging chinese cars.

[lra]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Imagine the hate if Holden started rebadging chinese cars.

They would have sold even less than the Insignia Commodore, so that would have been a brilliant decision for even more mirth and ridicule.
They should have retired the Holden name when the last Commodore rolled out the door. Nothing like a has-been athlete trying to revive their golden victories from yester-year.

[MITCHAY]

Wow glad that **** show never eventuated despite the **** show we actually got.

Holden did want to build local models to cater for market shift and for export and it seems that it was always pushing **** up hill to get GM on board.

Actually saw a VE parts bin special today that came about after Pontiac was closed down and I wonder where we might be today.

[danzvtil]

The Chinese would have laughed GM out of their office. They were well on their way to becoming volume players around the world.

[hayseed]

With the benefit of hindsight, it’s now apparent Holden was too arrogant – or ignorant – to figure out MG and LDV didn’t need Holden for them to succeed in Australia. They were already well progressed on the path to success.

Here's a key paragraph, I reckon.........

[Franco Cozzo]

Bats, dim sims, COVID19 and 'Holden' cars

[Franco Cozzo]

Holden their cocks

[Sprintey]

"Insiders and dealers blame poor marketing decisions immediately following Holden’s local manufacturing shutdown for the sharper than expected sales decline, a topic we’ve covered in detail here."

This is key-er.

It got really woke and now they are really .....

[MITCHAY]

What I find espcially hilarious is they announced the closure of local manufacturing in January 2014.

The last Commodore rolled out in October 2017. The panic button hit in early 2017.

What hope did they have with this sort of planning. They should have had a fresh range ready to go.

The 6 Ps. **** poor planning = **** poor performance

[Sprintey]

Mr Ken Datsun says in the comments (hello Ken if you are also on these forums)

"Interesting you say that - the VE was the flexible medium/large platform you describe. Going right back to 2003/2004 when the program was in full swing, there were dozens of planned models on that platform - Medium SUV, small sedan (previewed as the TT36 concept car), Monaro replacement coupe, crew-cab (Crewman) replacement. It was all there. A well structured export plan and move to launch the brand in overseas markets, to complement local volume. After Peter Hanenberger retired (and his preferred replacement MD was palmed over) Denny Mooney arrived as a GM puppet and the plan was thrown in the bin. If you want to trace it back, that's probably the real beginning of the end."

That's pretty much it, parallel at Ford with Geoff Polites leaving and the, um, executives who revolving doored after him...

What I takeaway from that is if you want to survive making things in this country you not only need the product/cost structure, but you need passionate management willing to fight like hell to keep producing here. The US execs have more often than not, not got it.

[xr8territory]

I wonder how the members on this forum will react to the first Chinese built Fords when they arrive on Australian shores.

[MITCHAY]

Yes as I have said previously that I have read plenty of articles about Peter Hanenberger and his vision. Just look at the amount of models back then.

The VE platform itself produced multiple models in both LHD and RHD designed and built here.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by xr8territory

I wonder how the members on this forum will react to the first Chinese built Fords when they arrive on Australian shores.

Probably the same as their current range, they'll react by not buying them

Thailand Specials or lame *** SUVs based on wrong wheel drive hatches on stilts.

The only difference is they'll be lame *** SUVs based on wrong wheel drive hatches on stilts from China with VW pricing

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by xr8territory

I wonder how the members on this forum will react to the first Chinese built Fords when they arrive on Australian shores.

In short, I don't think our market is worth the cost and effort of setting up RHD in China.

[bathurst77]

Holden
"australias own"
Could have ended up a JV between GM (one of the worlds biggest companies and the epitomy of American and thus capitalist enterprise) and SAIC - owned by the Chinese Communist government
What strange bedmates.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by xr8territory

I wonder how the members on this forum will react to the first Chinese built Fords when they arrive on Australian shores.

Won't happen. China only builds LHD cars for their market. And are mostly Chinese market specific ie. stretched sedans with extra leg room in the back, cause chinese people are mostly chauffeured.

[CyberWasp]

When you look up the meaning of 'Train Wreck' in the dictionary, from now on, all they will need to do is publish the history of the last years of Holden.

[Crazy Dazz]

Holden had been mismanaged for as long as anyone can remember. Even when I was a kid, they were relying on Brand Loyalty to flog substandard cars to a gullible public. And that's what they continued to do, right up to the point where they had completely destroyed the brand and the loyalty.
It didn't help that for most of that time, the majority of Australian motoring magazines, "journalists", and critics, were addicted to the Holden Koolaid and lavished praise on every stinking turd Holden dropped.

I've worked for enough large companies to understand the problems that are endemic. Management is appointed based on cronyism and patronage, and the REAL goals and motivations are based around Power, Prestige, and Perks.
Put simply, those running Holden were saddled with two core delusions:
That Australians would always buy Holdens, regardless of what crap they served up. (Because they always had.)
And that GM would always bail them out. (Because they always had.)

One has to wonder for how long GM tried to pound some sense into them, before it got so bad that they simply walked away.

[mick taylor]

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

Wow glad that **** show never eventuated despite the **** show we actually got.

Holden did want to build local models to cater for market shift and for export and it seems that it was always pushing **** up hill to get GM on board.

Actually saw a VE parts bin special today that came about after Pontiac was closed down and I wonder where we might be today.

The VE was designed with the export to the USA to save the company, but Obama got in and started printing money and that drove up the Aussie dollar, so the VE failed to live up to why it was designed in the first place, as they were set to export half of the VE to the USA or more.

The VE was going to be smaller like the new Torana setup they showed off.

[mick taylor]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Holden had been mismanaged for as long as anyone can remember. Even when I was a kid, they were relying on Brand Loyalty to flog substandard cars to a gullible public. And that's what they continued to do, right up to the point where they had completely destroyed the brand and the loyalty.
It didn't help that for most of that time, the majority of Australian motoring magazines, "journalists", and critics, were addicted to the Holden Koolaid and lavished praise on every stinking turd Holden dropped.

I've worked for enough large companies to understand the problems that are endemic. Management is appointed based on cronyism and patronage, and the REAL goals and motivations are based around Power, Prestige, and Perks.
Put simply, those running Holden were saddled with two core delusions:
That Australians would always buy Holdens, regardless of what crap they served up. (Because they always had.)
And that GM would always bail them out. (Because they always had.)

One has to wonder for how long GM tried to pound some sense into them, before it got so bad that they simply walked away.

What Nonsense !
People could buy anything they wanted to, the FX Holden came along and it sold well because it was a good advanced car at the time that was practical for Australians.
Ok come 1970's and the Japs had good 4 cyl products but crap 6cyl that were to small a engines, if the Japs cars made bigger 6 cyl well then they may of hammered our Aussie cars in sales, no Jap V8's so I had no interest in such as 6 cyl or 4cyl cars at all.
Aussie cars got it right for size of large cars and the Jap large cars were to small.
With early 70's most Aussies were ignorant of disk brakes and such things that the Japs used in higher spec big cars and most Aussie idiots make stupid claims of look what the Japs big cars had std but you could opt all such in a Aussie car and more with a V8. they just do not get it dad had a Kingswood or Falcon 500 and they got into a big Jap car and ranted just dribble because they had never been in a Fairmont or Premer with options.

Holden went a bit to small with the VB but it was a better car than the XD Falcon VB had more comfort back seat and a more usable boot.
VN-P-R-S was a good size car, but VN-P-R chaffcutter V6.
The VT got bigger car and VE way to big due to wanting USA export potentials.