General Motors created Holden in 1931 through a merger with Holden Motor Body Builders, a company that had been building car bodies for General Motors since 1924. The merger was part of General Motors' strategy to expand its operations in Australia.
The first Holden car, the 48-215, was launched in 1948. It was a success, and Holden quickly became the leading car manufacturer in Australia. In its first year of production, Holden sold over 50,000 cars.
Holden continued to be successful in the following decades, and by the 1970s, it was producing over 200,000 cars per year. The company also diversified its operations, producing trucks, buses, and other vehicles.
Holden's success was due to a number of factors, including:
The quality of its cars
The company's strong marketing campaigns
The support of the Australian government
In the 1980s, Holden began to face increasing competition from Japanese car manufacturers. However, the company managed to maintain its market share by introducing new models and investing in new technology.
In the 2000s, Holden's sales began to decline due to the global financial crisis and the increasing popularity of SUVs. The company also faced criticism for its high labor costs and its reliance on government subsidies.
In 2013, Holden announced that it would end car manufacturing in Australia by 2017. The decision was a major blow to the Australian automotive industry, and it led to the loss of thousands of jobs.
The last Holden car, the Commodore, rolled off the production line in 2017. However, the Holden brand will continue to exist, as General Motors will continue to import and sell Holden cars in Australia.
Here are some sales figures for Holden cars:
1948: 50,000 cars
1970s: 200,000 cars per year
1980s: 150,000 cars per year
2000s: 100,000 cars per year
2010s: 50,000 cars per year
Holden was a highly successful brand, and its cars were popular with Australian consumers for many years. The company's demise is a sad chapter in Australian automotive history, but the Holden brand will continue to live on.