Holden - how long before the end?

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Originally Posted by rammypluge

They could have fixed the rear seat issue somehow.

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Sure. They could have made the cabin longer, they could have made the front seat capacity shorter, or, they could have looked at the dimensions of the Japanese utes ( taller ) and copied that. Instead, they tried to suck in all their "loyal" customers because it was a Commodore. Completely forgetting that they had abandoned the ute market when they moved on from the VS cars. Holden were far worse than Ford in this regard. They thought that they could 'build it and they would come'. Ford learnt, with the "tall poppy" ads, and of course the AU, that the market was fickle. Holden believed they were the motoring gods. You see it today, with the ads for the HSV Colorado. Seriously? Do they think that an HSV customer wants a Korean ute? HSV was chasing M5 customers, not cashed up tradies. The idea is absurd, and Holden have done it to themselves.

Ford have the second top selling car in the country. It was developed and engineered in Broadmeadows. It is of course built in Thailand, but so what. The Thais deserve jobs. In fact, they deserve jobs far more than the Australian motor workers do.

The car is of course the Ranger. The Mazda spin off ( careful: it used to be the other way around, but now it is definitely a Ford first ) is doing quite nicely as well. The only car doing better is the HiLux, but only just.

The Colorado may or may not scrape into the top ten, depending on when you look. It has NO Australian input, unless you are silly enough to pay the HSV premium.

For me, though, it's the cynical use of the Commodore name. As I said way back, at least Ford had the decency to retire the Falcon name. Holden thought you wouldn't notice, and for that they deserve the same fate as politicians. SeeYa. I won't miss the modern Holden. If I look back on the Holdens I have owned, I don't think I'll miss them at all.

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Originally Posted by rammypluge

While i am not an advocate per se of 2L engines, you can get a fair whack out of them these days.

The Amarok 2L is 420nm std, simple stage 1 remap equals 520nm, get a 3" exhaust and ditch the dpf and you can choose from 550nm or 620nm.

A bmw 2L diesel would likely pump out more power.

Those Ecotech petrols sound pretty strong.

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550 nm he reckons

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Originally Posted by johntins

Sure. They could have made the cabin longer, they could have made the front seat capacity shorter, or, they could have looked at the dimensions of the Japanese utes ( taller ) and copied that. Instead, they tried to suck in all their "loyal" customers because it was a Commodore. Completely forgetting that they had abandoned the ute market when they moved on from the VS cars. Holden were far worse than Ford in this regard. They thought that they could 'build it and they would come'. Ford learnt, with the "tall poppy" ads, and of course the AU, that the market was fickle. Holden believed they were the motoring gods. You see it today, with the ads for the HSV Colorado. Seriously? Do they think that an HSV customer wants a Korean ute? HSV was chasing M5 customers, not cashed up tradies. The idea is absurd, and Holden have done it to themselves.

Ford have the second top selling car in the country. It was developed and engineered in Broadmeadows. It is of course built in Thailand, but so what. The Thais deserve jobs. In fact, they deserve jobs far more than the Australian motor workers do.

The car is of course the Ranger. The Mazda spin off ( careful: it used to be the other way around, but now it is definitely a Ford first ) is doing quite nicely as well. The only car doing better is the HiLux, but only just.

The Colorado may or may not scrape into the top ten, depending on when you look. It has NO Australian input, unless you are silly enough to pay the HSV premium.

For me, though, it's the cynical use of the Commodore name. As I said way back, at least Ford had the decency to retire the Falcon name. Holden thought you wouldn't notice, and for that they deserve the same fate as politicians. SeeYa. I won't miss the modern Holden. If I look back on the Holdens I have owned, I don't think I'll miss them at all.

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Holden spent too much time reading Wheels and believing it

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Originally Posted by Tombie

Completely rebuilding a vehicle can change things wonderfully.

My XR6 was a weapon at the track, shutting down most competitors...

There was $60k of modifications on a $45k vehicle.

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And here i was thinking only Defender got that sort of mod money :)

I liked my holden HQ statesman one tonner. Thats the only holden i have owned so far. Maybe that says i wasnt keen on them for a fair while.

I think the Euro Commodore whatever would be a good car for someone also considering a Camry, but the market for big sedans has shrunk so much it's unlikely to challenge the Camry for sales.
People are mostly buying either versatile vehicles able to move five people (SUVs and utes) or small cars for commuting.
The Captiva is a solid seller, some Colorado's are moving, but the rest of Holden's range is not doing much, even though some are reasonable vehicles.
Times have changed. Ford can sell the Fiesta, Focus and Ranger, so Holden needs to lift it's game.

i think, as an idea, the govt should of bought holden, and spun them off into a non GM business, focusing on their best sellers, the V8 cars and nothing else.

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Ford can sell the Fiesta, Focus and Ranger, so Holden needs to lift it's game.

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Ford is also doing well with the mustang i think. Seeing plenty around me.

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Originally Posted by rammypluge

Ford is also doing well with the mustang i think. Seeing plenty around me.

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i see plenty on tow trucks too

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Originally Posted by Eevo

i think, as an idea, the govt should of bought holden, and spun them off into a non GM business, focusing on their best sellers, the V8 cars and nothing else.

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Nationalising businesses never ends well - think British Leyland.

Besides, the economies of scale are simply not there. The V8 cars were a fraction of their overall sales.