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History of Holden from AUTOWEB
An
introduction to Holden
November 29, 1998, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the day in 1948 that the
much-anticipated first Holden, advertised with pride as Australia's Own Car,
was launched with suitable ceremony by the Prime Minister of the day, Ben Chifley.
The Holden name, however, is older than the motor car itself and has been associated
with transportation in Australia since the gold boom days of last century, when
it first appeared above a saddler's shop in Adelaide, South Australia.
By 1885, the Holden & Frost company was repairing and building horse-drawn
carriages and coaches. In 1914, it produced its first custom-made car body and
by 1924 - renamed Holden's Motor Body Builders - it operated one of the world's
most advanced production lines and was the exclusive body supplier to General
Motors in Australia.
The country's first large-scale automotive manufacturing facility was formed
in 1931 when the companies merged to become General Motors-Holden's Limited.
Many other Australian companies owe their development to the pioneering spirit
displayed by GMH in those formative years.
During World War II, General Motors-Holden's was a major industrial force in
Australia's defence effort. Between 1939 and 1945, Holden's produced more than
30,000 bodies for the Australian and US forces and manufactured a wide range
of equipment, including field guns, aircraft, aero and marine engines.
Following the war, GMH completed the challenge of building the nation's first
successfully mass-produced car.
Australians took the Holden 48/215 - popularly known as the FX - immediately
to their hearts, and demand was so strong that waiting lists stretched through
1949 and beyond.
With the release of the evolutionary and now-iconic FJ model in 1953, the love
affair deepened. These Holdens could cruise smoothly and effortlessly on the
speed limit and return brilliant fuel economy figures. Low maintenance, ruggedly
reliable and comfortably accommodating, they met the demands of a unique driving
environment and represented unbeatable value for money. The company's great
growth period was in the 1950s and 1960s, when it captured more than 50 percent
of the market, achieved a sales record of 19,000 Holden cars in one month, and
exported cars and components to more than 50 overseas destinations.
This winning formula - and its spirit endures to this day - was applied with
increasing sophistication to successive models. It represented a genuine response
to the voice of the customer and resulted in a domination of the sales charts
that endured for almost 30 years. Exponentially, the Holden brand assumed a
unique character and stature, quintessentially Australian, signifying strength
and leadership.
The car-building division entered the 1990's as General-Motors-Holden's Automotive
Limited (GMHA) This followed major re-structuring which commenced in December
1986 when General Motors-Holden's was divided into two companies: Holden's Motor
Company (HMC) and Holden's Engine Company (HEC). HEC was fully re-integrated
into Holden's manufacturing operations in 1996. In November 1994 General Motors-Holden's
Automotive Limited unveiled its new corporate identity. This saw the company
move to the use of one name - Holden - in the market place, and a new Lion badge.
As of 1998, Holden's registered name also changed from General Motors-Holden's
Automotive Limited to Holden Ltd.
There are now more Holden cars on Australian roads than any other model, with
the vast majority of full-sized family Holdens having claimed the title of Australia's
most popular car - and the all-new VT Commodore is no exception.
Today, Holden is recognised as the General Motors engineering and design headquarters
for the Asia Pacific Region and locally manufactures Commodore sedans, wagons
and utilities plus the long-wheelbase Statesman and Caprice saloons. Holden
also imports General Motor's products Astra, Barina, Combo and Vectra from Europe.
These models are re-engineered by Holden for Australian conditions with Vectra
beginning local production in 1998. The Holden Japanese-sourced commercial vehicle
range includes Frontera, Jackaroo, Monterey and Rodeo while the Holden Suburban
is sourced from America. These models are marketed through Isuzu-General Motors
Australia (IGM), a joint venture company founded in 1989.
Holden's Engine Operations manufactures 3.8 V6 ECOTEC, V6 Supercharged and V8
engines for Holden's local cars. Four-cylinder Family II engines, including
1.6, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2-litre versions are manufactured predominantly for export
markets. Holden is Australia's largest exporter of manufactured automotive components
and, in 1998, will export its three millionth Family II engine since 1981.