so.... what name is going to be used for GM badged cars in Australia

[mauser]

See I think the Holden name should go along with manufacturing here. I get the point that GM executives came here and saw Chevy bowties on all the Commodores and then discounted the arguments that many Australians had exclusive brand loyalty to Holden. Many brands have gone by the wayside, the cessation of manufactoring here should mothball the brand name as well.

Australia had imported Chevys previously and they are brand aware. I thought lots of origiopnal dealers sold Chevys prior to the FX's introduction. Rebadging imported cars and expecting us to believe they are home grown Holden’s is silly. HSV can be another Callaway for cars customsied for our tastes and conditions.

Can’t every current Holden dealer just get a few new signs made and off they go…. Goodby V8 Supercars and hello Nascar!


Mauser

[Dr Terry]

See I think the Holden name should go along with manufacturing here. I get the point that GM executives came here and saw Chevy bowties on all the Commodores and then discounted the arguments that many Australians had exclusive brand loyalty to Holden. Many brands have gone by the wayside, the cessation of manufactoring here should mothball the brand name as well.

Australia had imported Chevys previously and they are brand aware. I thought lots of origiopnal dealers sold Chevys prior to the FX's introduction. Rebadging imported cars and expecting us to believe they are home grown Holden’s is silly. HSV can be another Callaway for cars customsied for our tastes and conditions.

Can’t every current Holden dealer just get a few new signs made and off they go…. Goodby V8 Supercars and hello Nascar!


Mauser

GM-Holden did some marketing surveys a few years ago & found surprisingly, that outside of the car enthusiast crowd, that the name Chevrolet had virtually no brand awareness at all. By comparison, the name Holden was up there with Toyota, Ford, Qantas, McDonalds & Coca Cola. You cannot just buy that size of brand awareness, it is built up over decades.

On this forum, we all know about Chevs as well as the use of their V8s in most forms of motorsport over several decades, but ask the average punter & he will have no idea. Same with Cadillac, most of us remember them from the 50s with their huge fins as luxury barges, but again the average Gen X or Gen Y will know very little about the Cadillac marque.

At the current time Holden sell a whole range of cars from the Spark & Barina to the Cruze, Malibu, Commodore, Trax, Colorado & Captiva etc. & only the Commodore & some Cruze are made here. Even then, many Commodore components are imported & the Cruze almost entirely built from CKD kits. Even the Cruze wagon is fully imported. So in reality, importing Holdens is not new. We have imported Holdens since the Rodeo, Jackaroo, Drover, Barina & Scurry of the 80s.

It is sad that local manufacturing is coming to a close, but IMHO, as long as the VF Commodore replacement is a proper RWD car & not FWD shopping trolley, I don't think it matters where it's built as long as it's built well.

Dr Terry