The Motor Trades Association of Queensland (MTA Queensland) are disappointed by General Motors (GM) retiring the Holden name.
“First and foremost, our thoughts are with the dealerships and their employees affected by the announcement along with their families,” group chief executive Brett Dale says.
The Holden leadership team in Australia decided the investment in future Holden models would not produce a significant return.
“With approximately 200 Holden new vehicle dealerships across Australia affected by the announcement, including 39 here in Queensland, it is imperative that these dealers are compensated adequately for the significant investments they have made over many years in terms of capital, time and effort. GM has stated that compensation to dealers will be confidential.
“The departure of Holden comes at a time where franchised new car dealers are under immense pressure from global manufacturers. This development re-affirms the need for government to thoroughly consider the framework of the new automotive franchising code in Australia to ensure that has adequate protection for businesses who’ve invested millions of dollars.”
GM has said it will continue to support its vehicles and have assured that all warranties, spare parts, servicing and recalls will remain for at least 10 years through national aftersales networks.
Holden dealer and MTA Queensland member Ireland’s of Cairns is business as usual.
Dealer principal Richard Ireland says they have been around for 97 years and would not be going anywhere and will continue to sell Holdens until they ran out of stock.
“It’s a sad day but no one can dwell on that. At the end of the day, we have 105 families to look after. I made it clear to staff that we have faced challenges before. The dealership completely burned down in 1993. We will reconfigure, repurpose and redesign.”
The business has 11 other brands, including Holden Special Vehicles, Mitsubishi, Chrysler, Jeep, Isuzu trucks and Chevrolet.
Ireland says the announcement made some decisions easier as Holden had not been selling enough units.
“We do have plenty of stock and will be making some sensational retail offers in the next few days and give people a lot of reasons to buy the product.”
Ireland says the business would continue to support Holden vehicles with servicing and parts for at least the next 10 years.
Another MTA Queensland member, Devietti Holden, only sells Holden and dealer principal Michael Devietti says they could find themselves with nothing to sell by the end of the year.
“Unfortunately, it’s a huge shock. We’d like to think we are going to stay in the motor industry, but what we are going to be selling, who knows?”
The business has 10 staff members and will begin making decisions on the best cars to sell for the area, while continuing to support existing Holden customers.
