Holden Suspend Astra imports.

[The-V8-Power]

I just read that Holden has stopped importation of the Astra from this month to the end of this month. It might have to do with the possible sale of Opel or maybe in preparation for the Cruze?
I hope it's not the end of the Opel imports for Holden :(

http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/08sri_turbo44-480x319.jpg

Article:
http://www.caradvice.com.au/29606/holden-suspends-astra-sales/

Your thoughts guys?

Edit: Just realised there is another thread on the end of the Astra and I should have added to that. Mods delete if you wish :)

[demondan]

GM Holden has taken the unprecedented step of suspending imports of its second best selling car the Opel-made Astra, sighting issues with currency fluctuations and commodity price issues.

What a crock of sh*t that above quote and story in general is. The dollars that Ford use to import various models from Europe must be some how different. "ooh magic Ford money" Holden as each day draws to a close your becoming more and more the "Holwoe" car company. Eventually the Commy will be some rebadged Korean piece of dribble and what a sad day for the Australian automotive industry that will be.

[Ghia351]

GM Holden has taken the unprecedented step of suspending imports of its second best selling car the Opel-made Astra, sighting issues with currency fluctuations and commodity price issues.

What a crock of sh*t that above quote and story in general is. The dollars that Ford use to import various models from Europe must be some how different. "ooh magic Ford money" Holden as each day draws to a close your becoming more and more the "Holwoe" car company. Eventually the Commy will be some rebadged Korean piece of dribble and what a sad day for the Australian automotive industry that will be.Focus is South African sourced apart from XR5, until production switches here. Currency exchange rates is just one factor as are what price the source division charges Ford and Holden for their cars. eg Toyota doesn't require every division to be a profit centre when selling between countries as long as the whole group makes a profit. GM and Ford require all divisions to make a profit when selling between each other. It's rather ironic because when Jack Nasser was Ford Oz pres he once said when explaining why Ford Aust couldn't afford to bring in the Ford Euro small cars "maybe Holden's maths is better then our's". Unfortunately, Holden's biggest problem is the holding pattern it's in until the GM issues come to a head in June.

[planetdavo]

GM Holden has taken the unprecedented step of suspending imports of its second best selling car the Opel-made Astra, sighting issues with currency fluctuations and commodity price issues.

What a crock of sh*t that above quote and story in general is. The dollars that Ford use to import various models from Europe must be some how different. "ooh magic Ford money" Holden as each day draws to a close your becoming more and more the "Holwoe" car company. Eventually the Commy will be some rebadged Korean piece of dribble and what a sad day for the Australian automotive industry that will be.
Perhaps you are not aware of just how much of the VE comes with Made in China or Made in Korea tags already.
Falcon isn't that much better either. Welcome to the new world order...:teach:

[Jag530G]

Perhaps you are not aware of just how much of the VE comes with Made in China or Made in Korea tags already.
Falcon isn't that much better either. Welcome to the new world order...:teach:

It makes you wonder if the VE is already a CKD (Completely Knocked Down) effort, if not it's not a long way short and in fact this could be the future of the Commodore, all the parts are made in China/Korea (and America/Canada/Mexico/Japan for the engines and Gearboxes) and they are assembled here for the Australian market with the government financial assistance and the cars are also assembled in China (as the WM is currently as a CKD from Australia) and South Korea for their respective markets.

Cheers, Matthew

[planetdavo]

Unfortunately, Australia simply cannot compete in the world market any other way these days.
As much as people say they will happily pay more for a more local content/better quality Holden, it simply wont happen in the required numbers. Most will just go out and buy a "premium" import instead. :slap:

[theVman]

Not that this has much to do with the Astra but I agree with Davo. The Asian countries are excellent at pumping out components cheaply. The only problem they have is assembling it all with any quality. Hence it would be in Holdens best interest to assemble locally.

This is similar in many other industries within Australia. I know of a fair few larger companies who outsource componentry overseas then assemble here to help quality and keep them competitive in the overall market.

[payaya]

Not that this has much to do with the Astra but I agree with Davo. The Asian countries are excellent at pumping out components cheaply. The only problem they have is assembling it all with any quality. Hence it would be in Holdens best interest to assemble locally.

This is similar in many other industries within Australia. I know of a fair few larger companies who outsource componentry overseas then assemble here to help quality and keep them competitive in the overall market.

There are many asian countries who do assembling eg Japan, Taiwan, Korea. Cant say they are bad at putting things together.

[SV346]

Unfortunately, Australia simply cannot compete in the world market any other way these days.
As much as people say they will happily pay more for a more local content/better quality Holden, it simply wont happen in the required numbers. Most will just go out and buy a "premium" import instead. :slap:

The commodore and holdens in general would be premium vehicles if they werent such cheapasses about it. Their attitude has completely put me off buying another, and as such, i WILL buy a PREMIUM EUROPEAN import next time around.
Even if its a ford or holden, if its european its generally better, especially goes for the xr5 ford focus and xr5 mondeo, craps all over anything any other of their divisions can dish out. GM is failing because they go on the cheap, bad cheap, holden will make a good thing bad by sticking crap to it, ford has put an effort in to make their product better and its certainly showing at least in europe, and theyre looking to be in the clear by 2-3 years, whats gm looking for, bankruptcy, still, thank you korea and china.

[planetdavo]

Have you seen how many Mondeo's Ford are selling?
About as little as Holden did with the ZC Vectra in the Mondeo's case...:teach: Holden lost money on them.
Focus should be doing much better too, since the South African manufacture of all except XR5 allows competitive pricing.
The simple fact is if you charge a similar price but have a Ford or a Holden badge on it, many buyers will just go and buy a "premium" Mazda, Honda, Volkwagen or Subaru instead. Doesn't matter how much "quality" product you put into the manufacture of the car!
Holden have done well with the Astra, but it has price pressures on it, and considering most likely no one here has actually driven the new Cruze, I believe it to be a little premature to be biased and lump it already into the "Asian crap" basket.

[Martin_D]

The simple fact is if you charge a similar price but have a Ford or a Holden badge on it, many buyers will just go and buy a "premium" Mazda, Honda, Volkwagen or Subaru instead. Doesn't matter how much "quality" product you put into the manufacture of the car!

So its ok for manufacturers to dish up re-heated old crap because those that buy it dont want a decent car? This is the attitude that has landed GM Global in the bankruptcy basket in the first place, and will end up costing Aussie jobs. Its interesting how the corporate philosophy goes all the way from the top to the bottom :eek:

Current reviews of the Chevy Cruze from overseas -

Auto Express
It doesn’t really offer anything new in this class. However, it’s an honest compact family car that does exactly what it sets out to do .

Autocar
For a lot of less demanding drivers, this is a very, very tempting package, especially in the current economic climate.

4Car
The most convincing Chevrolet ever, but it still trails its hatchback rivals.

Car magazine
Although it doesn’t quite hit the mark, the Cruze shows there is some decent and relevant product in the pipeline at GM.

and this is the car that is going to save Holden........ :eek:

[planetdavo]

[I]Auto Express
It doesn’t really offer anything new in this class. However, it’s an honest compact family car that does exactly what it sets out to do .

Autocar
For a lot of less demanding drivers, this is a very, very tempting package, especially in the current economic climate.

The AH Astra for years has been off the top of the reviewers favourite lists too my friend. :)
Your problem Mr Tuna, is that you, like many on this forum, view every car on the market with a heavy slant toward performance and handling ability. Have a look at Toyota's product for a better idea of where much of the market sits...:teach:

[Martin_D]

You got it wrong Davo :)
Part of my role is as a professional car reviewer, where each and every part of the driveline and integrity of the vehicle as a whole is put under the microscope. A good example is the family car, a C Class Benz purchased for ride quality, economy, and overall refinement in its intended role....performance had nothing to do with it, and probably wont when it comes to running some kind of review on the Cruze either :cool:

Re-heated Daewoos are not cool, good, or desireable when viewed with any slant. This one will prove to be no different. Lets see how wrong I get it shall we? :lol:

[Pickles]

I hope that Holden are able to "negotiate" the continued import of Astra.
At the moment, its mechanical side isn't too flash, particularly the auto, where many cars of this nature have a 100kw diesel with around 320/340nm & a 6 speed auto. I understand that future Astras will have more modern drivetrains.
Astra has always enjoyed a reputation of a good solid reliable Euro built car...a car well above "Daewoos" "Vivas" etc & that type of stuff.
We have an 05 TS Astra Classic which has travelled nearly 80ks with no problems at all(nothing has broken or fallen off)....we'd quite happily drive to anywhere in Aus in it!
So whilst Davo is right, about what people will pay, I hope that Holden do continue to import it....because with a bit more grunt, & its known build quality, it could be a good thing for Holden.
Cheers, Pickles.

[Party Pete]

I strongly believe that the reason why people have been flocking to japanese brands is the quality they are producing. I also didn't buy a VE because of the crap plastics and general feeling of cheapness the car exudes. Have a look inside of a Mazda or Suburu for $40,000 and unless you are committed RWD and a large car, it isn't hard to see why people are changing their mind. Remember also that the Mazda 3 has been top selling in its class for some time and it is hardly the cheapest car there. People will pay more for something that is better quality. The only reason why Ford and Holden struggle is that they are so inconsitant. What does Holden stand for now? Looking at the materials in the Korean imports and the Commodore and it hard to conclude that it stands for anything other than cheap and unreliable. Only the Astra was any different but now they are getting rid of that. So, perhaps low quality is what Holden plans to become.

[planetdavo]

You got it wrong Davo :)
Part of my role is as a professional car reviewer, where each and every part of the driveline and integrity of the vehicle as a whole is put under the microscope.
I wouldn't be rushing and telling the world you also are a motoring writer/critic.
They tend to have a well earned reputation for being :jerk: my friend, out of touch with reality due to high exposure to "premium" (read expensive) products all the time. Bit like wine snobs (whoops, I mean "critics")... :)

[Martin_D]

I wouldn't be rushing and telling the world you also are a motoring writer/critic.
They tend to have a well earned reputation for being :jerk: my friend, out of touch with reality due to high exposure to "premium" (read expensive) products all the time. Bit like wine snobs (whoops, I mean "critics")... :)

This is true.
I certainly have never been on here lauding the performance general style of the Epica either. Thats for sure. No doubt you will enjoy the new Holwoo as you dont know any better. Many do know better, and won't :)

[planetdavo]

You know how much I love our banter Mr T. What's wrong with a bit of mindless fluff after a busy day I say...:lmao: