Original story first published in Drive on 19 April, 1996
For the first time in two decades, British-built Vauxhalls will soon go on sale in Australia – badged as Holdens!
The first British-built Holdens since the Vauxhall Viva was consigned to the history books began production in England this week.
Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant is building up to 10,500 Astra small cars, comprising four-door sedans and five-door hatches, as a replacement for Holden’s Nova.
The Nova was a rebadged Toyota Corolla and an Australian marketplace flop, forced on unenthusiastic Holden dealers by the now-dissolved marriage with Toyota.
The Astra represents a fresh start and fits into the Holden catalogue a size above the Barina and one rung below the Apollo which, by September, will be replaced by another European model called Vectra.
The Vauxhall factory is promising a well-built car, in contrast to the poor quality and reliability of much of its 1970s output when the British disease was rampant.
General Motors’ new worldwide approach to car sales has triggered the cosmopolitan additions to Holden showrooms.
Says a Vauxhall spokesman: “There was a general problem with British-built cars in the 1970s but today, as a fully-integrated part of the General Motors manufacturing set-up, we benchmark against the best and are competitive across Europe.
“Quality was a key factor in getting this [Holden] export business.”
Vauxhall beat its German sibling, Opel, for the export order, helped by its right-hand drive capacity and lower production costs.
The factory, near Liverpool, had a handful of Astras completed in February and these were air-freighted to Melbourne for validation testing.
Three-quarters of Australian models will have air-conditioning, and half will be equipped with automatic transmissions, says Vauxhall. Engines will be either 1.6, 1.8 or 2.0 litres.
Prices are likely to mirror those of the outgoing Nova model range, spanning a $10,000 bracket which starts at just under $20,000. Drive
The surprising countries your Holden came from
When we think of Holden, we think of our own home-grown car industry, a shining beacon of our ability to produce cars that could not only serve the needs of the population, but were also good enough to export to international markets.
However, the reality is, while the early days were indeed the decades of “Australia’s own car”, from the 1980s onwards more and more Holdens were built overseas and exported to Australia to be sold alongside ‘our own’ models.
That didn't stop the marketers from spruiking ‘Australia’s own car’ when selling the Holden Barina (above), made variously in Japan, South Korea, and Spain, or the Holden Jackaroo (Japan), Astra (variously in England, Belgium and Poland), and even the last generation Commodore, built overseas in Rüsselheim, Germany following the closure of Holden’s local manufacturing division in 2017.
Holden was, of course, no different in this regard to any other manufacturer, with the rise in globalisation seeing a boom in manufacturing in all corners of the world as companies endeavoured to keep costs down and profits high.
Which is why today, and this list is by no means exhaustive, we have Japanese cars built in the UK and Thailand, German cars made in Spain, the United States, Austria, Slovakia, and American cars made in Mexico, Canada, South Korean cars manufactured in the US, French cars hailing from China and the Czech Republic, and Italian models straight out of Poland.
So where were some of Holden’s most popular models actually manufactured? RM
Holden ZB Commodore (2018-2020)
Holden Colorado (2008-2020)
Holden Trailblazer (2012-2020)
Holden Astra (hatchback, 2015-2020)
Holden Suburban (1998-2001)
Holden Equinox (2017-2020)
Holden Captiva (2006-2018)
Holden Barina (1994-2005)
Holden Astra (sedan, 2016-2020)
Holden Barina (2005-2018)
Holden Trax (2013-2020)
Holden Cruze (2009-2016)
Holden Astra (1996-1998)
Holden Acadia (2018-2020)
Holden Astra (1998-2014)
Holden Barina (1985-94)
Holden Rodeo (1980-2008)
Holden Jackaroo (1981-2003)
Rob Margeit is an award-winning Australian motoring journalist and editor who has been writing about cars and motorsport for over 25 years. A former editor of Australian Auto Action, Rob’s work has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Wheels, Motor Magazine, Street Machine and Top Gear Australia. Rob’s current rides include a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a 2000 Honda HR-V Sport.
