GM Holden Launches Transition From Oz Production

GM Holden takes the first steps away from local production and toward a new Australian era of being a full importer as the first Holden Insignia VXR rolls off the production line in Rüsselsheim, Germany.

The Insignia VXR will be one of four new European vehicles to join the GM Holden range in the second quarter of this year, with the Astra VXR, Astra GTC and Cascada convertible completing the lineup.

GM Holden says their introduction signifies the General Motors subsidiary’s commitment to sourcing top vehicles from around the world.

Marketing Executive Director Bill Mott sees GM Holden as sharing similar core values to Opel, its European sibling, which he says makes it an obvious and strong partnership.

“Astra, Cascada and Insignia are renowned in Europe for their performance credentials and premium execution, making them the perfect addition to Holden’s range as we continue to offer more choice for our customers,” Mott says in a statement.

“We are determined to offer Australians the best possible products that we can source from GM’s global operations, and Opel’s commitment to performance and quality aligns perfectly with our own heritage and brand.”

Opel Group CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann says the company is looking forward to working closely with Holden.

“This is further proof of our engineers’ development expertise and the attractiveness of our products,” Neumann says. “We are delighted that our successful flagship will be available in Australia.”

GM Holden, which will halt domestic production at the end of 2017, has a major new vehicle-launch program, involving 24 vehicle launches and 36 new powertrain combinations over the next five years. It says a third of the brand’s future models will be sourced from Europe.