GM Holden Stakes Out Life After Car Production

With vehicle production firmly in its rearview mirror, GM Holden is spending heavily to ensure its future in Australia, announcing multimillion-dollar investments in two key areas: the nationwide dealership network and its Lang Lang proving ground.

After more than a year of research, design and testing, GM Holden and its dealers are spending up to A$150 million ($114 million) on a transformative design project for the network.

The 3-year “dealership of the future” project started rolling out with the first dealerships to wear the new-look GM Holden identity opening in regional Victoria and metropolitan Brisbane.

More will follow by the end of the year with the roll-out ramping up in 2018, with up to 10 dealerships rebranding each month.

GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mark Bernhard says the General Motors subsidiary is evolving its brand to appeal to a broader audience. “Nothing is more important in this journey than dealerships – they are the front line of our great brand,” he says in a statement.

“The experience people have at Holden dealerships is a key part of repositioning the brand in the hearts and minds of today’s Australians.”

The project includes new internal and external signage; concierge services; highly skilled sales teams; airport-lounge-style layout; and a boutique café; and technology including large LED screens to help customers visualize and choose cars; integrating after-sales service personnel and customers into the main showroom.

Narelle Stack, GM Holden Future Dealership Director, says the project is about building trust by making customers feel relaxed and comfortable throughout the car-buying and -servicing experience.

“The reimagined Holden dealership of the future will offer a more immersive, personalized and genuine experience for our customers, their families and community to discover the possibilities created by our brand,” Stack says.

GM Holden used Australian design specialists as well as the expertise of GM’s Detroit-based design team to create a suite of internal and external signage.

GM Holden’s Lang Lang proving ground turned 60 this year, and the company is resurfacing its 2.92-mile (4.7-km) circular track at a cost of A$7 million ($5.3 million).

Bernhard says every vehicle wearing a Holden badge has been tested at Lang Lang.

“Holden vehicles will continue to be tuned and tested at our proving ground for Australian conditions, and this track investment is a demonstration of how central Lang Lang is to Holden’s ongoing localization capabilities,” he says.

Lang Lang also plays an important role for GM internationally, providing engine and transmission calibration for global markets. GM Holden’s Lang Lang team is working on global programs for Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac.