Cara Jenkin: We said goodbye to Holden three years ago. But we’ll keep the spirit alive
For the most passionate Holden motoring enthusiasts, Holden died in 2017. So today’s announcement is sad but not much of a surprise, writes Cara Jenkin.
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Holden drivers could sense the garage door was being pulled down on the “Red Lion” about two months ago when the company announced it was no longer selling sedans in the local market.
So for them, this decision has come as no surprise.
For most passionate Holden motoring enthusiasts, Holden died in 2017 when the last true blue Commodore drove off the production line at Elizabeth, and its Australian factory closed.
There was a flood of support for the local car company, with lovers of the car with a “Lion” on its badge buying up big the last Australian-built model of the four-door sedan.
Just two and a half years on, none of them have had any reason to upgrade or update to a German-made commodore so, of course, new sedan sales have taken a significant hit.
By all reports, the overseas version of a commodore was a good car.
I wouldn’t know, because I’ve been too busy polishing my shiny 2007 V8 Commodore I’ve kept in immaculate condition since its birth – and have had no plans of trading in for a fake commodore.
The overseas-made jacked-up vehicles the company offered have not been enough of a lure for motorists to buy a Holden, most likely because they have so many other choices available to them.
Just like in 2017, just like in 2019 – Monday was a sad day for Holden fans, for South Australia, for Australia.
However, as South Australians, we should be proud of the role the Holden car has played in our national folklore.
A company that started out making saddles in Grenfell St in the 1800s became a national icon, right up there with football, meat pies and kangaroos.
On the racetrack, they took on the giant of US car manufacturing, Ford, beating it at its own game, creating a sporting rivalry that still divides friends and families.
Holden motoring enthusiasts – like their Ford counterparts that have gone before them when they lost a Falcon and gained a Mustang – will find a new hero.
Much like in other parts of Australian culture – in which more Aussies seem to favour eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts than those from Balfours, and wear sneakers rather than RM Williams boots – that won’t be from our backyard, but from the US.
Whether that’s a General Motors-owned Chevrolet Camaro or some other vehicle, time will tell.
Most of us have shed our tears. We said goodbye to Holden three years ago. But we’ll keep the spirit alive.
We’ll lift the garage doors and take our Australian-built Commodores out for a spin instead.
Originally published as Cara Jenkin: We said goodbye to Holden three years ago. But we’ll keep the spirit alive