When it comes to Horton, most people’s first reaction is Sun Yang’s loser, that shameless Australian swimmer?

However, for car fans, HOLDEN, the old car manufacturer that once dominated the Australian car market, is worthy of this name. In Australia, Holden cars are known to everyone. The Holden car with this lion LOGO is the most familiar car brand to Australians.

And Holden is also the best choice for most people to travel by car in Australia. Australia has a large land area, a vast and charming coastline, and very rich natural tourism resources. To explore this magical land in depth, self-driving is the most recommended way. However, Holden, which has been rooted in Australia for more than 160 years, will completely withdraw from the stage of history this year. For both tourists and locals, it is a huge regret that Horton has come to an end. There are so many voices of regret, today we will talk about Holden cars.

The path of glory and failure of a century-old brand

Holden’s history can be traced back to 1856, when it was still a manufacturer of leather goods and horse gear. In the following years, influenced by the automobile revolution, Holden gradually entered the automobile manufacturing industry.

In 1914, Holden, which was transitioning to automobile manufacturing, officially entered the body manufacturing industry.

Around 1920, two major American car giants, Ford and General Motors, set up factories in Australia, and Holden became their body supplier.

In 1928, Horton's most iconic "lion rolling stone" logo began to be used.

In 1931, Holden merged with General Australia. Since then, many models from GM brands such as Buick and Opel have been produced and sold locally under the Holden brand name.

In 1948, Holden released a model called Holden48-215, which was later called the FX series. This is Australia's first self-manufactured car, a milestone for both Australia and Holden.

In 1962, Holden achieved the "small goal" of producing one million units. At the same time, it was an era when owning a detached house with a backyard and a Holden became the ultimate dream for countless Australians. Holden has ushered in a golden era, and the HK, EH, HR, and HQ series models have been launched successively, helping Holden become the "national brand" with the largest share of the Australian automobile market.

Especially the Commodore model released in 1978 is still Australia's best-selling model today.

In 2017, the last car produced by Holden Motors rolled off the production line at the Adelaide plant in South Australia. After that, Holden only sold imported cars, and the Australian automobile industry came to an end.

Until a few days ago, one stone stirred up thousands of waves, and the hearts of car fans were hammered to death. At the beginning of 2020, Holden's parent company General Motors announced that it would stop using the iconic Holden brand and close all car sales in Australia. This also means that Holden’s history is completely ended.

Holden’s departure may be equivalent to Hongqi, Chery, Changan, Great Wall and other independent brands being forced to withdraw from the market in the Chinese automobile market. Whether it is the national brand sentiment or the brilliance it once achieved, it will be regrettable.

Does Holden’s tragic fate have anything to do with GM?

As the parent company of Holden, in which General Motors is the dominant force, it is difficult not to suspect that Holden ended up like this - all because of GM's poor management. But things are more complicated than we think.

First of all, the influence of the general environment is one of the main reasons for Holden's failure. Competition in the Australian car market is extremely fierce. There are more than 200 car brands sold in Australia. Coupled with low car tariffs and an insufficient population, as a local brand, Holden is facing increasing competition pressure. In addition, labor costs in Australia are too high. In contrast, car companies prefer to set up factories in Thailand and other places to significantly reduce manufacturing costs.

Secondly, after Holden was acquired by General Motors, in order to reduce R&D and production costs, General Motors rebranded a large number of its models to Holden for production, which to some extent weakened the value of the Holden brand. Nowadays, the Holden cars that can be seen everywhere in Australia are basically GM cars with various rebadges. Australia's market size is insufficient, and it is not difficult to understand why GM does not invest more in it out of corporate interests. After all, GM doesn't have the Australian people's infinite affection for Holden, so it's enough to rely on that little bit of faith to continue selling it.

In addition, although Commodore was once synonymous with power and driving pleasure, it was a legendary car in the eyes of countless car fans. But times are changing. The status of small-displacement models is gradually increasing, oil prices are rising, SUV models are becoming popular, and new energy vehicles are the general trend. Holden failed to keep up with the changes of the times, and the times abandoned Holden.