Hoocoodanode? Via The Australian, the German Commodore ain’t travelling too well:
The new ZB Commodore – the first import to carry the badge, following the closure of Holden’s local manufacturing operations in October last year – is tanking. After its launch in February, predicted resale values went straight off the cliff. Industry valuer RedBook has the ZB Commodore we tested here – the 3.6-litre V6 RS Liftback – retaining an estimated 18 per cent of its value as a trade-in after five years/100,000 kilometres.
That is the worst resale value of any new car on the market. Its VFII SV6 predecessor, the last home-grown Commodore, is pulling 29 per cent. A Porsche 911 Carrera retains 49 per cent. That’s about as good as it gets in the money pit that is new car depreciation.
…This is a capable, refined, enjoyable car at what should be compelling prices, but it doesn’t really matter. As an import-only operation, Holden has become The Hollow Brand, its “Australia’s Own” pitch now as vapid and meaningless as its boast that the new Commodore would “set Australian driver pulses racing”.
And via Domainfax, neither is all of Holden:
Holden is fighting for survival. Battling record low sales, a dealer backlash and an American head office focused on large left-hand drive markets there are concerns the brand that created the first Australian car is facing extinction.
Furious dealers were among analysts who attended a recent crisis meeting at the Port Melbourne headquarters to formulate a plan for the future of the General Motors-owned brand.
…Sales were expected to dip post-manufacturing, but no one – including Holden – expected them to drop so dramatically.
…It was once families, farmers, business executives and middle class Australia lining up to buy Holdens.
But in recent years it’s turned its attention to minorities – LGBTI and ethnic groups – “to better reflect and connect with today’s Australia”, none of which is a bad thing
In doing so, it turned its back on traditional Holden buyers, the people arguably most likely to give the brand a chance in its import-only form.
Despite the sales slump, orders were in and boats were on their way, leaving dealerships with excess and executives scratching their heads over how to clear the backlog.
Panic appears to have set in – and sporadic extended warranties and discounting have been the solution.
All so bloody predictable for anyone except the smartest guy in the room.
My advice is kill the Holden brand now and use US brands instead. At least that will give them the kind of cache enjoyed by rocketing sales of Jeep and models like the Ford Mustang.
Selling fake Australian cars is a poor business model.
