Holden is one of the oldest names in the Australian car market, first as a body builder and assembler of various imported American cars, then as a carmaker in its own right from 1948-2017. Sadly, it was announced in February 2020 that the brand will cease trading by the end of the year. At the time of this announcement, the Holden range was comprised of Trax, Equinox, Acadia and Trailblazer SUVs, along with the Colorado light commercial ute range. Even after shifting from manufacturer to importer, Holden continued to tune its line-up for local conditions via its legendary engineering team at the iconic Lang Lang proving ground in Victoria.
For much of the post-war period Holden was the Australian market leader, but sales have fallen dramatically in recent years. Holden manufactured the locally-designed Commodore Evoke, SV6, SS and Calais V6 and V8 sedans, wagons and Utes, and Caprice luxury sedan, along with the Cruze sedan and hatch, and imported Cruze wagon. Other models that have disappeared from the local line-up in recent times include the ZB Commodore, Barina hatch, Astra hatch, sedan and wagon, Captiva SUVs, and mid-sized Malibu sedan from Korea. The ZB Commodore, Cascada convertible and Insignia sedan were built in Europe, and Colorado 7 SUV and Colorado utility from Thailand.
