Holden Cruze News

As the end looms for homegrown Fords, you might want to grab a deal on a Falcon or Territory this month.

April is the slowest month of the year for car sales, which means dealers are desperate to move metal. Here's how to grab a bargain.

Holden’s car assembly line in Elizabeth will stay open until late 2017 as planned, but the blue-collar workforce will be trimmed from 1200 to 800.The last small car ever made in Australia, the Holden Cruze, will reach the end of the line in December, axing an estimated 400 jobs in the process.But the Holden factory at Elizabeth on the north-west outskirts of Adelaide will continue to make Commodore sedans, wagons and utes until late 2017, as planned.Production-line workers were told of the widely-expected decision at a meeting at 2:30pm on Friday, at the end of shift.Holden had forecast since 2014 that production of the Cruze would end about a year before the Commodore.The model will be replaced by the Holden Astra, which will be imported from the UK.The company says it made the announcement at least six months ahead so that suppliers had certainty until the end of 2016, and could restructure their business to operate until production of the homegrown Commodore ends in late 2017.Holden Executive Director of Human Resources, Ashley Winnett, said: “Our number one priority is to support our people – this is a difficult time for all those in the Holden family.”Every Holden worker has access to transition services and up to $3000 in approved training, as part of Holden’s $15 million contribution to the Federal Government’s Growth Fund for former factory workers.Holden currently builds about 240 cars per day and the Cruze represents about one-in-three of vehicles made.Further job cuts at local parts suppliers to Holden are expected.However, of all the cars assembled locally, the Cruze had the highest foreign content. About 70 per cent of Cruze parts are sourced from overseas.The relatively low amount of local parts content in the Cruze -- and the declining production volumes -- means its departure is unlikely to affect the continuation of Commodore production until the end of 2017.Ford will be the first of Australia’s three remaining car manufacturers to close its factories.Ford’s Broadmeadows car assembly line on the northern outskirts of Melbourne and the Geelong engine and stamping plant are due to close on October 7.The Ford shutdowns will end 91 years of production in Australia for the US car giant, and end 56 years of car-making in Broadmeadows.Holden will be next to close its car assembly line, in late 2017, followed by Toyota.The Toyota Camry assembly line at Altona, on Melbourne’s western outskirts, will be the first factory Toyota has closed anywhere in the world.Fast facts: Holden CruzeThe Holden Cruze was originally imported from South Korea. But during the Global Financial Crisis in late 2008 and early 2009, a deal was struck between then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and then Holden boss Mark Reuss to build the Cruze sedan and hatch locally.“This is an epic day," said Mr Reuss at the June 2009 announcement designed to secure Holden’s manufacturing future. "We are safe, we are part of the new GM."Holden had received $149 million from the Rudd Government’s “Green Car Innovation Fund”. The Cruze qualified because it was a fuel-efficient four-cylinder car. The scheme was also used to fund the four-cylinder Ford Falcon, diesel-engined Ford Territory and Toyota Camry hybrid."We're fortunate to have a Government and a Prime Minister that actually cares about manufacturing," Mr Reuss said at the time.The first Holden Cruze went into production alongside the Commodore to help boost output at Elizabeth in late 2011. At the time the Holden factory employed 2300 workers and built 430 cars per day.More than 125,000 locally-made Holden Cruze sedans and hatches have been sold since 2012; the 100,000th was built in November 2014.The first Holden small car to go into production was the Torana, in 1967.The last small car Holden made in Australia prior to the Cruze was the Gemini, in 1987, also made at Elizabeth.

Holden is preparing 24 new models by 2020 as it replaces one of the oldest vehicle line-ups in the Australian car industry.

This weekend is shaping as a good one to buy a new car, as three of the four top-selling brands hold sales events.

Half-time is typically a time for reflection.With six months of 2015 gone — and the official sales results arriving last week — it's time to look at what was hot and what was not in showrooms this year.At a glance, small cars are out and tiny SUVs are in. Diesels and hybrids are out, and turbocharged petrol cars are in. Luxury brands are in demand, local cars are not.Honda and Isuzu sales are surging, Ford and Holden have hit new lows.Sales of baby SUVs are up by 23 per cent in the first half of the year, thanks to the arrival of new offerings from Mazda and Honda. The surprise last month was that Honda's HR-V outsold Mazda's CX-3, despite a get-in price that is $5000 more than the baby Mazda. Buyers are no doubt attracted by the roominess of the Honda's cabin, which shares the clever design of its donor vehicle, the Jazz. Mitsubishi has also benefited from the increased showroom interest in this type of vehicle, with sales of its ASX surging by more than 45 per cent.They share their underpinnings with the new breed of SUVs, but they haven't been hurt by their arrival. Honda again leads the charge, with sales of its City sedan and Jazz hatch surging. Sales of the all-new Mazda2 are also strong and it remains best-selling car in the class. Other models that have captured the imagination of buyers are the evergreen Suzuki Swift and Toyota Yaris, as well as the Volkswagen Polo, which is up by more than 50 per cent thanks to sharp pricing.Low interest rates mean that a luxury badge is now within reach of more car buyers. As a result Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus are all enjoying double-digit growth. Understandably, most of the action is at the lower end of the market, with models high on the shopping list including BMW's Mini (up 59 per cent) and Audi's A3 (up 23 per cent). BMW's new 2 Series coupe and Lexus's NX small SUV have also launched with a bang, but the biggest success story is CarsGuide's 2014 Car of the Year, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which has doubled its sales in the first half of the year.Somebody is cashing in on Australia's property boom, with sales of sports cars costing more than $200,000 rising more than 20 per cent, albeit off a low base. Ferrari and Lamborghini dealerships are busy this year, with Ferrari logging 95 local sales compared with 52 in the same period last year and Lamborghini jumping from just seven sales to 60. The segment's most popular car, the Porsche 911, also enjoyed solid growth. At the other end of the spectrum, sales of affordable sports cars slumped as the initial shine predictably wore off the Toyota 86, Subaru BRZ and Hyundai Veloster. That will change, though, when Mazda's all-new MX-5 arrives in the second half of the year.They're big news in Japan and Europe, but micro cars haven't captured the Australian car buying public's imagination. Despite the arrival of an all-new model in the Suzuki Celerio and a midlife update for the Nissan Micra, sales are down by almost a third.They're still the nation's car of choice, but the arrival of baby SUVs has put a dent in the popularity of the small-car brigade led by the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3. This time last year, the Mazda3 was the top-selling vehicle in Australia, but sales this year are down by almost 10 per cent, cannibalised by the newer and funkier CX-3. Toyota, which has no mini-SUV in its range, fared better with the Corolla, which almost held its own in a market segment that shrank by 10,000 cars.When locally made cars began to slide in popularity, most pundits said it was because they were too big and thirsty, but the figures show otherwise. Large cars are down by 14 per cent this year, but medium and large SUVs have enjoyed solid growth. Toyota's Camry, which has a hybrid version, has fared better than the rest of the locals, but the Holden Cruze small car has experienced a bigger sales slide than Ford's Falcon and Territory. Overall, the prognosis remains bleak. Australians bought almost as many German-made cars as locally-made ones in the first six months.The Europeans are mad for it — and most 4WD utes use it too — but Australians, it seems, don't like getting their hands dirty. After an initial spike in interest in diesel passenger cars and SUVs among private buyers and fleets between 2005 and 2010, the interest continues to wane. Sales of diesel passenger cars grew sixfold from 2005 to 2010, while diesel SUV sales more than doubled. But in the first six months of this year — and on the back of a decline last year — sales of diesel cars fell by more than a quarter. Diesel SUV sales were stagnant despite big growth in overall SUV sales.Honda - up 33.4 per centIsuzu - up 30.3 per centSkoda - up 30.2 per centRenault - up 30.1 per centLexus - up 24.9 per centFord - down 17.6 per centVolvo - down 16.6 per centFiat - down 16.4 per centHolden - down 8.9 per centNissan - down 0.6 per centToyota - 101,714 - up 0.6 per centMazda - 56,591 - up 9 per centHolden - 51,737 - down 8.9 per centHyundai - 50,099 - up 1 per centMitsubishi - 35,866 - up 9.8 per centFord - 34,810 - down 17.6 per centNissan - 32,950 - down 0.6 per centVolkswagen - 32,020 - up 12.1 per centSubaru - 21,659 - up 8.1 per centHonda 20,602 - up 33.4 per centToyota Corolla - 21,750Mazda3 - 20,427Toyota HiLux - 18,781Hyundai i30 - 15,801Ford Ranger - 14,144Holden Commodore - 13,769Mitsubishi Triton - 13,709Mazda CX-5 - 12,489Volkswagen Golf - 11,829Toyota Camry - 10,426

Independent research firm Roy Morgan, which surveys more than 5000 car buyers annually, has been measuring their "intention to buy" certain brands for the past decade.And the news is not good for our former favourites that for decades dominated the top two spots on the Australians sales charts.Holden is now ranking almost as low as Ford in buyers' mindsThe number of people intending to buy a Holden in the next four years has slumped by more than half, from a peak of 15 per cent in 2006, to just 7 per cent in the most recent survey (the 12 months to March 2015).To put this in perspective, Holden is now ranking almost as low as Ford in buyers' minds.The figure for people intending to buy a Ford has dropped from a peak of 12.1 per cent in 2005 to just 6.5 per cent in the most recent survey.In other words, both brands have suffered a similar fall from grace and both are now battling to get back on top.The new metal can't come soon enoughHolden says it has 24 new models due in the next five years. Ford says it has 20.The new metal can't come soon enough. However Ford looks as if it has a head start, with important new models around the corner including a refreshed Ford Ranger ute, all-new Everest SUV and sporty Mustang to add some gloss.Holden's revival plan is still some years off. The replacement for the ageing Captiva is at least 12 months away, as are the revised Colorado ute and the next-generation Cruze.Meanwhile, the age-old Holden versus Ford battle is set to return — but they're duking it out for No.4 and 5 on the ladder, not one and two.

New-car sales hit the accelerator for the second month in a row after the best March result of all time - but former Australian favourites Holden and Ford hit a wall.

The total of 105,054 registrations was one of the best ever and confirms an upswing in February, following a Reserve Bank interest rate cut.The figures, obtained by News Corp Australia ahead of their official release next Tuesday, show a broad-based rebound among private and business buyers and across all vehicle types.One in every three vehicles registered is now a high-rider.SUVs accounted for the bulk of the additional 7800 sales with demand up 15.3 per cent, led by Mazda's CX-5.One in every three vehicles registered is now a high-rider.However, the Toyota HiLux spearheaded a resurgence in light-commercial demand, with 2000 additional private buyers cancelling out a fall in business purchases. Rather than looking to utes, fleets bought an extra 1400 passenger cars over the same month last year in a rare boost for the traditional format.Toyota's Corolla, which was March best-seller with almost 4300 sales, and the company's locally built Camry, with deliveries up 11 per cent over last year, were two of the main beneficiaries.But Holden and Ford's Australian-made vehicles failed to fire, with the recently refreshed Falcon finding only 700 buyers and Commodore sales slipping 18 per cent.Ford's Melbourne-made Territory SUV also missed out on the sunshine, with sales down 15 per cent, while Holden's Adelaide-built small car, the Cruze, slumped 24 per cent.Most mainstream carmakers had a strong month but luxury brands were among the biggest winnersAs all three Australian makers prepare to halt production over the next two years, fewer than one in 12 vehicles sold is made locally.Most mainstream carmakers had a strong month but luxury brands were among the biggest winners, with Mercedes recording a 30 per cent increase and its second-highest number of registrations ever.The new Mercedes C-Class, which this week was awarded the World Car of the Year accolade during a ceremony in New York, is on a roll and outsold all other mid-size cars at any price except the Camry.Most premium makers outperformed the overall market, with demand for Lexus and BMW both up 14 per cent. Land Rover was up 19 per cent, Audi 22 per cent, Porsche 87 per cent and Maserati tripling its sales compared with March last year.

It is so incredibly over the top.There are not usually many worldwide reveals, although this year the new Ford Ranger was shown for the first time, but locals make up for it with wild and wonderful cars, laser shows, crazy accessories, excruciating pop music and eye-popping dance routines.It is not really a place for kids, at least on the opening media day, as the car companies have no problem draping scantily clad women over the cars, and I mean really scantily clad.One of the best things about the show is that there is something for everyone, cars, motorbikes, boats and accessories are all under the same roof.The car companies have no problem draping scantily clad women over the cars, and I mean really scantily clad.This year, there was even some AirStream polished aluminium caravans, perhaps the only cool caravans on the surface of Earth.Ssangyong also got into the camping spirit by fitting a camper body on the back of an Actyon Sports ute. Thailand now produces several hundred thousand cars and utes a year for international companies, but there few are local manufacturers of passenger vehicles.Thairung is one of them and it gained plenty of attention with a truck for Hummer lovers. It’s called the Transformer and looks like a shrunken H2 Hummer, with a little bit of Jeep thrown in the mix.Thairung builds a military version of this machine for the Thai Army and visitors will see a few parked around Bangkok to remind the public of who is in charge.These trucks have a unique body, which sits on top of a Toyota Hilux chassis and runs the D4 Hilux diesel.Another vehicle gaining plenty of attention was a new-age Mini Moke, which is produced in China and sold in selected developing countries.The manufacturer, Moke International, claims it can do 110km/h but I don’t think that would be wise given its limited crash protection.Its Thai importer also brings in Sprinter-based motorhomes, which really do look dull at such an exciting show. The solution was a ‘fashion show’, with models strutting down a pretend catwalk in between the vans. A lot of people looked, mostly men, but I’m not sure anyone saw the motorhomes.Isuzu was in danger of being forgotten this year, with the brand-spanking new Ranger being revealed at the other end of the hall, but the company ensured it would get some time in the spotlight with a pair of remarkable D-Max utes.One was wore a fantastic green metallic wrap, which seem to glow under the bright lights. Dropped down low and riding on 20-inch wheels, it was one of the most popular cars of the show. Even better, it is actually a production model, although I’m not sure if the paint scheme is part of the package.Next to it was a super-tough off-road D-Max complete with raised suspension, knobby mud tyres and massive chunky bull bar.Toyota revealed a special ‘Nurburgring Edition’ Corolla sedan, no kidding, which features a body kit but no mechanical changes. The company didn’t say how fast it could lap the famous circuit. I’m thinking it might take a while.Next to it was an updated Camry, which was painted brown, a colour that makes white Camrys look good.The wildest Toyota was actually an Aurion pimped by a speaker manufacturer, which sat just millimetres off the ground with fat wheels that protruded way past the wheel arches.Chevrolet got in on the act with a matt black go-anywhere Colorado7, while it also built a custom Cruze and a hot version of the car that sells as a Barina in Australia. It was lowered and decked out in matt black before being fitted with a glowing green grille and headlights.Ford’s Australian developed Ranger secured lots of attention after driving down a ramp and through a shallow pool on the show stand, and the new Everest SUV was popular too.The accessories section didn’t disappoint either, featuring some of the craziest parts known to man. The best was a chandelier designed to hang from the roof of a HiAce-style commuter van. Yes, a proper chandelier.There were also a range of super-sized and super bright alloy wheels available in almost every colour under the sun. One design was bright green with oval spokes designed to look like flower petals. I’m not sure that one will catch on, but you never know.