Holden Cruze News

The new wagon model to be released next year will not be built here but in South Korea even though the company admits it has the capacity to build them at its Elizabeth plant in Adelaide.The Cruze hatchback and sedan last month outsold the Commodore for the first time to become the most popular Australian-made car. But when the third variant, a wagon, goes on sale early next year, it will be sourced from South Korea.Holden spokeswoman Kate Lonsdale said the company had the capability to build the wagon at the Elizabeth plant in Adelaide, but have no plans to do so."Could we build it here? Absolutely, we have the capability to do so, and it is certainly something we can look at in the future, but by importing the vehicle we get a great opportunity to test the market's reaction to a wagon of this size," she said."We're still working out what the volumes would be and to tool up for a new variant where the volumes might be niche, we need to work out if it's a good business move," she said.The Chevrolet version of the Cruze wagon, conceived by Cruze hatch designer Leigh Mitchell, will make its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.The Cruze has sold more than one million units globally since it was launched in 2009 and Holden executive sales and marketing director John Elsworth is looking forward to the wagon."Cruze wagon ticks all the boxes," he said – just not the one marked “Australian-made". We're confident Cruze wagon will take the nameplate from strength to strength and reach new customers who are looking for more versatility," Mr Elsworth said.The new wagon is about 80mm longer than the sedan and boasts a 500-litre cargo space.Holden won't release any details on what engines will be offered with the hatch until closer to its launch but expect the current engine line-up of two petrol and one turbodiesel to be replicated in the wagon range.Also yet to be confirmed is the MyLink infotainment system that is being introduced on top-spec Cruze models this year, which integrates the owner's smartphone into the car, offering a link to playlists, photos, phone books, data, videos and even some satnav phone apps.

Not only did the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla finish first and second on sales for the month, but the Holden Cruze beat its big-brother Commodore for the first time and the compact Ford Focus also trumped the Falcon. January provided a solid start to the 2012 showroom sales race, with an overall lift of 4.3 per cent over 2010 powered mostly - as usual - by growing demand for SUVs.But Falcon had its worst year on record and even a claim that hundreds of cars were damaged by hail at Broadmeadows could not balance the bad news. The Focus victory over the Falcon is a tick for the compact, with a towering margin of 1576-931 cars, but also another cross against the long-term future of the locally made family car. "It was a shocking storm. They really took a hit," a spokesman for Ford Australia, Neil McDonald, says. Holden has admitted for nearly a year that the Cruze would eventually become its local hero, but no-one expected the switch from big to little to happen so quickly.It's unlikely to be sustained every month, as Commodore sales in January are traditionally down while fleet buyers are on holidays, but it's a pointer to a sea change in Australian carmaking."It's a good problem to have," says Holden's spokesperson, Emily Perry. Holden, like Ford with Falcon and Territory, is now also combining Commodore and Cruze totals each month so people get the correct picture of their total local production.And it's claiming strong early returns from a variety of sources. "Holden's product renaissance is really picking up pace and key models are notching up very pleasing performances in their respective segments. Our focus remains on building and selling the cars Australians want to buy and with a raft of new models due in the coming months, we're looking forward to an exciting year ahead," says Holden's director of sales, Philip Brook. The margin between Cruze and Commodore was much closer than Focus and Falcon at 2445 sales to 2170. But neither could come close to the overall winner in January, the Mazda3 with 4045, or the second-placed Toyota Corolla with 3383. The Mazda is still powering off the back of its number one run through 2011 and led the company to a January record of 8479 sales, and 11.0 per cent of the market. The result reflects an increase of 1279 cars, or 17.8 per cent, over the result in 2011. "We are both delighted and humbled by customer acceptance of our whole range during January. While we are quietly confident of a strong year, particularly with the imminent launch of our all-new CX-5, our primary focus will remain on looking after our customers," says the managing director of Mazda Australia, Doug Dickson. As usual, Toyota was Australia's favourite brand in January, ahead of Toyota and Mazda, with Hyundai in fourth after the best January in its local history.

Both brands saw their compact cars become their best sellers in January. In the official sales figures, Australia’s former number one car - Holden’s Commodore - was beaten for the first time by the Cruze. To compound the plight of the slow selling locally made big car, Ford’s Focus also easily outsold the troubled Falcon. Australia’s number one car remains the 2011 champion, the Mazda 3, followed by two other small models, Toyota’s Corolla and the Cruze. In a week when Holden took steps to reduce its Elizabeth South Australia workforce, the carmaker can at least take consolation from the Cruze being built locally.The Focus is imported from Belgium. Only 931 Falcons were delivered in January, down even from the miserable 1157 start to last year's sales for the one-time local favourite. The overall Ford total lifts to only 2135 vehicles once the Melbourne- made Territory SUV and Falcon ute are included, still behind the 2170 Holden Commodore sedan deliveries for the first month of 2012.And trailing the baby Focus on 1576. Ford said it was hit badly by a giant storm on Christmas Day that pelted its Broadmeadows site with car crumpling hailstones. Around 1000 cars, a mix of Falcon and Territory, were being stored in the open and took the full force of the weather. "It was a shocking storm. They really took a hit," a spokesman for Ford Australia, Neil McDonald, revealed to News Limited. "It was on Christmas Day. The cars were at the plant, waiting to be shipped to dealers and then on to customers." The hailstorm is the latest in a series of disasters for Australia's three local carmakers, as Toyota has just cut 350 jobs from its factory at Altona and Holden expects to shed as many as 200 contract workers during a re-organisation of production at its plant in Adelaide. Both decisions are based on falling export sales. Ford was forced in early January to inject $103 million into its local operation in joint funding from its global parent in the USA and the Federal government to provide security for local manufacturing through to 2016. The January results, revealed in official VFacts sales totals, are no real surprise. Large car sales are traditionally down in January because government departments and big fleet customers are not buying, while Toyota is still getting up to speed with its new Camry - so 1290 sales - and the Mazda3 is still powering off the back of its best selling performance in 2011. The January total is a little better than the first month of 2011, with a total of 76,783 sales for a 4.3 per cent lift, but passenger car sales were down slightly and needed bolstering as usual from the strength in SUVs. As usually, Toyota was Australia's favourite brand in January, ahead of Toyota and Mazda.  

JIM Griffin's company makes car hinges and tie-down cleats in Reservoir. He sells them in China - despite a 67 per cent increase in the value of the dollar from the lows we saw in 2008.The car industry is one of our top export earners. The all-American Chevrolet Camaro was engineered in Melbourne - and so was the new Ford T6 Ranger pickup truck, sold in more countries than any other Ford vehicle.The car industry put this city on the global innovation map. In the last year on record, the auto industry was the single biggest customer for local tooling.It consumed $1.3 billion in locally manufactured iron and steel, $444 million in polymer products and $157 million in chemicals; along with $1.6 billion of professional, scientific and technical services. The car industry keeps more than 200,000 Australians in work. So imagine this country without it.It's not just the future of the Bathurst 1000 at stake. It's not just your right to drive a world-class Australian car - a right that we've enjoyed for more than six decades and that we still prize today. No less than four of the Top 10 selling cars in this country are locally made.No, take away the cars, and you take away any claims we have on the 21st century. Opinions will differ on the returns we can expect from the resources boom.But no one, however bullish, claims we can rely on it forever. It has pushed the dollar to levels that are crippling to trade-exposed industries - our automakers among them. They are still keeping alive the raw materials of our post-boom economy.The practical know-how. The advanced machinery. The university research programs. These are the bread-and-butter of any auto operation; but they generate jobs and opportunities in countless other ways.Take SMR Automotive, a company making rear-vision mirrors in Adelaide. They supply almost a third of the global market today. But because they know car mirrors, they also know high-precision medical devices. They know how to make whitegoods and lighting systems that cost less to run. They have the skills in optical engineering, in high-precision moulding and in polymer electronics to take the lead in all these fields.Companies like SMR are first and foremost automakers. They look to the three major vehicle producers in this country - Ford, GM Holden and Toyota - to provide the work that keeps people on the job, day in, day out. Those producers provide vital links to the global auto industry, still the great powerhouse of modern industrial progress.That's how Australians stay at the peak of the technology curve; and that's how our component makers break into the global production chains.I have little patience with commentators who insist on seeing this country as some kind of automotive backwater. Australia is one of only 13 nations with all the capabilities to take a car from the drawing board to the dealership - and we have sustained that position at a far lower per capita cost than most.Every Australian claims the benefits of the auto sector for less than $18 each. Every American is paying 14 times that sum. So this is not the moment to be slashing our support, as Mr Abbott would have us do. It is time to prove to the world that this country is ready to make cars for the 21st century.Electric cars are part of that future. But so too are lightweight composite parts. So are alternative fuels. So are intelligent design and clean manufacturing technology.Australia can undoubtedly compete on its strengths in these fields - which is why innovation has always been the heart and soul of our $5.4 billion New Car Plan for a Greener Future.That's how we secured the low-emission Holden Cruze, the hybrid Toyota Camry, the EcoBoost Falcon. That's how Australia produced the world's first carbon-fibre car wheel, as strong as steel and half the weight.That's why engineers, doctoral students and elite researchers are working together on a large proof-of-concept fully electric vehicle in Melbourne. That's how our auto envoys helped local firms win overseas contracts worth more than half a billion in the last financial year.I am not in the business of holding out false hope. There is undoubtedly a tough fight ahead for this industry, as the hard news from Toyota confirms. But let there be no mistake. This is a battle we are ready to fight.

It has slashed 350 jobs from the workforce at its factory at Altona in Melbourne as a result of falling demand for the Camry, most notably in the Middle East, that pegs production for 2012 at just 95,000 cars.That's a drop of more than 30 per cent in just four years, to an unsustainable level without cuts to the 3500-strong Victoria workforce."Toyota Australia is facing severe operating conditions resulting in unsustainable financial returns due to factors including the strong Australian currency, reduced cost competitiveness and volume decline, especially in export markets," says Max Yasuda, president of Toyota Australia.But Toyota is not alone on the crisis line. Falcon sales fell to less than 19,000 cars in 2011 and the total production at Broadmeadows - including Falcon ute and Territory - was only 45,000 vehicles, while the Commodore lost the top spot in Australian motoring last year and GM Holden is now relying on joint production of the Commodore and compact Cruze to keep its Adelaide factory spinning at profitable levels.Less than two weeks ago the spotlight was on Detroit with questions about the future of both Ford and Holden. The blue oval brand reacted first with a $103 cash injection and General Motors is promising news by the middle of the year on a production deal beyond the next Commodore, the VF that hits the road in 2014.Planning the future for Australian manufacturing is being done at the highest levels, with the Federal Minister for Industry, Senator Kim Carr, meeting Ford CEO Alan Mulally and GM honcho Dan AkersonThe major focus was development of a fresh co-investment strategy between the Federal government and the carmakers, taking advantage of the $3.4 billion fighting fund included in the Automotive Transformation Scheme as part of the motor industry plan that runs through to the end of the decade.Senator Carr was upbeat when he emerged from the talks, firstly to pledge his support of Holden and then to announce the new Ford deal which has been fast-tracked in less than six months. "We had very, very productive conversations. We are at the table," he says.But that was ahead of the Toyota job cut, which is also raising questions about the future viability of the hundreds of component companies that are tied to Ford, Holden and Toyota.“This is an industry that employs 46,000 skilled Australian workers directly and over 200,000 indirectly.  It is an industry that is the cornerstone of research and development activity in Australia and an industry that is one of our top export earners," says Carr.“The enormously competitive situation for automotive globally highlights more than ever the need to support our local automotive industry, to retain core capabilities and to provide skilled jobs so that the industry can rebound when economic conditions improve.“The mining boom won’t last for ever and we need to make sure that we have a core of key manufacturing industries with export potential – including automotive – to turn to when that happens."Break-Out: FundingThe troubles at Toyota have again raised questions about government support for carmaking in Australia.The three locals all get some form of support from Federal and State governments, with Ford Australia recently announcing a $103 million co-funded injection from Canberra and its parent company in Detroit.There has been talk in recent years that taxpayers are funding the industry at the rate of more than $1000 a person every year, but a new independent survey by the Sapere group shows the reality.The actual cost of government backing is $17.30 a year - a level that Sapere rates as the lowest among countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.The level of support in Britain is only $27.270 but it rises sharply from there, to $87.90 in Germany and $93.70 in Canada to $143.30.At the top end, government support in France is $143.30 per person and in the USA it's a whopping $257.40.Break-Out: OpinionThe troubles at Toyota reflect the latest change for Australian carmakers.The best model for success in the 1990s and early 2000s was to have a strong local sales base and then cream the top with an export program.It worked for Holden with the Pontiac G8 version of the Commodore, and Ford also looked for a time at building the Focus in Australia for exports through the Asia-Pacific region.Toyota did it best with the Camry and in its peak export year, it shipped more than 100,000 Camrys from Altona to the Middle East.But carmaking has contracted, the Australian dollar is far stronger, and the best model now is to export expertise - not cars - with work like Ford's T6 pickup program, Holden's design job for the Chevrolet Camaro, and even Toyota's inhouse design jobs.There is still a place for the local makers, but they have to be tightly integrated into a global plan that means more for Australia than just trying to crank out orphan cars for local buyers.

Hundreds of new and updated cars arrive in Australia each year but only one is good enough to make the honour role for Carsguide COTY.This time around the prize fight is tougher than ever, with new arrivals for 2011 covering every size and price class, from the ordinary Chery J1 from China to the exotic Ferrari 458 Italia from Italy. Neither of them makes the COTY cut, but that's another story ...The reach for COTY 2011 contenders actually stretches back to the final months of last year, to include a couple of cars that just missed the 2011 cutoff, and this time around the newcomers must have hit showrooms by December 1.So, unfortunately, the all-new Toyota Camry is a non-starter. It's the same for the make-or-break four-cylinder Falcon.But the class of 2011 covers all the bases, from affordable mini cars through family and prestige cars to a hot new coupe. The hopefuls come from Europe, Asia and Japan, as well as right home in Australia.Setting the field for 2011 was not easy, particularly with the outgoing champion - the Volkswagen Polo - still casting a considerable shadow.But each of the COTY judges, who cover the Carsguide contenders and drive them in all conditions from coast to coast, has called up their personal favourites from Alfa Romeo through to Volkswagen to help guide the selection process.Then it is the final cull by the COTY veterans to produce the top 10 for a gruelling two-day shootout to consider everything from design and safety through to value and their driving ability on a wide range of roads from Ford's You Yangs proving ground to freeways, suburban streets and gravel roads on the outskirts of Melbourne.The field is set, the race is about to be run, but we cannot get ahead of ourselves.So here are the 10 COTY contenders ... now it's over to the judges: 

While a number of judges liked the Adelaide-built hatch, it still fell short of a podium finish.The Port Melbourne designed hatch version of the popular sedan found favour for its balance between ride and handling, the result of local engineering prowess in the black art of suspension tuning.Taken in isolation the front and rear styling were not derided by the judges but as a package there was a lack of cohesion to the exterior, according to the bench of judges.Inside, the Cruze was lauded for a decent dash layout - although the cloth trim cover was questioned for it's ability to last and remain clean - and deemed less fussy than the Focus.The little Holden was deemed to have good interior space for four adults, but full-grown folk should leave the fifth seatbelt unused.The little Holden was criticised for a number of things, including its smooth little Austrian-built turbo petrol engine getting thirsty when asked to work hard, its steering was declared lifeless and its Korean-sourced six-speed automatic was indecisive and slow to change.Holden Cruze CD 1.4 hatchPrice: $24,990 (as tested)Engine: 1.4-litre turbocharged DOHC 16-valve (variable) 103kW/200Nm four-cylinder.Transmission: six-speed auto, front-wheel driveThirst: 6.9l/100km (ADR claimed).

Trying to make some sense of it all is tough, but here is my best shot - today.Australia's car sales are heading for only their fourth 1-million year in 2011, but local production - and therefore exports - is down to the lowest level since 1957.The general trend - like most of the world - is downsizing. Traditional Aussie six-cylinder family cars - Falcon and Commodore - have had 20-30 per cent sales falls through 2011, while demand for small cars is up by 20 per cent most months.This is re-shaping the motor industry, leading Holden to start local production of the Cruze alongside the Commodore in Adelaide and forcing Ford to engineer a four-cylinder engine into the Falcon for 2012.Biggest change through 2011 is the performance of Mazda, which is now consistently number 4 in Australia thanks to the sales of its compact Mazda3.But Hyundai and Kia are also making rapid gains and Volkswagen is now a top-10 brand for the first time in decades.On the dealer front, profitability is poor. They have only just recovered from the GFC but the strong Australian dollar and demand for smaller cars has slashed per-unit profits. Some small cars now only earn a dealer a $400 margin.But car companies are making solid returns, since there are only 3 local manufacturers now and the other 61 brands - including cars, trucks and commercials - are importers who are helped by the strength of the dollar in buying power from home office.The three local manufacturers - Holden, Ford and Toyota - are all going through major renewals.The all-new Camry will be out in November - with the Camry hybrid early in 2012 - after a delay because of strike action at Altona.Ford has updated the Territory this year, including a diesel engine, and it is selling strongly, while the Falcon has also lifted in recent months thanks to a new LPG system that taps into demand from fleets and taxis.The VE Commodore is being dress-up with value packs - like the latest Equipe - as well as a range of economy improvements including the upcoming dedicated LPG model. Its big move for 2011 was the local production of the Cruze hatch, which is now forecast to eventually overtake the Commodore as Holden's biggest seller.Cars and utes from Thailand have become the low-cost source for a range of Japanese brands, who have moved production offshore. So that means the Toyota HiLux, a range of Honda models, and the latest Ford Ranger and Mazda BT50 utes, all come from Thailand.That is good news for consumers who get more cost-effective products and it's also helped Japanese brand stay price competitive.Japanese brands dominate the Australian automotive landscape and nothing shows it better than Toyota's place at number one, with more than 20 per cent of all salesMazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Honda are also strong.But Japan is lagging against the Korean attack and needs to lift the game on quality and 'European' design and engineering as their products are now being matched by Kia and Hyundai on the quality front, and undercut on value and warranty.Japan was hit worst by the GFC, with brands winding back research and development, so Honda will suffer for at least the next 2 years, Suzuki has nothing new and important for 3 years, and even Toyota's product changes are slower than normal.Chinese brands are establishing a beach head in Australia thanks to prices that typically undercut an equivalent Japanese model by 30 per cent.Great Wall is doing best with its utes and a medium SUV, but Chery is struggling with an $11,990 car that is sub-standard - even against the Koreans - on quality, comfort and performance. Geely is the only other passenger car brand but only sold in WA as its cars do not quality for the Victorian safety legislation that mandates ESP in 2011.But - and it's a big one - the Chinese are learning fast and prepared to make big changes. Poor safety result in independent NCAP testing have led to safety improvements at Great Wall and Chery, and Chery changes the gearbox in the J1 model after a single poor road test by Carsguide. So the industry is still the biggest secondary manufacturing base in Australia and critical to the 'brain thrust' in the country going forward. Holden and Ford now both do global engineering work in Melbourne.

The good news is that the cars of the future are not boring electric "golf carts" but sleek and sexy machines.Take for example the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept, or even the updated Toyota Prius C. Just as smart, but also featuring powertrain technology that is much further down the line, is the Hyundai Blue2 Concept, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, or the Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV with a plug-in hybrid system that extends the use of the vehicle in electric mode.Here is a sample of the green vehicles on the stands at this year’s show:BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept: Making its Australian debut, this is the concept for the coming BMW i8. A conventional 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-diesel mated to a pair of electric motors powers this four-wheel-drive 2+2 sports car. The hybrid combination pumps out 265kW of power and 800Nm of torque, and can run on electric power alone for up to 50km, diesel only for 645km or a combination of both. The lithium-ion battery packs charge in just 2.5 hours from AC mains or 44 minutes on quick charge.Ford: The new Liquefied Phase Injection LPG technology in the Ford Falcon EcoLPi has improved power and torque and decreased fuel consumption (12.5L/100km) and CO2 emissions (203g/km). Ford will also show its long-awaited diesel Territory with a 2.7-litre V6 boasting fuel economy of 8.2L/100km.Holden: The Ecoline Series II Cruze range with a new generation 2.0-litre turbo diesel (5.6L/100km) is Australia’s most fuel-efficient locally-built car. The stand will also feature the Cruze 1.4-litre intelligent turbo induction (1.4 iTi) petrol engine (6.4L/100km manual) and other Ecoline models, including the Commodore E85 flex-fuel and Spark Ignition Direct Injection V6 powered Commodores and Captivas.Honda hybrids: Honda will show the stylish Honda CR-Z coupe petrol-electric hybrid that arrives here later this year, as well as its second-generation Insight hybrid.Hyundai Blue2 Concept: This is the Korean company’s first sedan-style Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) powered by hydrogen. It delivers power of 90kW and fuel economy of 2.8L/100km. Being a concept car, it comes with a host of future electronic aids, such as an automatic opening door system, roof and side cameras to replace mirrors, and a motion sensor-operated infotainment system.Lexus LF-Gh Concept: This concept features the hybrid system already in the Lexus fleet, but is the first time the spindle-shaped grille that will become a feature of future designs will be seen here, and hints at a future grand touring sedan. Lexus Australia chief executive Tony Cramb says the LF-Gh reaffirms that hybrids can be sleek and stylish.Mazda Minagi: This is a crossover concept specifically engineered to be the first with frugal SKYACTIV technology diesel and petrol engines and transmission. The car is an insight into the coming CX-5.Mercedes-Benz C-Class: The range now includes the updated 7G-Tronic Plus seven-speed automatic transmission for improved economy. Diesel models come with the ECO start/stop function as standard, and the C250 diesel coupe boasts economy of 5.1L/100km. At the top end of the Benz range, the S350 diesel BlueTec luxury saloon has economy figures of 7L/100km.Mitsubishi ?i-Miev-based electric vehicle concepts: The i-MiEV is about to hit the showrooms and Mitsubishi already has an SUV variant, which will be on its stand. The Concept PX-MiEV has a plug-in hybrid system with fuel economy better than 2L/100km. It is powered by two permanent magnet synchronous motors and a 1.6-litre MIVEC engine. The PX-MiEV also features Smart Grid technology that allows the battery to power home appliances during a blackout or at peak times when electricity tariffs are high.Nissan Leaf: The all-electric Leaf hits showrooms next year. The World Car of the Year features a satnav system linked to the "Global Data Centre’’ in Japan so you just press a button to find the closest recharging stations.Toyota Prius C concept & Prius V: The latest in the Prius family are a funky coupe concept (C) and a people mover (V). The Prius C concept shows how stylish the Prius can be and the V shows how spacious it can be. The V also features a lightweight-resin panoramic moon roof, weighing about 40 per cent less than a regular glass roof of the same size. It will be the first to feature Toyota’s new Entune multimedia system with mobile internet and Microsoft’s Bing search engine. The system will offer live weather and traffic updates, along with monitoring the best fuel prices in town.Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion: The BlueMotion has the same 1.6-litre engine with the same output at 77kW and 250Nm as the 77TDI, but its fuel use is just 3.8L/100km compared with 5.12L/100km (77TDI) and CO2 of 99g/km (133g/km 77TDI). The gains are made from a lower idle speed, stop/start technology, aerodynamics and low rolling resistance tyres.Volvo V60 diesel plug-in hybrid: The world’s first diesel hybrid plug-in goes into production next year. The driver can choose from three modes: Pure, which is all-electric with a range of up to 50km, Hybrid with an average fuel consumption of 1.9L/100km and CO2 of 49g/km, and Power, which boosts total diesel and electric power to 200kW and 640Nm of torque with acceleration to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds. The turbodiesel drives the front wheels and an electric motor drives the rear axle. It can be recharged via a regular power socket in 4.5 hours on 10A charge.PLUS: There will also be displays by infrastructure companies including Better Place EV, which has announced plans to begin rolling out infrastructure in Canberra this year.

The Adelaide-based car maker's recruiting office is looking for another 49 staff to fill production line positions.The company has recruited 265 new staff since it resurrected the second shift and took on local production of the Cruze small car earlier this year.Last month's sales figures showed the Holden Commodore had returned to the number one position as the country's most popular car, almost tripling the sales of its arch rival, Ford's Falcon.The Cruze recorded almost 3000 sales last month to top the small car sales list and rank third overall in vehicle sales for May. The 314 new jobs follow the company's cuts to its Australian workforce that reduced it from a peak of more than 6000 staff to just over 4500 during 2009.Holden's HR director for labour and manufacturing operations Ashley Winnett said the additional staff were required because of Cruze and Commodore sales."We made the decision on Monday, Cruze and Commodore sales, as well as some US police car orders - but mainly the Cruze sales figures," he said.Mr Winnett said the 49 new staff - in production and trade capacities - would also be offered 12 month contracts in line with offers made to recently-hired new staff. "The approach we've taken is that we want to build slowly and make sure there's momentum behind us, it's a sensible business approach."We're doing it on a business but we've got the right number for where we're at at the moment," he said.The company also wants to encourage female applicants to consider a position in the manufacturing sector with Holden."A lot of females don't consider it as a career, we've increased female staff by 33 per cent - off a low base - since last year, we want to continue to market manufacturing as an area for females to consider in terms of a career," he said.Holden has also opened applications for its co-operative undergraduate student program, a year-long paid course for as many as 25 students who want industry experience.