HOLDEN Models & Brand History

Holden is the emblem of the outback, an ostensibly rugged car  that has ben Australia's nr. 1 drive for almost 70 years now. Years before Daimler would build his motorized coach in 1885 setting the cornerstone in automobile development, a saddlery opened in Adelaide, Australia. Established by British immigrant James Alexander Holden in 1856, the small firm went through a series and partnerships, changing its profile in the process. The saddlery began offering minor car upholstery repairs and started production of hoods and side curtains.

The company's area of expertise extended until in 1913 when the Holden workshop began producing motorcycle sidecar bodies. Thus, Holden's Motor Body Builders Ltd, or HMBB, came to be in 1999.Again, the company's activity broadened to the point of manufacturing different types of bodies to match chassis important form different foreign producers, such as Chevrolet. GM, who had already encompassed Chevrolet and had started to establish subsidiaries worldwide caught an eye of Holden's business and purchased it in 1931. Holden has been part of Gm ever since, having been renamed into GM Holden Ltd.

The Australian car manufacturer was a great investment as  it soon turned into Australia's main car maker. Following Holden's merger with the American automotive industry colossus, the latter was persuaded by the Austalian government to build an 'aboriginal' vehicle. In response to these demands, the 48/215 was released in 1948. Based on a 1949 Chevy design, the medium-seized  2.1 liter engine equipped car was strange to any fancy mechanics. Instead, it was reliable and powerful enough to become an instant favorite.

Its supremacy was threatened by increasing competition but managed to hold the top-selling car position throughout that time. The futility of the competitor's efforts allowed Holden to focus on developing new models and reach new grounds. Several cars such as the Kingswood and Ute were released and exported to New Zeeland, South Africa and Indonesia among others where they sold as rebadged Holdens or Chevys.

During the 70's, Holden has produced a variety of Vauxhall based cars, including the popular Tonara that was later replaced by the medium-sized Camira. Ironically, Camira became the inspiration for a later Vauxhall model, the Cavalier.

The 80's brought forth a government conducted automotive industry restructuring plan which allowed full model share among local manufacturers. Following an agreement with  Japanese producers  Nissan and establishment of a joint venture (UAAI) with Toyota, Holden began selling rebadged versions of the Nissan Pulsar and Toyota Camry and Corolla.

Holden kept these models in production until the 90's when the UAAI, the Australian Automobile Industries, was dissolved. Subsequently, Holden leaned towards GM and began producing cars inspired from GM owned products. Opel became a constant source of Holden vehicle offerings with models such as the Astra and Vectra. The Corsa was also acquired, having been sold as the Holden Barina.

Starting with the 21st century Holden has partially discarded the Opel models and has started looking  into the GM owned Daewoo auto-catalog for inspiration. It is still one of the leading brands in Australia while its lion-badge is a common sight on cars in South Africa, Trinidad Tobago, Indonesia and other countries where Holden cars are exported.