The writing has been on the wall for a while now, but it offical, the Holden brand is coming to an end by the end of 2020.

"MELBOURNE – The Holden brand will be retired from sales in Australia and New Zealand and local design and engineering operations will wind down by 2021, General Motors (NYSE: GM) announced today. Maven and Holden Financial Services operations will also wind down in Australia.

GM International Operations Senior Vice President Julian Blissett said GM had taken the difficult decision after implementing and considering numerous options to maintain and turn around Holden operations.

“Through its proud 160-year history, Holden has not only made cars, it has been a powerful driver of the industrialization and advancement of Australia and New Zealand,” said Blissett.

“Over recent years, as the industry underwent significant change globally and locally, we implemented a number of alternative strategies to try to sustain and improve the business, together with the local team.”

GM undertook a detailed analysis of the investment required for Holden to be competitive beyond the current generation of products. Factors impacting the business case for further investment included the highly fragmented right-hand-drive markets, the economics to support growing the brand, and delivering an appropriate return on investment.

“After comprehensive assessment, we regret that we could not prioritize the investment required for Holden to be successful for the long term in Australia and New Zealand, over all other considerations we have globally,” said Blissett.

“This decision is based on global priorities and does not reflect the hard work, talent and professionalism of the Holden team.”

GM intends to focus its growth strategy in Australia and New Zealand on the specialty vehicles business and plans to immediately work with its partner on developing these plans."

https://media.gm.com/media/au/en/holden/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/au/e- n/2020/feb/0217_Holden.html


Also affected by this decision is a pullback in the Thai market, and GM will be selling it's factory in India according to Autoweek. Plans to sell the Thai plant to Great Wall of China are underway according to autoblog.

https://www.autoweek.com/news/industry-news/a30978884/holden-brand-axed-in-australia-as-gm-pulls-back-from-region/

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/02/17/gm-kills-holden-brand-australia/


Even Holden's main rival paid respect to the news, from Ford Australia's Twitter:

>1/1 - All of us here at Ford Australia are saddened to hear the news that Holden will cease operations. Holden is an iconic brand that holds a special place in the heart of many Australians, and has done so much to shape the Australian automotive industry and the country...

>2/2 - Its vehicles have been worthy competitors both on road and on the racetrack. To our friends at Holden, thank you for keeping us on our toes and inspiring us to keep aiming higher. We will miss you.</p>— Ford Australia (@FordAustralia)

https://www.motor1.com/news/399109/ford-tweets-respects-holden-brand/


I guess the real question is how much longer will there be RHD vehicles?