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Holden Builds Final Cruze at Elizabeth Plant

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Last Holden Cruze at Elizabeth Australia

Holden earlier this month manufactured the final Cruze at its Elizabeth Assembly Plat in South Australia, bringing the brand yet another step closer to becoming a full-line importer by 2018.

A Holden Cruze SRI Z-series hatchback was driven off of the line at 8:30 am to the applause of employees and company executives, including company chairman and managing director Mark Bernhard, who offered a few words to mark the occasion:

Those who were involved in the Cruze project have a strong, and deserved, sense of pride at what was achieved in terms of project development, management, engineering, design and, of course, production. Holden’s business is changing and we are building a bright future, but it is equally important to recognize and honor our people and our heritage. We’re incredibly proud of our manufacturing history and our legacy; I want to thank every Holden employee, and all those people in the supply chain, for their personal contribution to our industry and our company.

The landmark Cruze was subsequently handed over to the Leukemia Foundation and raffled off at its Light the Night event in Victoria Square. The money raised by the auction will be used for patient transport services.

“More than 60,000 Australians are living with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and related blood disorders and funds raised from the raffle of these cars will help continue critical patient transport services, support research, and provide further patient support and accommodation,” said Leukemia Foundation General Manager Simon Matthias.

Holden says that the end of production will result in the voluntary departure of more than 270 employees, but notes that the number of jobs lost is less than originally anticipated. The Holden Transmission Center in Elizabeth will be offering up transitional services, and the automaker notes that 78% of the 450 employees who have left the company within the past two years have transitioned into another job, retirement, or further education.