Holden Confirms End of Cruze Production in October, Will Produce Commodore Until 2017
The 2016 Holden Commodore VFII lineup
Photo: © General Motors
Holden confirmed what many had suspected last month by announcing that it would terminate production of the Holden Cruze at its Elizabeth, Australia plant in October. The brand confirmed at the same time that it remains committed to building the Commodore until late 2017.
With the loss of production comes the loss of production jobs, and Holden Executive Director of Human Resources Ashley Winnett states that the company’s top priority will be to help its workers adapt through the process.
“Our number one priority is to support our people—this is a difficult time for all those in the Holden family,” Winnett said. “Every Holden worker has access to a suite of transition services and up to $3,000 in approved training; all part of Holden’s $15 million contribution to the Federal Government’s Growth Fund for specific support of our manufacturing and engineering employees. All of our people have counselling services available to them, as well as career counselling, training and job searching assistance. All Holden employees at Elizabeth are entitled to this transition support, both before and after they eventually leave the company.”
Winnett added that the company has done everything it can to inform employees and suppliers of the shutdown ahead of time, with talks going as far back as 2014.
“Our people continue to do an amazing job on the production lines and in the offices of our Elizabeth factory,” he added. “The team is currently building the best quality cars we have ever produced and our people’s dedication and professionalism is unwavering. They have much to be proud of.”
Holden plans to terminate all Australian manufacturing by the end of 2017, at which point production of the Commodore will end.
The Cruze will eventually be replaced by the Holden Astra, and it intends to launch 24 new imported models in Australia by 2020.
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