Holden celebrates 60 years since building its first car | Industry

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Holden celebrates 60 years since building its first car

Written by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Friday, 21 November 2008

Holden will mark the 60th anniversary of Australia’s first locally developed car, the Holden (or the Holden FX as it was sometimes known) on Saturday 29 November. The mid-sized, six-cylinder sedan first rolled off the line at Holden’s Fishermans Bend headquarters on 29 November 1948, at which point Prime Minister Ben Chifley famously told reporters: “She’s a beauty.” A gala launch event was attended by more than 1000 dignitaries to mark the unveiling of the 'Holden', as it was marketed back then.

American design, local production
While the Australian head of state may have found the first ever Holden to be an attractive car, the original vehicle was actually designed by GM's Chevrolet brand for the U.S. market following the war, however it was rejected for being too small. Thus 'Australia's Own Car' was actually American designed, but production was completely locally.

Development of the inaugural Holden model took four years and spawned a number of variations, including a 50-2106 two-door ute and a Holden Business Sedan aimed at the market for taxis. While 1948 marked the year the first locally produced Holden went on sale, the Holden company has actually been around for a much longer period of time - although not always as an automobile manufacturer. Australia’s oldest automotive enterprise actually grew from a saddlery business established by James Alexander Holden in 1856. The company merged with General Motors in 1931.

Safety technology leader
Holden's Chairman, Mark Reuss, stated that “since the 48-215 was introduced to Australian roads 60 years ago, the Holden name has become synonymous with local ingenuity." Holden was the first brand to bring in many advanced safety technologies to Australian market first, such as standard driver, passenger and side impact airbags, computer optimised restraint systems and ABS brakes. Despite bringing in advanced safety technologies, Holden was recently put to shame in Australian NCAP crash tests when its small Barina model only garnered a two-star rating. Recent improvements have given the Barina a new rating of four-stars, but the small car still does not carry ABS brakes as standard.

Model expansion
From creating Australia's first locally produced automobile, Holden has now come to dominate the sedan market with its Commodore sedan, which often tops the Australian car sales list. The holden range has expanded from the 48-215 to include small cars, sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs and performance sedans, some of which are exported overseas under GM's Pontiac brand.

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