Last Australian car to be made today
<p>It’s the end of the line and the end of an era for Australian automobile manufacturing, with the last ever Australian made-cars due to roll of the production line today.</p>
<p>This historic, some would say sombre, occasion will make the end of what was almost a century of automotive manufacturing for Australia, and 69 years for Holden.</p>
<p>A handful of cars will be built before midday today as part of a private ceremony that’s expected to be attended by 1,000 Holden factory workers past and present. </p>
<blockquote class="twitter-video">
<p dir="ltr">This week we’re reflecting on our journey, where we’ve been and where we’re headed – all thanks to our team, loyal fans and customers. <a href="https://t.co/0arFW98fUQ">pic.twitter.com/0arFW98fUQ</a></p>
— Holden (@holden_aus) <a href="https://twitter.com/holden_aus/status/920071409279348736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
<p>The last car to be made by Holden will be a red Commodore V8 sedan and will mark the end of an industry that represented almost 50,000 jobs in Australia. </p>
<p>While the scene is grim, Holden announced today that 85 per cent of its workers had been able to successfully transition to a new occupation, form of study or retirement.</p>
<p>Holden HR director Jamie Getgood told <a href="http://www.News.com.au" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>News.com.au</strong></em></span></a>, “Holden and our former and current employees have been working hard together to help our people be job ready for alternative positions once they finish with us.”</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr">"Our thoughts are with the Holden workers today..." - <a href="https://twitter.com/AlboMP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlboMp</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9Today?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9Today</a> <a href="https://t.co/B4WTbE7RQe">pic.twitter.com/B4WTbE7RQe</a></p>
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTodayShow/status/921095440434593794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
<p>With the factory’s closure, Holden will become an importer of cars.</p>
<p>Former Holden boss Mark Reuss, who is now based in the US, said, “(Today) will be a very emotion filled day for me. Like many people who have worked for Holden, I put my heart and soul into the place. I brought my wife and kids to a far away land of Australia, and we all fell in love with the people, the cars, and the culture.</p>
<p>“We are lucky to have this special place and people as a large piece of who we are as a family. It is hard to put into words, but… we thank all of you and God Speed to those who made Holdens. We will look forward to a new future for Holden engineering and design. Thank you all.”</p>
<p>What are your thoughts? Do you think Australia let the local automobile industry die too easily? Was there more that we could’ve done? </p>
<p><em>Image credit: Twitter / Nine News Adelaide</em></p>
