Arch-rival Ford is set to be the unlikely saviour for hundreds of Holden staff who will lose their job with the imminent closure of the iconic Australian motoring brand.
In more seemingly-good news, Ford says that it does not intend to follow General Motors’ sudden exit from the Australian car market for the foreseeable future.
Following the Australian Government’s criticism of the termination of the Holden brand after 164 years — and billions of dollars in tax-payer subsidies — Ford has reassured the Government that it is in Australia to stay and may be able to offer jobs to some of the laid-off Holden workers.
Despite often being seen as the lesser of the two big Australian manufacturers, Ford is currently Australia’s biggest automotive employer despite it also ending its manufacturing operations in Australia several years ago as Holden did.
The announcement follows Holden’s American parent company General Motors yesterday announcing that it would retire the iconic Holden brand and close down its Australian operations with about 600 employees set to lose their jobs.
Following the shock announcement, Federal Industry Minister Karen Andrews called Ford’s Australia and New Zealand president and chief executive, Kay Hart.
Ford still employs more than 2000 engineers, designers, and technical and automotive specialists across four sites in Victoria.
“We have one of the top-selling vehicles in the Ford Ranger, that is designed and engineered right here in Australia and doing so well for us,” a Ford spokesperson said.
Since they were first made in Australia in 1948, Holden cars have been a familiar sight on roads and racetracks across the country at one time boasting nearly 50 per cent of all new cars sold in Australia.
Ford Falcons and Holden Kingswoods, Toranas, and Commodores have formed a 60-year rivalry in the Australian production car racing circuit and even now Fords and Holdens are still the major production cars of the larger racing groups.
