December 14^th, 1998                               

Record production, booming sales and Commodore leadership:
golden highlights of 50^th anniversary year

In 1998, vehicle production at its Elizabeth (SA) manufacturing facility will nudge 120,000 units - an all-time record annual high. Total sales for the year, during which Holden consistently led the market, are expected to top 154,000 units, constituting the company’s best result in 19 years. And the outstandingly successful Holden Commodore has easily outsold rival Ford Falcon and will claim the title of Australia’s top-selling car for the third year in a row.

1998 also marked Holden’s return to volume exports. In a stunning start to the program, left-hand-drive Commodores being exported to Middle Eastern markets have met with such high demand that the car is already GM’s top-selling passenger car in the region.

Other highlights of Holden’s 50^th anniversary year included the beginning of local production of the medium-sized Holden Vectra sedan and wagon - an export-related venture of major significance - and the launch of the pace-setting compact Holden Astra. Both models featured prominently in several 1998 ‘Best Car’ awards*, as did the Holden Commodore, which in January began the year on a high note by taking out the prestigious 1997 Wheels Car of the Year award.

In June, Holden’s leadership in safety feature technology was further demonstrated when it became the first Australian manufacturer to offer the extra protection of side impact airbags.

This initiative won a commendation in the Windscreens O’Brien 1998 Achievement in Automotive Safety Awards, while the Society of Automotive Engineers-Australasia presented Holden Ltd with its Gold Automotive Engineering Excellence Award for the safety systems of the VT Commodore.

Through the year, in the lead-up to the 29 November anniversary of the launch of the first Holden, commemorative activities included the introduction of a sell-out series of limited edition, uniquely specified 50^th Anniversary models. However, the Holden that took the nation by storm was the coupe design study version of the VT Commodore unveiled at the Sydney Motor Show in October.

On 29 November, an estimated 65,000 people nationwide joined Holden in celebrating the birth of the first Holden and the inauguration of the Australian motor industry at a series of events, culminating in a re-enactment at Fishermens Bend of the launch of the first Holden, attended by the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard.

Reflecting on the year, Holden chairman and managing director, Jim Wiemels, said that Holden had succeeded in making its 50^th anniversary a year of exceptional performance.

"Holden’s achievements of record production volume, extraordinary success in new export markets, and a successfully expanding product range showed Holden’s determination to take its industry leadership heritage into the next century", Jim Wiemels concluded.

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