This rather entertaining video smacks of being a Candid Camera type stunt, but it is supposedly fair dinkum. Watch as the driver of a Daewoo Winstorm (Holden Captiva) takes matters in to her own hands after having her vehicle unwillingly attached to a tow truck.
Source: CarAdvice
The Global Financial Crisis is biting hard on the home front, with news Holden will start 2009 with a series of production line closures from January through to March. This will affect as many as 3,400 workers, although they will still be eligible to claim a wage equivalent to four and a half days work during their down time. The closures amount to around 15,000 less vehicles being produced.
At this stage, Holden’s top brass are saying no permanent retrenchments are on the horizon. In tough times like this, and with parent company GM in all sorts of financial bother, I’m sure these claims mean little to GM’s Australian workers. With sales of the traditional Aussie big 6 cylinder falling, one has to wonder just how much longer our car industry will remain viable?
More information, audio and video on this story can be accessed from ABC Online.
Mark Skaife took centre stage today as he announced his retirement from full time V8 Supercar racing. His decision will take effect at the completion of the 2008 season, with the Oran Park round (4-7 December) being his last. Skaife claimed he no longer has the passion required for full-time racing, due in part to the demands of his ownership/management role with the Holden Racing Team.
At his press conference today Skaife said he regretted not being able to make it to Formula 1, but once it was clear that pathway would not be possible, he promised himself to make the most of the opportunities presented to him in Australia. With five Bathurst wins and five Australian Touring Car Championships, it is fair to say that Skaife made good on his promise.
General Motors’ statement on Skaife’s retirement can be read below. Other coverage can also be found at the V8 Supercars website here and here.
On a day where official interest rates dropped for the first time in seven years Holden is chasing more family friendly headlines. For all private buyers until 31 October Holden will cap fuel at 99¢ a litre for two years or 20,000 kilometres, whichever comes first.
Alan Batey, Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales said “We will provide this cap across all segments to ensure the benefits are as widely available as possible, given that fuel prices impact all drivers regardless of the size of their car. Whether you’re buying a Commodore for the family, a Barina as your first car, or a Colorado as tool of trade, we know everyone will appreciate our helping hand.
“GM Holden is committed to providing affordable and economical cars to our customers, and this campaign is another way that can be achieved.”
Maybe I’m missing something here, but surely this offer would actually encourage people to buy less fuel efficient cars. One thing is certain this offer has nothing to do with providing more fuel efficient cars. There’s more to this offer, but I can’t tell you right now, I’m off to get me six-litres of loud and proud Aussie V8 Sportwagon! (A shame that the 270kW V8s are recommended to run on 98RON and this offer only applies to 91RON fuel or diesel. Gee, who saw that coming!)
Source: Holden
On my drive home from work the other day I caught the start of Paul Barclay’s Australia Talks program on Radio National. The focus of discussion was on Australia’s car industry, with topics canvassed including:
In a story that is sure to send shivers down the spine of AUSmotive readers The Daily Telegraph reports of a shocking tale of Heartland Holden employees joyriding and crashing a customer’s car. Residents close to the Parramatta dealership were alarmed when Colin Chaffen’s Holden Monaro lost control and went crashing through a residential fence.
NSW Police are investigating the incident, however the Telegraph have quoted Mr Chaffen saying top brass at Heartland Holden attempted to deceive him by giving numerous explanations as to the cause of the accident. Raising his anxiety further were insurance payout complications from the Western Sydney Holden dealership.
But perhaps the most alarming revelations were claims from a former employee at Heartland Holden. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph the anonymous former employee claimed this was not an isolated incident, “They’re hoons. Whenever a nice car came in they were all itching to take it for a drive. I saw them do burn-outs, speed and drive erratically on test drives, and their attitude was ‘it’s not my car’.”
While it is difficult to verify the accuracy of the former employee’s claims, they do tend to support the worst fears for many innocent customers who have a right to expect their cars can be trusted when left with a supposedly reputable workshop. I’m sure I am not the only one that has heard anecdotal evidence of similar stories, although I personally haven’t heard of joyriding mechanics crashing a customer’s car before.
Source: The Daily Telegraph
(Thanks to Dave for the tip)
How much would you expect to pay for Tom Walkinshaw’s homage to Darth Vader? Well, according to news just in from Shannons, you’d better cancel your order for a new BMW 135i to free up the cash. The HSV VL Commodore SS Group A pictured above sold at auction recently for $87,000. I’ll type that again, the car pictured above sold at auction recently for $87,000. Wowsers!