This is the last Australian-made car in history

A moment of silence, ladies and gentlemen, because what you're looking at is the last Australian-made car in history as Holden rolled off the last VF Series II Commodore off the Elizabeth production line, signalling the definitive end to Australian car manufacturing.

The last Holden

A thousand workers past and present have been gathered at the plant to witness the last Australian-made car in history, a red V8-powered Holden Commodore, at a private ceremony held at about 1045 hours local time.

This signals the end of Holden's almost seven decades of local manufacturing and almost a century of Australian car manufacturing. Since the FX of 1948, about 7,687,675 Holdens were produced within the last 69 years, that's more than Ford's 5.9 million production figures and Toyota's 3.4 million, both of which closed their Australian factories within the past year

Before the last Holden Commodore saloon rolled off the Elizabeth line, Holden has rolled off the last Commodore ute, the last Commodore wagon, and the last Caprice luxury car. All of these cars will be kept by Holden as museum pieces.

In Holden's near seven decade history, the fastest selling Holden of all time is the HQ Kingswood from 1971-72, of which over 485,000 were built. The fastest selling Commodore of all time is the VT model from 1997 to 1999, with over 303,000 built. In its prime, Holden has employed 23,914 workers across seven factories in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia in 1964. The number of factory workers in Elizabeth in the lead-up in the final day was 945.

Despite the factory shutdown, General Motors Holden's is pleased that 85% of their employees have either found new jobs or are training for a new career as it thanked "the partnership and assistance of the state and federal governments, along with the unions, over many years" according to their statement.

Holden will continue to sell new vehicles after the factory shutdown but the models will be sourced from across America, Europe, and Asia, including their next Commodore which is now based on the second-generation Opel/Vauxhall Insignia lineup.

URL: http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/motoring/here-it-is-the-last-holden-commodore-to-roll-off-the-elizabeth-production-line/news-story/1b7bdd090ddfee3628a26f69ca1e1c1d

Thank you Australia for all the best cars ever made and the best people behind those wonderful cars. Even though the Aussies have stopped making cars, they will remain the beating heart of Australian motoring for many years to come.

Photo: Holden