Holden was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer in South Australia before moving into the automotive field in 1898.

Holden became a subsidiary of the United States–based General Motors (GM) in 1931, when the company was renamed General Motors-Holden's Ltd. Founded in Adelaide, South Australia, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last three years, it switched entirely to importing cars. It was renamed Holden Ltd in 1998 and adopted the name GM Holden Ltd in 2005.

Holden's primary products were its own models developed in-house, such as the Holden Commodore, Holden Caprice, and the Holden Ute. However, Holden had also offered badge-engineered models under sharing arrangements with Nissan, Suzuki, Toyota, Isuzu, and then GM subsidiaries Opel, Vauxhall and Chevrolet. The vehicle lineup had included models from GM Korea, GM Thailand, and GM North America. Holden had also distributed GM's German Opel marque in Australia in 2012 and 2013.

In 1926, General Motors (Australia) Limited was established with assembly plants at Newstead, Queensland; Marrickville, New South Wales; City Road, Melbourne, Victoria; Birkenhead, South Australia; and Cottesloe, Western Australia using bodies produced by HMBB and imported complete knock down chassis. In 1930 alone, the still independent Woodville plant built bodies for Austin, Chrysler, DeSoto, Morris, Hillman, Humber, Hupmobile, and Willys-Overland, as well as GM cars. The last of this line of business was the assembly of Hillman Minx sedans in 1948. The Great Depression led to a substantial downturn in production by Holden, from 34,000 units annually in 1930 to just 1,651 units one year later. In 1931, GM purchased HMBB and merged it with General Motors (Australia) Pty Ltd to form General Motors-Holden's Ltd (GM-H).

48-215

The Holden 48-215 is a mid-size sedan which was produced by the Australian automaker Holden between November 1948 and October 1953. A coupe utility derivative, coded as the 50-2106 and marketed as the Holden Coupe Utility, was produced from January 1951. The name reflects the year of introduction ('48) and the size of the engine, at 2.15 liters. The 48-215 was the first model from General Motors in Australia to bear the Holden name.

The design was originally conceived in the United States by Chevrolet, but was not used because it was deemed too small for the U.S. market as it developed after the war. Instead the design became the basis of only the 48-215 model. Its American origins are quite apparent, as it closely resembles Chevrolets of the period that did make it to production, particularly the Fleetline Aerosedan and the second generation Deluxe. Development of the 48-215 began in 1944.

The car was marketed simply as the Holden, without a model name. It had a 2,171 cc cast-iron straight six engine which produced 60 hp, connected to a three-speed manual transmission. It managed the 0–100 km/h sprint in 18.7 to 27.7 seconds. Sources differ. It also had a dust proof body, and a small 11.3 m turning circle.

The 50-2106 coupe utility, based on the 48-215 sedan, was released in January 1951 and in July 1953 the Holden "Business Sedan", essentially a taxi version of the 48-215, was added to the range.

fe

The Holden FE is an automobile produced by Holden in Australia from 1956 until 1958. It was also the first Holden to be assembled in New Zealand, where General Motors New Zealand built their first example on 31 January 1957.

The FE models were built on a longer wheelbase than the FJ series Holdens which they replaced, and they featured totally different styling, the FJ models having used a body shape carried over from the original Holden 48-215 series introduced in 1948. A single piece windscreen was now fitted and other improvements included a 12-volt electrical system (replacing the previous 6-volt system), improved steering, a front stabiliser bar and wider wheel rims. All models used a 2262 cc in-line six cylinder engine, coupled with a 3-speed manual gearbox. Engine improvements over the FJ included the use of bigger valves and an increased compression ratio of 6.8:1, which increased the power output from 60 hp to 71 hp.

When introduced in July 1956, the FE range consisted of the Holden Standard Sedan, Holden Business Sedan and Holden Special Sedan, the names designating different levels of equipment and interior trim. 

fb

The Holden FB is an automobile produced by Holden in Australia from 1960 to 1961. Introduced on 14 January 1960, the FB series replaced the Holden FC range.

The FB range consisted of four-door sedans in two trim levels, five-door station wagons in two trim levels, a two-door coupe utility and a two-door panel van. The FB was promoted as being longer, lower, more spacious and more powerful than the FC model, but in reality it was only slightly so on each count. Engine capacity remained at 132 cubic inches (2.16 L) but the compression ratio was raised. However, the resulting extra 4 brake horsepower of power did not compensate for the greater weight of the FB, so performance was inferior to that of its predecessor. Changes were also made to the brakes, front coil springs, air cleaner and clutch.

Notably, the FB was the first Holden model to also be produced in left-hand drive form, those vehicles being destined for export markets.

hd

The Holden HD series is a range of automobiles which were produced by Holden in Australia from 1965 to 1966.

The Holden HD sedans and station wagons were released on 15 February 1965 with coupe utility and panel van body styles following in July of that year. The HD range replaced the Holden EH series which had been in production since 1963. The HD had a completely new body, which was wider and longer than that of the EH and offered significant increases in passenger space, load space and equipment levels.

The optional Hydramatic automatic transmission as used in the EH was now replaced by a Powerglide two– speed unit. The HD was also the first Holden to be offered with a factory performance engine option, the "X2" which included twin downdraft Stromberg carburetors and exhaust headers.

Three versions of the inline six cylinder Holden Red motor were available. The 100 bhp 2.4 L six was standard in all models except the Premiers and a 115 bhp 2.9 L six was standard on Premiers and optional on all other models. A 140 bhp "X2" version of the "179" was also available as an option on all models.

hr

The Holden HR is an automobile that was produced by Holden in Australia from 1966 to 1968.

The Holden HR range was released in April 1966, replacing the Holden HD series which had been in production since 1965. In addition to a revised grille, the HR featured a reworked roofline and larger rear window (on the sedans), revised rear lights (on sedans and wagons) and changes to almost all exterior body panels. Other changes included revised ball joint front suspension, widened track, improved interior trim and woodgrain interior finish for the Premier models. Six months after the launch of the HR, all models were given a safety upgrade with the addition of front safety belts, windscreen washers, reversing lights, padded sun visors and a shatterproof interior rearview mirror.

The two versions of the inline, six-cylinder Holden Red motor were carried across from the HD series, both with increased engine capacity and a higher compression ratio.

A total of 252.352 vehicles were produced up to January 1968 when the HR was replaced by the Holden HK series.

Holden Special Vehicles (HSV)

Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) was the officially designated performance vehicle division for Holden. Established in 1987 and based in Clayton, Victoria, the privately owned company modified Holden models such as the standard wheelbase Commodore, long wheelbase Caprice and Statesman, and commercial Ute for domestic and export sale. HSV also modified other non-Holden cars within the General Motors lineup in low volumes.

Vehicles produced by Holden Special Vehicles have generally been marketed under the HSV brand name. However, in the early years, some retailed under the Holden brand in Australia whereas most cars for export (other than in New Zealand and Singapore) retailed under different names (namely, Vauxhall and Chevrolet Special Vehicles).

Holden and Tom Walkinshaw Racing – an operation owned by Scottish racing-car driver and entrepreneur Tom Walkinshaw – established Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) as a joint venture in 1987. HSV effectively replaced the Holden Dealer Team.

Since 1987 HSV has built an array of modified vehicles, most of which have been based on Holden models powered by either Holden or GM sourced V8 engines.

HSV

brougham

1968-1971

The Holden Brougham is a large, luxury automobile that was produced by Holden in Australia between July 1968 and 1971.

It was based on the mainstream Holden Premier of the same years, but with a lengthened rear body. The boot was simply extended by 200 mm rather than increasing the 2800 mm wheelbase. The Premier's four-headlight grille was also kept. The model was a hasty response to Ford Australia's successful Fairlane.

Because of its luxury positioning, the Brougham was only available with an automatic transmission, first a two-speed, then a three-speed after the HG's launch. The only engine available in the original HK Series Brougham was a Chevrolet 5.0 L V8. The HT series was launched with the new Holden designed and built  V8, and was the first Holden to be powered by this engine (the rest of the HT range got the 307 until the 308 was made available across the HT range in September 1969). The 308 was carried over to the HG Series Brougham.

Throughout its production life the Ford Fairlane outsold it by a large margin. The Brougham was replaced by the long-wheelbase Statesman models in 1971, on the redesigned HQ platform.

monaro

The Holden Monaro is a car that was manufactured by General Motors' Australian division Holden. It has a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and was produced with a two-door coupé body from 1968 to 1975 and again from 2001 to 2006 and with a 4-door sedan body from 1973 to 1977.

Three generations of the Monaro coupe have been produced, the first covering the HK, HT, and HG series from 1968 to 1971, the second covering the HQ and HJ series from 1971 to 1975, and the third covering the V2 and VZ series from 2001 to 2005.

Statesman is an automotive marque created in 1971 by the Australian General Motors subsidiary, Holden. Statesman vehicles were sold through Holden dealerships, and were initially based on the mainstream Holden HQ station wagon platform, thereby providing more interior room and generally more luxurious features than their Holden-branded sedan siblings. Production ceased with the last of the WB series cars in January 1985.

GM Holden reintroduced the range in 1990 with two long-wheelbase sedans; however, the cars were no longer marketed as Statesman by brand name, but instead as the Holden Statesman and the Holden Caprice.

statesman

The original Statesman HQ long-wheelbase sedans were released on 22 July 1971 as a replacement for the HG series Holden Brougham. 

Statesman sedans were initially offered in two specifications, the luxury Statesman de Ville and the basic Statesman Custom. Engine availability for the Custom ranged from a 3.3 L Red six-cylinder, a 4.1 L V8 (for marketing purposes, the metric designation given to the 253 V8 was 4.2 L), a 5.0L  V8 and a 5.7 L Chevrolet small-block V8. All Statesman de Ville sedans featured the 5.0 L V8 engine as standard equipment, with the 5.7 L V8 an option.

The Statesman was intended as a rival for Ford Australia's successful Fairlane which had debuted in Australian-designed form as the ZA series in March 1967. The Fairlane had created a new and exclusive category of Australian-made prestige cars.

From 1973 to 1976, HQ models were exported to Japan as the Isuzu Statesman De Ville. Isuzu sold 246 De Villes between late 1973 and 1976. Unique to the Japanese model were fender-mounted mirrors, an "Isuzu by GMH" badge at the rear, and Holden Kingswood hubcaps.

sandman

The Holden Sandman is a sports coupé utility produced between 1974 and 1980 by General Motors' Australian subsidiary Holden and became known throughout the 1970s as "Shaggin' Wagons", given their popularity amongst teenage couples, identified by their bright paint jobs and distinguishable stripes, and later the colourful "SANDMAN" lettering covering the tailgate, the Sandman was Holden's answer to a Panel Van and Utility variant of the popular GTS variants of the Sedan and Monaro Coupé,

The sandman came standard with the GTS' sports style gauge cluster, sports steering wheel, bucket seats, along with a fully furnished interior, and the exterior consisting of rally wheels, GTS style guards, "Sandman" Logo painted on B pillars for utes and in approximately the same spot on panel vans and exclusive vinyl stripes, the Sandman came with a standard 173 cubic inch "red" inline 6, however most were optioned with either a 253, or 308 cubic inch Holden V8 (as Chevrolet small-block engines were not an option, unlike their GTS counterparts), backed by either a 4 speed manual (Standard) or 3 Speed 'Tri-Matic' Automatic, both controlled through a console mounted floorshift.

holden hx/mazda roadpacer

The Mazda Roadpacer is a full-size sedan that was manufactured by Mazda in Japan between April 1975 and 1977, although the last car was not sold until 1979. It was based on the Australian Holden HJ and HX series Premier. Premiers were shipped to Japan without engines or transmissions, and Mazda fitted a 1.3-liter 13B Wankel engine into the bay. It was the first large Japanese car to meet the 1975 emissions standards, although that was a short-lived distinction because the Nissan President followed suit a month later. In October 1975, the engine was revised to meet the 1976 emissions standards, at which time the car gained the "AP" (Anti-Pollution) moniker. The Roadpacer has the distinction of being the only General Motors product ever fitted for production with a rotary engine.

camira

The Holden Camira is a mid-size car that was produced by Holden between 1982 and 1989. It was Holden's version of GM's J-body family of cars—GM's third "global" car platform, and was heavily based on the European J-body car - the Opel Ascona C. The name "Camira" comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "wind."

After a good initial sales run, Camira sales dropped significantly and the model was discontinued in 1989. The Holden Apollo, a rebadged Toyota Camry, was introduced as the Australian market replacement, with New Zealand instead offering the European-sourced Opel Vectra. In all 151.807 Camiras were built (85.725 JBs; 36.953 JDs; and 29.129 JEs).

badge engineering

the end

On 20 October 2017, Holden ceased manufacturing vehicles in Australia with the closure of the Elizabeth plant. Afterwards, Holden became an importer of rebadged cars from various GM subsidiaries located in the United States, Canada, Germany, Thailand, and South Korea.

On 17 February 2020, General Motors announced that the Holden brand would be retired by 2021, after GM stated it would no longer make right-hand drive vehicles globally, leaving the Australia and New Zealand market altogether. Holden produced nearly 7.7 million vehicles