Inchcape-GM talks take a different turn.
A report we carried last week detailed the contents of confidential papers seen by General Motors pertaining the future of Holden in Australia, with an option on the table of particular note. It appeared that among the many options that GM was considering as part of its financial & corporate restructuring, Holden could cease local operations, with sales & distribution handed over to independent firm Inchcape.
It seems that that wasn’t all that was on the table, though. It seems that Inchcape is considering reintroducing the German brand Opel, ceased locally in 2013 and sold to Groupe PSA last year. Should that happen, it would mean the effective ‘transfer’ of the new-generation Commodore & Astra into Opel showrooms, with Holden left with a range of SUVs and utes.
The Opel idea is a natural one, given that Inchcape is already the appointed distributor & representative for Peugeot & Citroen in Australia, in addition to the rest of the Inchcape automotive portfolio. Neither Inchcape nor Holden commented on the matter when contacted, and media were told to refer to earlier statements made by both companies on the matter.
Opel would be a very interesting addition to the Inchcape portfolio, especially if it gets to carry over the Astra and sell the Commodore as the Insignia. In 2018, Holden sold 9,000 Commodores and 6,000 Astras, easily eclipsing the 3,300 cars that CarAdvice says Inchcape sold between its Peugeot & Citroen brands combined.
Stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
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