[AM222]

GM plans to pull out of Australia, New Zealand and Thailand

TOM KRISHER

General Motors' decision to pull out of Australia, New Zealand and Thailand as part of a strategy to exit markets that don't produce adequate returns on investments raised dismay Monday from officials concerned over job losses.

The company said in a statement Sunday that it plans to wind down sales, engineering and design operations for its historic Holden brand in Australia and New Zealand in 2021. It also plans to sell its Rayong factory in Thailand to China's Great Wall Motors and withdraw the Chevrolet brand from Thailand by the end of this year.

GM has 828 employees in Australia and New Zealand and another 1,500 in Thailand, the company said.

In Thailand, the decision to sell GM's plant in Rayong, south of Bangkok, may well end up being good news for workers there.

Great Wall Motors, a major maker of sport utility vehicles and pickups, said it intends to expand in Southeast Asia using the plant in Thailand as its base.

Read More: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/g...ustralia-new-zealand-and-thailand/ar-BB104jv7

 

[falcon lover]

Downsizing... No Europe, no RHD countries, no Russia... Is GM a global manufacturer right now? The pride of America is it now a car manufacturer limited to some countries of America , China and little else. The same is happening with Ford. It is a pity!

 

[AM222]

Downsizing... No Europe, no RHD countries, no Russia... Is GM a global manufacturer right now? The pride of America is it now a car manufacturer limited to some countries of America , China and little else. The same is happening with Ford. It is a pity!

I disagree with Ford being the same as GM. Ford is present in all continents and most countries in each region.

Ford has committed to stay in Australia and will try to hire some of the soon-to-be-out-of-work Holden employees. I think their Ranger pickup is also the 2nd best selling model in Australia.

 

[hellb0y]

Downsizing... No Europe, no RHD countries, no Russia... Is GM a global manufacturer right now? The pride of America is it now a car manufacturer limited to some countries of America , China and little else. The same is happening with Ford. It is a pity!

I disagree with Ford being the same as GM. Ford is present in all continents and most countries in each region.

Ford has committed to stay in Australia and will try to hire some of the soon-to-be-out-of-work Holden employees. I think their Ranger pickup is also the 2nd best selling model in Australia.

Boy oh boy....I do think you are wrong on this one. Ford won’t blimp to leave Europe or Asia if they can’t make something competitive and - as per this fantastic CEO, ‘high margin’ - for those markets.

 

[AM222]

Boy oh boy....I do think you are wrong on this one. Ford won’t blimp to leave Europe or Asia if they can’t make something competitive and - as per this fantastic CEO, ‘high margin’ - for those markets.

Ford sells a lot of small competitive vehicles in Europe, and a lot of Ranger pickups and Everest SUVs here in the Asia-Pacific region. Take note, it's a big deal that Ford is doing well with its pickups and SUVs here since Asia-Pacific is traditionally a Toyota-dominated market. Its best selling model is the Ranger which belongs to one of the biggest vehicle segments in the region.

GMs problem in Asia-Pacific is poor domestic sales and low volume exports due to weak demand (uncompetitive models particularly in the important pickup and SUV segment). This is also the reason why GM cannot justify the development of right-hand drive models for Thailand, Australia & New Zealand.