Holden's axing fuels online interest

Thousands of Kiwis have rushed online to see what Holdens are for sale after it was announced the brand is being given the boot.

Alan Clark, Trade Me's head of motors, says the online auction site has seen a “huge jump in interest as Kiwis reminisce or consider snapping up a brand that will be discontinued”. 

General Motors (GM) revealed on February 17 that Holden in New Zealand and Australia will be no more from 2021.

Clark claims searches for the marque have surged since, with about 17,000 the day after the announcement was made. 

According to Trade Me, there is normally about 7,000 “Holden” searches each day but figures are now up more than 30 per cent on the previous week. Clark adds there are currently more than 3,500 Holden listings on the website and there were nearly 32,000 in 2019.

“We’ll be watching with interest to see what this announcement means for the prices of Holdens and which cars Kiwis will turn their attention to when Holden stops selling here,” he says.

In Australia, inquiries about vintage and famous models have also soared, according to Lloyds Auctions chief marketing officer Brett Mudie.

“The value of Holden classics has always been strong but this evidence that has come to us in the last day suggests that it is likely to create a booming market for them,” he says.

While the loss of the motoring brand is likely to lift the value of classic models, Holdens bought recently are unlikely to retain their value in the short-term.

Holden says it has thousands of cars available for sale through its 31 dealers in New Zealand and 165 dealerships in Australia. The company is expected to soon reveal to those businesses some of the discounts that can be offered to lure potential customers.