Holden Commodore halted

The new head of Holden promises there will be no fire sale to clear unsold cars despite putting a temporary hold on orders for its imported Commodore and Equinox.

Dave Buttner, who has just completed his first 60 days as managing director of Holden, says he is upbeat about the company’s future even after the worst sales run in its history.

He admits Holden has too many cars in stock for current demand but is working a plan that will clear dealerships without reducing morale or the company’s battered following with potential buyers.

“It’s about right-sizing the inventory. If you’ve got a lot of stock to clear you get into trouble,” Buttner told motoring.com.au.

“We’ve got plenty of stock. We’ve just slowed it down. Nothing more than that. Perhaps it should have been done a bit longer ago.”

Buttner has now completed his indoctrination into General Motors after a visit to the USA and trips around Australia to talk to dealers after working for Toyota for most of his career, and says he is primed for the challenge.

“I’m feeling fantastic. Everyone is starting to get their heads up,” he says.

“[But] there is a lot of work to do. We’ve got to tell people what we have to sell.

“If people don’t know about it, then it’s tough. We’ve got to make sure that people understand the portfolio.”

Buttner admits this year will not deliver the original sales forecasts for Holden, but points to the market’s overall downturn in showrooms -- the first since 2014 -- as another factor that’s hurting the red lion brand.

His stated objective from the start was to improve either sales or market share, or both, with each passing month.

“In August our share was 4.6 and then September was 4.9. And there were only 500 units between fifth and 10th.

“It’s going to be a pretty competitive market in the final quarter. There is a bit of stock out there.”

He says there is no panic at Fishermans Bend and the objective now is to steady the ship, match imports with deliveries, and rebuild confidence at all levels of the business.

“I’m confident we can finish the year strongly. There is not going to be any fire sale. Or any increase in demonstrators.

“If we do that then we’ll get what we deserve.

“We want to start next year with a clean slate, start rebuilding and get on with the job.”

So, what is his focus?

“The key to rebuilding is making sure we have a really strong partnership with our dealers, and deliver on our promises,” said Buttner.

“We have to live up to every promise we make. It takes a long time to build confidence and it’s very easy to lose it.”

Once again, he emphasised the importance of SUVs to Holden’s future.

“We have had a very successful Acadia launch. Ours is tuned for local conditions. It’s a great car.

“Early next year we’ll certainly talk to people about the whole range of SUVs. We need to get the message out there.”