Lang Lang saved: Simcoe and Reuss key players

Two of Holden’s favourite sons, Mike Simcoe and Mark Reuss, are responsible for saving Lang Lang. motoring.com.au can now reveal the design chief campaigned with the support of Reuss to keep the iconic local development facility operating post Holden’s 2017 closure.

Simcoe is the former Holden design boss who spent time in Detroit working at GM’s Warren technical centre and has since returned to home base in Melbourne as international operations design director to oversee both the Fishermans Bend and Seoul (Korea) design studios.

American Reuss, who was managing director of Holden during the global financial crisis, has since risen through the executive ranks and was announced only months ago as GM’s new global product development boss. Reuss now ‘owns’ Lang Lang in his product role.

Both men share a passion for Holden and its capabilities and were clearly devastated by the demise of its manufacturing operations and the looming loss of significant engineering knowledge, which was going to be either recruited to other parts of the GM global empire, or lost to the company altogether.

Simcoe has been circumspect in his comments about the issue publicly, while Reuss was unco-operative with Australian media when asked about the manufacturing closure at the Detroit auto show.

It was at the Detroit auto show that Simcoe broached the issue with Reuss, pitching the need for engineering jobs and capability so that Holden’s credibility as an Australian car company would be retained. Reuss, in his new global PD role, was perfectly placed to lobby for the protection of Lang Lang and some engineering jobs.

Their actions are unlikely to ever be publicly acknowledged by GM execs, including consolidated international operations boss Stefan Jacoby and new Holden MD and chairman Gerry Dorizas, who today confirmed the backflip from last December’s announcement that Lang Lang would be sold and Holden stripped of all engineering resources by the time manufacturing ceased at the end of 2017.

Just what engineering capabilities will be retained by Holden are yet to be finalised, as is the exact engineering headcount. Currently, it is believed Holden employs nearly 600 engineers, around 130 of them at Lang Lang. It is thought that number will drop to around 70 in total.

The engineering operations will be retained alongside the design centre, which has been previously confirmed as continuing on after manufacturing ceases.

Ford, which ceases local manufacturing in Australia in 2016, had also previously confirmed its design centre and engineering capabilities - including the You Yangs proving ground - will continue. Toyota, which closes up its Altona plant no later than the end of 2017, will retain its small Australian design centre, but the future of the company’s Melbourne technical centre is uncertain.

Jacoby and Dorizas made no direct reference to this backroom manoeuvring at today’s announcement, instead placing it in the context of their plan to eventually return Holden to the top of the sales pile in Australia.

“Over the last couple of months we have developed our strategy for Australia and we see great opportunities with the global product program which we have a mind for Australia,” Jacoby said.

“We believe we can regain maket share and market position and with that kind of thoughts that we have within our strategy it came up that we want to maintain our engineering and proving ground capability in Australia.”