New Holden chief on deck

GM Holden has formally announced the commencement of its first Australian boss in 25 years and says it remains committed to the launch of 24 major vehicles by 2020, including a "true sports car".

As Holden announced he would in February, Mark Bernhard yesterday (July 1) became the sixth Holden chief in just over seven years, following the resignation of Gerry Dorizas on October 28 after just eight months in the job.

Bernhard replaces Chief Financial Officer Jeff Rolfs, who has filled in as Holden's interim managing director for the past eight months while a replacement was found for Dorizas.

His predecessor, Mike Devereux, held the job between early 2010 and late 2013, but before him Alan Batey, Mark Reuss and Chris Gubbey managed the company for less than three years collectively.

Dorizas made headlines just a month into the top job last April when he stated that Holden would double its sales and knock off Toyota as Australia's top-selling brand by 2020.

There was no mention of that promise in Holden's statement this afternoon, but the company did reiterate a number of other key commitments made recently. They include:

>> Holden will launch 24 major vehicles and 36 drivetrain combinations over the next five years, including all-new entrants in the crucial SUV market segment;
>> Cascada convertible, Astra hatch and Insignia sedan launched in 2015;
More than one-third of Holden’s future product portfolio will be sourced from Europe;
>> All-new Holden Spark confirmed to launch Q1, 2016;
>> Holden vehicles will continue to be tuned and tested for Australian conditions and customers with the retention of the Lang Lang Proving Ground in Victoria;
>> Holden’s Global Design centre continues to contribute to local and global product programs;
>> More than one-third of Holden’s future product portfolio will be sourced from Europe;
>> The esteemed Commodore nameplate will live on with Holden’s next-gen large car;
>> Holden will have a true sports car in its future product portfolio;
>> Home Ground Advantage, Holden’s $5 million/10-year commitment to grassroots sporting clubs has been a huge success with 1600 entries in the first round;
>> Holden has launched the biggest Capped Price Servicing Program in the country, covering every Holden ever built

Of course, Bernhard will also be charged with overseeing the end of GM's Australian manufacturing operations in Melbourne and Adelaide in 2017.

As we reported last week, Holden's new imported Commodore is likely to be based on Opel's next Insignia, but the exact make-up of its fully imported model range and the identity of its mystery 'sports car' remain unknown.

Bernhard returns to Holden after starting his career with the Lion brand in 1986 and holding a number of senior finance roles within GM globally over the past 29 years.

Most recently, has been the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Shanghai GM in China since November 2011, and was a member of the GM-SAIC joint-venture’s Executive Committee.

“Holden has a bright future and it’s an honour to be able to lead the talented and passionate team here,” he said.

“Having started my career with Holden, I understand the strength of the brand and its importance to Australia and our customers. My job is to build on that for future generations.

“Our company is going through a challenging transition to a National Sales Company and I am determined we will treat our people with the respect and dignity they deserve. But we must also look forward and Holden’s future success will be built on three pillars: brand, product and customer experience.

“Re-establishing Holden as Australia’s favourite car brand means a total focus on our customers, redefining the Holden brand and launching 24 world-class vehicles by 2020. We are taking the long view, [that] this is not going to happen overnight. It is going to be challenging and we have plenty of hard work ahead but I’m energised by our potential.

“Our mission is to build a future that honours our brand, our people and our heritage, with the best vehicles from across the General Motors world. We have the right plans and the right people to make Holden a success story for many years to come.

“I’d also like to thank Jeff Rolfs who has done an outstanding job as Interim chairman and managing director. Jeff will resume his role as Holden’s chief financial officer today,” he said.