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Any updates on total production?

1367 Views 15 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  Juggy
GM has said all along that they would build 18'000 GTO's each year for 3 years.
When I talked to Jim Wangers in August he told me that they were going to build 16,700.
Now with the slow ramp up by Holden, parts shortages and some unkown quality issues plus Holden is on shutdown for 3 weeks and won't start back till Jan. 12, I would have to believe that the total production will be alot less than 18,000.
My TPW got pushed back 51 days!
I just hope that by the first of the year ,everybody gets their shit together and we don't have to wait forever for our cars like these first guys are waiting!
I would assume that even tho they are on 3 week shutdown(as far as production) that they will still have some people working to get out what they have already built and to the docks and shipped.
Any of you Holden boys like to comment? I'm sure you can enlighten us on some of these issues!
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I was wondering the same thing and I can all but guarantee that they won't hit 16,700 - let alone 18,000. The thing with building cars in a limited amount of times doesn't allow you to make more, because Holden has to ramp up for the next model year.

Sure, they could build them until they hit exactly 18,000 - but it would be in their best interest (read PROFITABLE) to start on the 2005 model year in the summer (I believe it's in June or July).

The way they're going, I'd be floored if they hit 16,000 - but hey, it makes our 2004 model year go up in value! Woot!
Yes agree that it won't hit 18,000. It is 18,000 a year. That means for any underage of '04 they could produce and sell more '05.
:drink: :drink:
Tails said:
Yes agree that it won't hit 18,000. It is 18,000 a year. That means for any underage of '04 they could produce and sell more '05.
:drink: :drink:
No, actually the agreement states up to 18,000 per year. It does not state 54,000 over three years. Anything they don't produce is lost.
The GTO better be a high quality car because it is taking them a long time to build them.
i dont think they are having trouble building them its shipping them or the process once they hit the coast/ they are having trouble with/ you know how it is when your counting and some one interrupts you and then you have to start all over again
ah so what your saying is that the people that were in charge of counting in Flordia have been hired by GM??!?!?!?!

OMG!!!!!!! we are all screwed then!
yep they are using the chads/ system or the hole punch we can only wait till an election year/
tiggerfan said:
No, actually the agreement states up to 18,000 per year. It does not state 54,000 over three years. Anything they don't produce is lost.
Is that per model year or per calendar year? I was assuming calendar year.
I understand your anguish over the cars, and I don't work for Holden, so I can't give you the solid guts on when and where they are arriving.

But

Bear in mind that these cars come from one assembly line where all of Holden's domestic production occurs. 13 different bodies and many more trim, drivetrain and option variants come off this line. They can't just shut the Holden line and build all the cars in one hit - for one thing, they are holding orders for Australian cars including Monaros and the Commodore, which is Australia's biggest selling passenger vehicle.

The second issue is, compared to a stock fabric-trimmed vehicle, the leather insides, which have to go on the GTO, Monaro, SS, Berlina, Calais and Statesman; plus the Middle-East, Asia and Euro market cars. It takes longer to make, and the supplier would have to ramp up production.

Let me tell you - there are option/value packs, and deals to be had on superceded models, but Holden hasn't given incentives to customers in years - they sell most everything they build to order, and at MSRP or a minor discount. A few bigger dealers have SS Commodes and demo Monaros on the lot, but there are no big discounts on these. Ford does a lot of selling to corporates and taxis, because their car is cheaper to buy.

When the Monaro was conceived Holden was going to build 5,000 a year for three years - then it was gone forever. All of a sudden a year in that figure was quadrupled, and the car has a life extending into a new chassis format which means into the forseeable future. So a lot of this is unforseen, in industry terms where they try to plan in years. Holden has to increase capacity and maintain the quality which it appears it is. The Monaro is the biggest-selling sports coupe in Australia at that number, and it is an expensive car here - less than the top German cars, but dearer than the likes of the 350Z, RX8 and so on. It's 20% dearer than the 4-door SS V8 and 50% dearer than an SS Ute.

Yet Holden has built within 10% of the stated Monaro target figures. And there have been no recalls; apart from the LS1 oiling problem which affects a small number of cars there are no persistent reports of problems or bad warranty issues. That's one good thing about building off an 'old' platform - less problems.

I'd also say Holden is being careful with your cars - they want to sell to GM US and Europe in the future - for niche cars Holden may be it.

A growing trend in Australia is businesses to shut down over Christmas, but I suspect they are changing the line over to build the next-model VZ Commodore, which is to incorporate the new alloy V6 being cranked off the lines here in Melbourne. While you guys could give a damn, it's vital to Holden to get it right. So it's not really much of an excuse, but at least a little explanation.

So I'd say they'd be all care, but no responsibility!:eek:
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Just to clear up a popular misconception.

A lot of people seem to be under the impression that the US is only getting 18000 GTO's because thats all Holden can build. The reason behind the 18000 car limit is the Union organisations in the US wouldn't allow more than that.

I remember reading an article on this prior to the GTO being finally announced.
MarkII
Thanks for the info. It's nice to know that the car is cared for where it is being built. It usre seems to be a big nothing with Pontiac here.

Jerry
That is better for all you guys that bought or are going to buy 04's. If they build less that would mean they would in more in demand. They might even hold their value better if not to the general public but to the car collector.
Daemon21 said:
Just to clear up a popular misconception.

A lot of people seem to be under the impression that the US is only getting 18000 GTO's because thats all Holden can build. The reason behind the 18000 car limit is the Union organisations in the US wouldn't allow more than that.

I remember reading an article on this prior to the GTO being finally announced.
Yes, this is true, but the concern is that Holden won't be able to make even the 18,000 because of delay after delay after delay on top of which, shutting down for 3 weeks over the holidays! They're already behind as is.
Shutting down over the holidays is standard practice so the final production estimates would have included the Xmas lull.

The Production/Shipping/Delivery cycle on these vehicles has only just started so its not unreasonable to assume that delivery times will improve as the process is fine tuned.

Remember also that US car buyers are used to getting their cars shipped from Detroit or Japan not Australia.


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All good things come to he who waits :drink:
produced to date

Does anybody know how many GTO's have been made to date?
Looking at the pictures of them sitting on the dock, and the number of ships that have been sent, you would think there would at least be enought to fill all of our orders. But then I'm being selfish towards us on this site.
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