Godfather Monaro admitted that Holden has something to climb

Mike Simcoe says Holden's challenge is to regain popularity in Australia, but a wide range of products will help.

Holden has a significant amount of work to do to regain its position in the Australian market, but will continue to selectively select models from General Motors' extensive international design portfolio to create its own unique product line, GM vice president of global design said. Mike Simko.

Speaking at the Cadillac booth at the New York Auto Show last week, Mr. Simcoe - an Australian well known as Holden Monaro's chief designer - admitted that Holden would face challenges in the future but was confident he could retain customers by attracting them. . behind the wheel of their new products.

“We clearly have a mountain to climb,” he said. “And the only way to do that is to convince people to come back and look at the product. You can do whatever you want, but without a product and loafers in the field and without experience, it will always be bad.”

According to Mr. Simcoe, many Australians mistakenly assumed that Holden was leaving the Australian market after the closure of local production in October last year.

“I think for some reason the market has the perception that Holden is going out of business,” he said.

The Lion brand is currently in the process of a major overhaul, with 24 new models to be launched by 2020.

“The closure announcement has become a 'brand leaving the country' and there is obviously a huge backlash. People feel disappointed. The Holden brand is the quintessential car and truck brand in Australia.

“Whenever you guys start talking about vehicles or brands, you hear next to nothing about Toyota or Ford. You always hear Holden. If there is a general reference to the automotive industry, it is to Holden. What is good and what is bad. It means that you think about Holden, the audience thinks about Holden, but sometimes it also happens in a negative context."

The Lion brand is currently overhauling its products with new models launched by 24, and is also focusing on improving customer service and after-sales programs.

Last month marked the launch of Opel's all-new Commodore, but Holden will turn to the SUV segment to regain lost sales due to the death of the Australian-made big sedan.

Models like the recently launched mid-size Mexican-made Equinox and the forthcoming US-made Acadia large SUV are set to do the hard work for Holden as SUVs become more popular with buyers.

The current lineup is represented by a number of GM businesses, including GMC in the US, Chevrolet in Thailand, North America and South Korea, and Opel in Germany, meaning that a common design language is difficult to achieve.

Mr. Simko said that while a unified design theme is important, the benefits of choosing the best models from a broad portfolio will be beneficial to the brand.

"I think what's good for Holden in general is that he can choose, he looks at all the brands and he can choose what he likes," he said.

“There will be some character of the brand itself in the showroom. But it will be a mix of different cars.”

He acknowledged that some brands, such as US luxury brand Cadillac, may not be available to Holden.

As GM sells its European Opel and Vauxhall brands to the French PSA Group, Holden will have to decide where he wants to get the next-gen Astra and Commodore replacements, and that while he can get Opel models from his new owners, GM-built models from North America and Asia would be the more likely route.

Mr. Simko said his role was to ensure that each brand under the GM umbrella had its own recognizable design language.

Melbourne-based GM Design Australia will continue to work on designs for global markets, according to Mr. Simko.

“About two weeks ago we held a big domestic EV show and a number of virtual and physical products came in from Australia. That is what we use them for,” he said.

“Studios around the world that we use for different opinions. If you're not in Detroit, then think otherwise. So we're focused in Detroit, but we have a lot of opinions around the world."

Mr. Simko said his role was to ensure that each brand under the GM umbrella had its own recognizable design language.

“My job is to keep the momentum that each brand has. There is already a good separation, both in appearance, and in ethics, and in the message, and in the message about the brands themselves, ”he said.

“We're locked into it and all we're going to do is keep making them more obvious. The appearance of cars will become more and more bold and more and more individual.”

Mr. Simko began his career as a designer at Holden in 1983, rising through the ranks to head the GM International design team in 2014 and vice president of global design in 2016.