New Holden boss smokes crack

[Bossxr8]

Quite clearly the crack pipe has been passed around the Holden HQ. I'm staggered he could even think to make a statement as absurd as this.



Return to sales leadership possible three-years after factory shuts: new Holden MD




4 April 2014

By MIKE COSTELLO

GM HOLDEN'S new managing director Gerry Dorizas has laid out a bold aim to usurp Toyota and reclaim top spot on the Australian sales charts by 2020, three years after the end of local Commodore and Cruze production.

In a wide-ranging interview conducted five weeks after he took the top job, Mr Dorizas said Holden was in the process of changing its mind-set to that of a full importer and away from a local producer, stating that while “we will always be historically an Australian brand”, times had changed, and it wasn’t all about Holden being the embodiment of ‘Down Under’ any more.

Mr Dorizas also stressed the importance of sharpening its marketing message to be consistent, saying Holden had the right product mix today to achieve its lofty goals, and also the need to re-invigorate its dealer network by going from second-last in dealer satisfaction (JD Power survey from December) to first, and thereby retaining service customers.

Speaking at his first public interview with Australian media last night, Greek national Mr Dorizas, who most recently served as the head of Volkswagen India, made the remarkable claim that Holden could reasonably claw toward 15 per cent market share by the end of the decade.

At the same time, said Mr Dorizas, market leader Toyota would contract from its current 18.9 per cent total market share as a result of continued market fragmentation. Toyota had a share as high as 23.6 per cent in 2008.

In comparison, Holden has 10.1 per cent share this year, up from 8.5 per cent this time last year but still well behind the Japanese market leader, and only narrowly ahead of top full importer Mazda. Furthermore, its top-selling Commodore is on its last legs, meaning its contribution of upward of 30,000 sales this year – on current form – could be lost before the target date.

“I think the strategy where we want to go is to go back to number one,” said Mr Dorizas. “Of course we need a product strategy which is being deployed. We need to focus together with the network, we need our focus as well.

“In a boxing match there are 12 rounds, we’re going through the eighth round and now we need to throw a punch.... market shares will start levelling out. We won't be 20 per cent, (but) 15 per cent for one brand maybe – everything will come closer together.

“We have what we need, we just need a product strategy for the future products, we’re covered well for products, we just need a little bit of time to focus and we will get there.

“It is a long way, at one particular time we wanted to save the factory, but now we have to re-focus. It will take time and a lot of work. The notion of ‘no worries mate’ is not the idea of how we work – we need credibility back. The mindset has already started changing.”

Mr Dorizas – who in his long career with Fiat and Volkswagen has not closed a factory – added he was sad that production would cease, stating that “globalisation is eating everything”.

“It’s unfortunate that you come out with certain wounds (from globalisation) and one is with the auto industry. You've seen it in Europe, you'll see more in Eastern Europe, basically globalisation eats its kids. It's unfortunate but it's evolution and its changing.

“Where we were once considered to be Down Under, it's not ‘Down Under’ any more, it's (Holden) going to be considered multinational, just like Australia.”

Interestingly, Mr Dorizas also warned that the current era of record-low car prices were unsustainable, but would not comment on whether Holden would be the one to ‘blink’ first and cease factory promotions.

“We have seen the prices fall in a big way. With the cost of living (here) being more expensive, if not more than double, Germany… that is not sustainable,” he said.

“I believe prices will go up at some particular time. How profitable are these dealers with sales? How profitable are they with the pushing of sales in order to do numbers?”

Mr Dorizas compared this situation to pre-recession North America, stating that the number of dealers in North America had dropped from about 68,000 in the late 1990s to about 28,000 today.

Naturally, GM Holden’s brave claim sets the gauntlet for its Australian dealer network, though Mr Dorizas insists GM has the right product in the pipeline to get the job done. The key to selling it, he said, was to stay ‘on message’, and to have a long-term consistent approach to promotion.

Mr Dorizas also stressed the necessity of re-engaging the dealers as the starting point part of his 'back to basics' approach, saying they “have their heart in the right position” but must become better at retaining service clients and “delighting” their customers at purchase time.

Mr Dorizos said this was not strictly a Holden problem, but one experienced across the board..

It is worth noting that in a recent JD Power survey, released in December 2013, Holden finished second-last in dealer satisfaction, ahead only of Volkswagen and a long way from first-placed Mazda.

“I've gone from East to West. Met about 70 per cent of the network in terms of volume, all the metropolitan guys, gone to dealers and visited so far. I've got a fair amount of understanding of where we are and what has to be done.

“In Holden we want the best customer satisfaction.

“I can tell you we don't service the car park we have in Australia (meaning, it doesn’t get all its buyers returning to dealers for services), we have to get our customers back, delight our customers, work with dealer in training, technicians and advisors, installing standards into the network. Everybody needs to speak a common language.

“Another thing that is important to put in place is to have the most satisfied dealer network. If they're satisfied and profitable they invest in customers. It’s very important for us to be partners with the network. And we need to invest in people, not only in the company.

“The heart is in the right position. I believe we have the best network, but what we have to do is retain our customer retention... things are moving from sales-oriented to service oriented.”

Mr Dorizas said having allies within GM would help Holden get the best products, and the ear of key decision makes. His predecessors Mark Reuss, Alan Batey and Mike Devereux have all been promoted further up within GM US or its International Operations (IO). GM IO executive vice-president Stefan Jacoby is also a former VW staffer, like Mr Dorizas.

“We will walk the talk,” he said.

[MITCHAY]

Compared to the range Ford has lined up post Aussie manufacturing, I think it would be more likely to be Ford than Holden and even then I don't think that will slow down Toyota or Mazda.

No one will even care anyway since there will be no Aussie built Holdens.

[Adamz Ghia]

What's he supposed to say...?

[pottery beige]

just a bunch of also ran importers like fraud now they can ead

[FormulaFG]

Lets say we believe him......

what vehicle are they going to achieve all this with?

[flooded one]

Originally Posted by FormulaFG

Lets say we believe him......

what vehicle are they going to achieve all this with?

The Chinese made Commodore

[cheap]

Remind me again, how well did the "we're here to stay" advertising go?

The idiots are well and truly in charge at GM, except for the somewhat "bland" styling US road test/reviews love the SS (Commodore), everyone raves about it - GM's reaction terminate.

[Nikked]

What do you expect them to say?

"After the commodore is gone, we'll only have sub-par products and we will fail to achieve any market share"

Of course they are going to spruik the company, to be successful you have to commit to the product, Australian made or not. Better to aim the company somewhere, rather then no where.


Just need Ford to have that same commitment and drive...

[malazn mafia]

if Holden was "second-last in dealer satisfaction (JD Power survey from December)"... I wonder who came last? Ford?

[Focused]

Originally Posted by Adamz Ghia

What's he supposed to say...?

Exactly. He has to be confident because that's what they like to hear in board rooms, and because that's what the market like. Who'd buy a product from a company that wasn't excited about their own product?

Having said that, he is full of rubbish. Holden will struggle for three reasons. Probably more if I thought about it a bit more.
1) Bogan backlash. People are disappointed that GMH are leaving and feel betrayed and they won't buy a Holden again.
2) because of the loss of the high-profit Commodores, many dealers will close. People will see all of these closed GMH dealers and assume the company has withdrawn from Australia altogether.
3) their range, other than the VF, actually is quite crap. And even the new Cruze (spy photos out in the last few days) looks unfortunate so that won't bring the boost they'd be hoping.

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

if Holden was "second-last in dealer satisfaction (JD Power survey from December)"... I wonder who came last? Ford?

Volkswagen

[rjk74]

Volkswagon was last, must be those dodgy auto gearboxes.

[CyberWasp]

Half the people wont even know that the 2017 Commodore is built in China when they buy them.
The Captiva outsold the Territory again last month. I bet half of them think they are Australian made.
It is just not the Holden Boss that smokes crack.

[eb2fairmont]

lol gmh number 1 by 2020. Really?

1. Not as good as toyota in commercials colorado is not hilux
2. Daewoo's and not opels
3. No commodore

So how is this going to happen? They going to pay for you to take them?

[Focused]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

Half the people wont even know that the 2017 Commodore is built in China when they buy them.
The Captiva outsold the Territory again last month. I bet half of them think they are Australian made.
It is just not the Holden Boss that smokes crack.

Agreed except for the bit about the Commodore. There's two groups of Commodore buyers, the fleets (mostly Victorian and SA) who buy them simply because they're locally made, and the enthusiasts who buy the S and V models. When local production stops, the fleets won't be obliged to buy them so they'll buy cheaper Corollas, and the enthusiasts won't want a FWD 4cyl Commodore. So who'll be left to buy them? Barely anyone. It's exactly why Ford aren't replacing the Falcon with anything - there's just no one (OK, maybe 10 or 20) who wants that kind of car any more.

On the topic of the Captiva... I've had more than one chat with someone who argued black and blue that the Captiva is locally built...

[stevesxr]

Originally Posted by Focused

On the topic of the Captiva... I've had more than one chat with someone who argued black and blue that the Captiva is locally built...

Slightly O/T but,

All Australian design they said

[GTP-RPD]

Originally Posted by Focused

Agreed except for the bit about the Commodore. There's two groups of Commodore buyers, the fleets (mostly Victorian and SA) who buy them simply because they're locally made, and the enthusiasts who buy the S and V models. When local production stops, the fleets won't be obliged to buy them so they'll buy cheaper Corollas, and the enthusiasts won't want a FWD 4cyl Commodore. So who'll be left to buy them? Barely anyone. It's exactly why Ford aren't replacing the Falcon with anything - there's just no one (OK, maybe 10 or 20) who wants that kind of car any more.

On the topic of the Captiva... I've had more than one chat with someone who argued black and blue that the Captiva is locally built...

Not to hijack the thread

Not locally built but definitely locally repaired....CONSTANTLY.

1st one
Engine Oil leaks whole motor out
Blown gearbox whole motor out
Leaking diesel injector
Cracked inter cooler
Faulty break light switch causing engine to shut down at 60km/h
Turbo hoses too soft and sucking in under load and choking motor all replaced

All within the first 25000k's


2nd one 15000k's
Oil leaks whole engine out
Rattle from tailgate
Rear wiper motor shat itself
Rear window squirter starts squirting after 4 wipes
Leaking diesel injector gassing occupants through air vents. 3 visits required because dealer didn't believe it was possible

If they were reliable a good size family hack that fits 2 adults and 3 kids comfortably with some nifty features it may have been ok.

Basically the fleet managers preference for unsuspecting staff packages because of their low CO emmissions meeting fleet green policy BS and are cheap.

Can't get territory because they are a lot more expensive.

MY ADVICE, NEVER EVER, EVER GET A POS CAPTIVA and certainly not a second one thinking they ironed out all the problems of the previous model.

If Holden think these cars will save them and pin their hopes on mugs like me being made to feel more important by the salesman and in the service waiting lounge.
GOOD EFFIN LUCK

end of rant

[EB#]

Originally Posted by FormulaFG

Lets say we believe him......
what vehicle are they going to achieve all this with?

Re-badged Daewoos it would seem...... Yep, definately on the pipe.

[bigwil]

So the new Holden boss smokes crack and the previous boss was a dope

[Joe5619]

If you don't have a version, then you'll only go backwards! So, the Holden boss thinks they'll be number #1 in 2020.. Good luck to them, better to dream & fail, then never try at all!!

Personally, I don't think that is going to happen, but I can't see anything wrong with what he said..

[CyberWasp]

The photos posted by stevesxr says it all.
Holden completely brainwashed Australia and still do to this day.
But if you are looking purely at results aka sales figures then maybe it is the Ford Management on crack.
What in hell are they doing at number 5 with a vehicle line up like that that beats Holden in just about all classes.

[flooded one]

People will still buy Holdens even when local production stops. As its already been said about people buying Craptivas. Sorry, I just think the Captiva is a horrible car. A lot of people will go for brand names too when buying stuff and not care where its built. Us car enthusist are the minority. Honestly does anyone know anyone that brought a captiva to modify??

[2011G6E]

Hmmm...insanity when Holden says it, everyone cheers when Ford says it...

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11416556

...and the story in question...
http://www.carsguide.com.au/news-and...82934_20140402

Ford is promising to lead the Australian motor industry beyond 2020 despite killing its locally-made Falcon and Territory.

I think both Ford and Holden are going to do extremely well here when they start bringing in well equipped cars with standard features that we have normally never been exposed to in Australian built cars, and everyone will wonder what the fuss was all about. Go to the Ford and GM USA websites and look at the features they see as standard.

[Sprint XR8]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Hmmm...insanity when Holden says it, everyone cheers when Ford says it...

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11416556

...and the story in question...
http://www.carsguide.com.au/news-and...82934_20140402

Ford never claimed they will be the largest selling brand in the article, only that they will be the largest automotive employer after 2017. Gover has misquoted them either deliberately or due to incompetence.

[Franco Cozzo]

I think we all know Holden are full of ****, maybe they can give us something like the Silverado rather than all this Daewoo ****.

[Bossxr8]

I just cannot fathom how he could even suggest this, it's laughable in it's stupidity.

Yaris smashes Barina.
Corolla smashes Cruze.
Camry smashes Malibu.
Rav 4 smashes Captiva 5.
Kluger Vs Captiva 7 I think is fairly even.
Prado smashes Colorado 7.
Hilux smashes Colorado.

Then you have stuff Holden has no competitor for like Landcruiser, Hiace, 86 etc.

The only advantage Holden have is the Commodore, which will be replaced with a FWD chinese built pos that will probably not even sell 1000 a month, no V8, no ute, no LWB, maybe no wagon etc. It will be a failure compared to VF.

There is zero reason why Holden can even get near Toyota. Opal and Daewoo rubbish from Korea is not going to do the job.

Holden will be lucky if they will even be in the top 5 sellers come 2020.

[b2tf]

I wouldn't worry about it, if they stay true to form he will not be here in 12 months anyway.

[SVR73]

Saying that they have the right product mix for today and actually having it are two different things. There is nothing on the market worldwide that makes me say I must have one

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Hmmm...insanity when Holden says it, everyone cheers when Ford says it...

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11416556

...and the story in question...
http://www.carsguide.com.au/news-and...82934_20140402


I think both Ford and Holden are going to do extremely well here when they start bringing in well equipped cars with standard features that we have normally never been exposed to in Australian built cars, and everyone will wonder what the fuss was all about. Go to the Ford and GM USA websites and look at the features they see as standard.

You have misread the article that I posted. It states that Ford Aust., as an automotive company will be will the biggest employer in Australia. They don't claim they will lead the market as the deluded Holden exec claims.