Holden WB

The Holden WB series is an automobile which was produced by Holden in Australia from 1980 to 1984. It is a facelifted version of the Holden HZ series, which it replaced. Unlike the HZ and every other full size Holden series before it, the Holden WB was only offered in commercial vehicle body styles with no sedan or wagon passenger car variants. The long-wheelbase WB series models were marketed under the separate Statesman marque, absent of all Holden branding.

Model range

The Holden WB series was released in April 1980, the range consisting of two coupe utility models, a panel van and a cab chassis truck. The Kingswood panel van, Sandman utility and Sandman panel van models were not carried over from the HZ commercial range. The WB range therefore consisted:

The Kingswood utility featured a black grate style grille and rectangular headlights, unlike the more basic models which shared a divided grille with circular headlights. In August 1980, the base models received an update which gave them the same frontal treatment as the Kingswood utility.

Holden

GM Holden Ltd, commonly known as Holden, is an Australian automaker that operates in Australasia and is headquartered in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer in South Australia. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the United States-based General Motors (GM) in 1931. After becoming a subsidiary of GM, the company was named General Motors-Holden's Ltd, becoming Holden Ltd in 1998—the current name was adopted in 2005.

Holden is responsible for GM vehicle operations in Australasia, and on their behalf, held partial ownership of GM Daewoo in South Korea between 2002 and 2009. Holden has offered a broad range of locally produced vehicles, supplemented by imported GM models. Holden has offered the following badge engineered models in sharing arrangements: Chevrolet, Isuzu, Nissan, Opel, Suzuki, Toyota and Vauxhall Motors. As of 2013, the vehicle lineup consists of models from GM Korea, GM Thailand, GM in the US, and self-developed Commodore, Caprice, and Ute. Holden also distributed the European Opel brand in Australia in 2012 until the brand's Australian demise in mid-2013.

Holden New Zealand

Holden New Zealand Limited, formerly General Motors New Zealand Limited before 1994 is the sales subsidiary for General Motors in New Zealand. Holden New Zealand was incorporated as a company on 4 January 1926.

Assembly plants

The Petone assembly plant opened in 1926 and the Trentham (in Wellington's Hutt Valley area) assembly plant opened on 26 August 1967 by the Prime Minister of New Zealand Keith Holyoake. At this time, the company had almost one million square feet of floor space, situated on three (Petone and Trentham: assembly/manufacturing plants; Upper Hutt: parts, and later, assembly, warehouse and office facilities) properties in the Hutt Valley totaling 117 acres (0.47 km²). The Petone assembly plant was sold in 1984. In 1990, General Motors New Zealand announced its decision to phase out local assembly of passenger cars.

Brands

While the Holden name was (and is) used on virtually all GM products in Australia, in New Zealand other GM products from Vauxhall, Bedford, Chevrolet, Isuzu, Pontiac and Opel were sold as well.

Holden (English cricketer)

Holden (first name and dates unknown) was an English first-class cricketer associated with Marylebone Cricket Club who was active in the 1810s. He is recorded in one match in 1818, totalling 9 runs with a highest score of 5.

References

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