Agree with Exiv96... I don't think we'll ever give up driving on the right. Otherwise we'd have done so when we were under American occupation in the Post-War years.

As long as Britain and Japan drive on the left, there will be RHD vehicles. Very sad news for Holden, though.

The writing has been on the wall for a while now, but it offical, the Holden brand is coming to an end by the end of 2020.

"MELBOURNE – The Holden brand will be retired from sales in Australia and New Zealand and local design and engineering operations will wind down by 2021, General Motors (NYSE: GM) announced today. Maven and Holden Financial Services operations will also wind down in Australia.

GM International Operations Senior Vice President Julian Blissett said GM had taken the difficult decision after implementing and considering numerous options to maintain and turn around Holden operations.

“Through its proud 160-year history, Holden has not only made cars, it has been a powerful driver of the industrialization and advancement of Australia and New Zealand,” said Blissett.

“Over recent years, as the industry underwent significant change globally and locally, we implemented a number of alternative strategies to try to sustain and improve the business, together with the local team.”

GM undertook a detailed analysis of the investment required for Holden to be competitive beyond the current generation of products. Factors impacting the business case for further investment included the highly fragmented right-hand-drive markets, the economics to support growing the brand, and delivering an appropriate return on investment.

“After comprehensive assessment, we regret that we could not prioritize the investment required for Holden to be successful for the long term in Australia and New Zealand, over all other considerations we have globally,” said Blissett.

“This decision is based on global priorities and does not reflect the hard work, talent and professionalism of the Holden team.”

GM intends to focus its growth strategy in Australia and New Zealand on the specialty vehicles business and plans to immediately work with its partner on developing these plans."

https://media.gm.com/media/au/en/holden/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/au/e- n/2020/feb/0217_Holden.html


Also affected by this decision is a pullback in the Thai market, and GM will be selling it's factory in India according to Autoweek. Plans to sell the Thai plant to Great Wall of China are underway according to autoblog.

https://www.autoweek.com/news/industry-news/a30978884/holden-brand-axed-in-australia-as-gm-pulls-back-from-region/

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/02/17/gm-kills-holden-brand-australia/


Even Holden's main rival paid respect to the news, from Ford Australia's Twitter:

>1/1 - All of us here at Ford Australia are saddened to hear the news that Holden will cease operations. Holden is an iconic brand that holds a special place in the heart of many Australians, and has done so much to shape the Australian automotive industry and the country...

>2/2 - Its vehicles have been worthy competitors both on road and on the racetrack. To our friends at Holden, thank you for keeping us on our toes and inspiring us to keep aiming higher. We will miss you.</p>— Ford Australia (@FordAustralia)

https://www.motor1.com/news/399109/ford-tweets-respects-holden-brand/


I guess the real question is how much longer will there be RHD vehicles?

The DS3 was already nowhere to be seen at DS's booth during the Brussels Motor Show, back in January. Only those ugly Crossbacks.

I had a high-spec DS3 diesel rental for a couple of months in summer 2013 - the fleets were full of them at one stage as if dumping unsold stock. Really nice to drive - ended up at one stage letting my nephew practice on it when he was learning to drive because the controls were so easy and friendly. But 2 big flaws - almost no rear legroom even with seats fairly well forward - impossible for anyone more than 10 years old to use back seats. And the very snazzy shiny black "wood"/chrome trim all round the cabin was already badly scratched despite only being a month or two old. So after a year it would have been a total mess. I was never very keen on the 208 - it felt built down to a price rather than designed to be enjoyed - but I'd guess it was the better choice in the real world outside the shiny showroom.

I wonder how much longer the DS experiment can last, the DS3 was the only popular one and its ugly crossover replacement doesn't seem to be particularly popular.

kind of ironic.. wondering if you had chosen the Citroen if their garage would be closed and Peugeot's one open.. anyway, all goes into PSA's pockets..

I like the DS3's redesign in 2016 , sad for it even if i don't know it..

Sad for the DS3, I liked it.
I hesitated between that and the 208, back in 2013-2014.
I took the 208 by habit: I had a 206SW, I knew the Peugeot garage near where I live. And it was slightly cheaper if I remember well.
Ironically that Peugeot garage is now closed and last time I had to go to a garage for servicing, I went to the Citroën garage close to where I live

• The DS 3 says "good bye World" (fr) for the (French) 2020 model year¹.

• The Fiat 124 says apparently the same thing except for the USA. If I'm not mistaken, that means no more coupé nor cabriolet in PSA/FCA models.
_____

1: which is the same as the calendar year.

My father bought a Cascada two years ago. A low-mileage, ex-demonstrator. 1.4 litre, 6-speed manual. Gawd I hate those ! I stalled twice, and missed a gear when I test-drove it.

And it's not the only ex-demonstrator Cascada I've come across. Maybe that's how Opel Belgium sells them.

As for why buying a Cascada ? The Renault Mégane cabriolet was gone, so was the Peugeot 308 CC, Ford Focus CC & VW Eos. The Golf Cabrio is meh, the Mazda MX-5 is too small, and the premium germans too expensive.