The last Holden built in Australia has rolled off the production line, marking the end of the country's car manufacturing industry.
Holden's Elizabeth plant in northern Adelaide halted operations on Friday, the last of the automotive company's production lines in Australia to do so after 69 years of operations.
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described the closure as "the end of an era."
"I feel sad, as we all do, it's the end of an era," Turnbull said on Australian radio.
"You can't get away from the emotional response to the closure."
The Elizabeth site opened in 1963, 15 years after Holden, which began as a saddlery manufacturer in Adelaide in 1856, began building cars in Australia.
More than 170 cars were being produced at the site each day up until the closure which accounted for 950 jobs lost directly and 1,000 more in the supply chain.
Holden was acquired by U.S. automotive giant General Motors (GM) in 1931 who in 2013 announced that Holden would stop Australian manufacturing due to a decision by the government to reduce subsidies for the industry.
The high Australian dollar, high production costs and a small market were also cited as reasons for the decision by GM to move out of Australia.
Speaking at an official ceremony at the Elizabeth plant, Premier of South Australia (SA) Jay Weatherill said that a plan presented by GM to keep Holden in Australia was "ignored" by the government of the time.
"Every country in the world that has a car industry subsidises it," Weatherill said.
"There's about 19 countries in the world that make cars. If you want a car industry, they are the rules of the game.
"I think we should have kept the car industry."
Holden was the last major manufacturer to stop its operations in Australia with Toyota having ceased earlier in October and Ford doing so in 2016.
Holden's Elizabeth plant in northern Adelaide halted operations on Friday, the last of the automotive company's production lines in Australia to do so after 69 years of operations.
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described the closure as "the end of an era."
"I feel sad, as we all do, it's the end of an era," Turnbull said on Australian radio.
"You can't get away from the emotional response to the closure."
The Elizabeth site opened in 1963, 15 years after Holden, which began as a saddlery manufacturer in Adelaide in 1856, began building cars in Australia.
More than 170 cars were being produced at the site each day up until the closure which accounted for 950 jobs lost directly and 1,000 more in the supply chain.
Holden was acquired by U.S. automotive giant General Motors (GM) in 1931 who in 2013 announced that Holden would stop Australian manufacturing due to a decision by the government to reduce subsidies for the industry.
The high Australian dollar, high production costs and a small market were also cited as reasons for the decision by GM to move out of Australia.
Speaking at an official ceremony at the Elizabeth plant, Premier of South Australia (SA) Jay Weatherill said that a plan presented by GM to keep Holden in Australia was "ignored" by the government of the time.
"Every country in the world that has a car industry subsidises it," Weatherill said.
"There's about 19 countries in the world that make cars. If you want a car industry, they are the rules of the game.
"I think we should have kept the car industry."
Holden was the last major manufacturer to stop its operations in Australia with Toyota having ceased earlier in October and Ford doing so in 2016.
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