Holden is falling out of favour with customers in its own back yard, fast.
Less than six months after the last Australian-built Commodore rolled off the production line, sales of the iconic Aussie brand's models have slumped to the lowest levels since 1948.
Both New Zealand and Australia registered record new car sales in March, but across the ditch Holden was noticeably absent from the top sellers list as sales slumped by almost 30 per cent.
While the all-new Commodore topped passenger vehicle registration, and the Colorado ute finished third in total registrations in March in New Zealand, not one Holden model cracked Australia's top 10 - the third time in three months Holden has failed to make the list.
According to Australia's Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Holden sold 5116 cars in March, down 29.1 per cent from 12-months earlier.
In Australia, ZB Commodore sales totalled 990 units in March, less than half of the locally-made VF Commodore from the same month last year, while the Equinox SUV is selling at a third of the Captiva.
At its height Holden accounted for almost half of new car sales in Australia and led the market for more than three decades, but 2002 was the last time Holden occupied the number one slot.
Holden have fallen so far down the board that Kia came within 32 sales of overtaking them for the month, with Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Ford, Nissan, Honda, Subaru and Volkswagen in March all finishing ahead of the GM-backed brand.
Holden Australia says its sales will lift once a raft of new models hit showrooms later in the year, including the HSV Colorado SportsCat ute, the Chevrolet Camaro sports-car, Acadia seven-seat SUV, and the Chevrolet Silverado full-size pick-up.
Holden also announced a new seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty on new Commodore and Equinox models in Australia last month to inspire confidence in the Mexican-built Equinox SUV and German-built Commodore.
“We‘ve got a laser-like focus on providing our customers with peace of mind when they buy a Holden, and with extended warranties across the range and world-class new products, now is a great time to buy a Holden, said Holden Australia's marketing director, Mark Harland.
Locally, Holden New Zealand is confident their expanding line-up and continuing local development will keep Kiwi buyers in dealerships.
“As Mark Twain once said, the report of our demise is greatly exaggerated,” said Holden New Zealand managing director, Kristian Aquilina.
“Some people thought incorrectly the closure of the factory in Australia last October meant the end of Holden altogether, but nothing could be further from the truth."
"We’ve just launched the all-new Commodore and Equinox SUV and the incredible new Acadia SUV is waiting in the wings.
"We are enjoying a product renaissance and have a very exciting future to look forward to.”