General Motors invests $9 million in Holden emissions testing facility in Melbourne
HOLDEN’S car assembly line may be closing in two thousand seventeen but General Motors is putting $9 million into its Australian vehicle emissions testing centre.
A US Cadillac being tested inwards Holden’s emissions laboratory in Lang Lang on the south eastern outskirts of Melbourne. Picture: Supplied
HOLDEN is investing $9 million to upgrade its vehicle emissions test lab inwards its top secret proving ground in Lang Lang on the south eastern outskirts of Melbourne — securing at least one hundred six jobs after the Elizabeth South Australia assembly line closes in late 2017.
The facility will be used to test vehicles sold by General Motors in Australia and overseas and has been designed to meet rigorous emissions standards in the future, including hybrid cars.
Work commenced on the upgrades to the facility in August two thousand sixteen and will be finished by mid 2017.
The eleven fresh jobs — in addition to the ninety five staff presently employed in the technical centre — means Holden’s emissions lab will comeback to the employee numbers at its peak in the mid 2000s when the current Commodore was in development.
Inwards the secure area Holden conducts approximately seven thousand fuel economy and emissions tests each year on about one hundred foreign General Motors cars, ranging from Cadillac, Chevrolet and Opel brands sold globally.
“This investment shows Detroit has a long-term commitment to Holden and retaining hi-tech and high-skilled jobs within the company,” said Sean Poppitt, Holden spokesman.
The Holden emissions lab (as with Ford’s facility in Geelong) will be able to test cars to the highest standards in the world.
Meantime Australia’s mandated vehicle emissions standards proceed to lag behind European and US standards by at least eight years — despite an “upgrade” to Australian regulations that come into effect locally on November 1, 2016.
Holden is due to close its Elizabeth car factory in South Australia in late 2017, but it will retain about three hundred staff in design and engineering post manufacturing.
The Holden stir mirrors Ford’s decision to retain design and engineering expertise in Australia after the factory closures.
Albeit Ford shut its Broadmeadows car assembly line and Geelong engine plants earlier this month, it has retained one thousand one hundred technical staff across three Melbourne sites.
This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling
