Holden’s Cruze a 20-year deal for manufacturing, says federal industry minister

The Cruze small car locally made by Holden should shore up General Motors manufacturing in Adelaide for at least the next 20 years as Australia continues to play an integral role in the American auto giant’s global automotive operations.

That is the verdict of federal industry minister Kim Carr after leading a delegation of 20 Australian automotive industry representatives on an extensive trade tour of the US last week, during which he gained commitments from both GM and the Ford Motor Company of their continued involvement in car manufacturing here.

In an exclusive interview with GoAuto this week, Senator Carr – who met with GM chief executive Fritz Henderson and Ford CEO Alan Mulally in Detroit – said there was “enormous confidence” at the highest levels in the Australian engineering and manufacturing operations of both companies.
Senator Carr also said he made it clear to GM that he was determined to ensure Australia was “at the head of the queue” should the company choose to build its Volt plug-in hybrid outside the US.

“The point of the trip is to reinforce the links between the Australian automotive industry and the US automotive industry at a time of great uncertainty within the United States,” Senator Carr told GoAuto.

Source: http://goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/22930A2C1F49920ACA25764E0020DA9D