Holden

James Alexander Holden’s saddlery business, started in 1856, evolved to become the official importer of General Motors models in 1924. A merger of the companies seven years later led to the creation of GM Holden. In 1948, the 48-215 became a hit as the first all-Australian motor vehicle, with the now-iconic FJ ute following in 1953 – in a decade when Holden started to cement domination of the local market. Exports began in the ’60s, and in 1968 the Monaro coupe was launched (and famously reincarnated in 2001). 1978 saw the birth of Holden’s most successful ever model – the Commodore – which was the country’s most popular car for 15 consecutive years until 2011, and available in its fastest form from spin-off arm Holden Special Vehicles (HSV). Its local road-and-track rivalry with Ford defined the Australian car industry for decades, though in late 2013 it announced that from the end of 2017 it would join its former nemesis as a full-line importer only.