What Holden disappearance means for owners

Holden's interim chairman and managing director Kristian Aquilina has revealed what the brand's disappearance will mean for customers who own one of their models.

General Motors (GM), who own Holden, made the shock announcement on Monday they will no longer make right hand drive cars for Australian roads and that the brand will disappear at the end of the year.

Mr Aquilina said he wanted to assure customers "we stand by our cars".

"The doors don't close tomorrow or today," Mr Aquilina said at a press conference on Monday afternoon, adding that there were currently 1.6 million Holden cars owned across Australia.

"We will continue to provide sales support for at least the next 10 years.

"Those owners want the insurance around spare parts, warranties repairs and recalls. We will honour all of those, even our recent seven-year free servicing offer."

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Mr Aquilina said that the company will be "happy" to take customer orders on an ongoing basis until "the last Holden is sold", adding that that process would take several months.

Recalls will also be handled if they arise.

"Today's announcement will be felt deeply by the many people who love Holdens, drive Holdens and feel connected to our company which has been with us for 160 years and is almost ubiquitous in our lives," he said.

The move comes just three years after local manufacturing ended with the shuttering of the Holden plant at Elizabeth in Adelaide's northern suburbs.

Late last year the company also announced it would stop selling its most iconic car, the Commodore.

The company released its first all-Australian built car in 1948.

Holden's financial services operations, which provided finance for purchasers, as well as the ultimately short-lived rental service Maven, will also be wound down, as will design and engineering operations.

As many as 800 jobs are expected to go in the move.