Holden Barina axed

[scott]

Holden have axed the long running Barina nameplate

https://www.caradvice.com.au/685429/hol ... ing&slot=1

Holden assure current Barina owners will still get quality service at Holden dealerships.

This must have something to do with GM closing plants in Korea.

[homer9000]

a bit disappointing.i feel with the demise of these entry level models we will be back to what most car makers were doing in the eighties where the smallest one could buy was a laser/corolla/pulsar/gemini and with some exceptions no little entry level models for the new age buyer.not everyone unless they can find a low mileage 1 to 2 year old car out there with very low miles wants something a full size bigger and not everyone can afford the price difference for an entry level clio or polo.

[Merc1107]

This move probably comes as the result of "bracket creep" in each segment of the car market - notice, even with parking spaces getting smaller, how each successive upgrade to vehicles like the Rav4 makes them more and more into oversized pancake-mobiles (or 'squashed cockroaches' as I often call them)?

I've rode in some of these late-model wannabe SUV things (a Kia Sportage comes immediately to mind, as does some Ford-thing that wasn't quite a Territory). They look positively cavernous on the outside, but space on the inside is devoted entirely to boot-space and not to the passengers. Space for the driver & front passenger is further chewed up by the ridiculous dashboards in these cars, which in summer turn into huge BBQ hotplates and take forever to cool down with the A/C on.

I don't know what was wrong with the earlier iterations of the Rav4. The original "Corolla with huge tires/on-steroids" like design was perfect.

Anyway my point is, Holden are likely turning their efforts towards people who want to buy these oversized 'squashed cockroach' things, realising the small car market is already saturated.

[boronia]

Yes, the original RAV4 was an attractive unit, still a few pristine examples getting around. Probably part of the "bland" Toyota look of that era.

The current one could almost be mistaken for a Prado sizewise.

After looking at a few of those current Barinas, I don't think their demise will be any great loss to the industry.