The Holden name, however, is older than the motor car itself and has been associated with transportation in Australia since the gold boom days of last century, when it first appeared above a saddler's shop in Adelaide, South Australia. By 1885, the Holden & Frost company was repairing and building horse-drawn carriages and coaches.

In 1914, it produced its first custom-made car body and by 1924, renamed Holden's Motor Body Builders, it operated one of the world's most advanced production lines and was the exclusive body supplier to General Motors in Australia.

The country's first large-scale automotive manufacturing facility was formed in 1931 when the companies merged to become General Motors-Holden's Limited. Many other Australian companies owe their development to the pioneering spirit displayed by GM-H in those formative years.

During World War II, General Motors-Holden's was a major industrial force in Australia's defence effort. Between 1939 and 1945, Holden's produced more than 3 0,000 vehicle bodies for the Australian and US forces and manufactured a wide range of equipment, including field guns, aircraft, aero and marine engines.

Following the war GM-H completed the challenge of building the nation's first successfully mass-produced car.

Australians took the Holden 48-215 - later nicknamed the FX - immediately to their hearts, and demand was so strong that the waiting lists stretched through 1949 and beyond.

With the release of the evolutionary and now-iconic FJ model in 1953, the love affair deepened. These Holdens could cruise smoothly and effortlessly on the speed limit and return brilliant fuel economy figures. Low maintenance, ruggedly reliable and comfortably accommodating, they met the demands of a unique driving environment and represented unbeatable value for money.

This winning formula - and its spirit endures to this day - was applied with increasing sophistication to successive models. It represented a genuine response to the voice of the customer and resulted in a domination of the sales charts that endured for almost 30 years Exponentially, the Holden brand assumed a unique character and stature, quintessentially Australian, signifying strength and leadership.

The vast majority of full-sized family Holdens have claimed the title of Australia's most popular car, and the current model Commodore is no exception.

Today Holden manufactures V6 and V8-engined Commodore sedans and wagons, the Calais sedan, long-wheelbase Statesman and Caprice models, the Monaro and the Holden Ute at its manufacturing facility in Elizabeth, South Australia. Right and left-hand drive versions of the Commodore and Statesman/Caprice models are exported to international markets.

Holden imports its Barina, Astra, Vectra and Combo models from GM affiliates in Europe. Its light commercial and four-wheel drive vehicle range includes the J apanese-sourced Jackaroo, Monterey and Rodeo models and the UK-sourced Frontera.

At Fishermans Bend, Melbourne, Holden's Engine Operations produces a range of four and six cylinder engines. The Family II range of four-cylinder engines and components produced by HEO is exported to a global customer base.

Holden is also the designated regional product design and engineering centre for General Motors Asia and Pacific Operations, responsible for Opel and GM alliance products in 15 Asia Pacific markets.

In 2001, Holden exports of vehicles, engines and engineering services contributed $1.16 billion to Australia's balance of trade and consolidated the company's position as Australia's leading exporter of automotive products and services.

By 2005, Holden predicts that vehicle exports will account for one third of annual production and export revenue earnings will hit the $2.3 billion mark, buoyed by global sales of high-tech V6 engines to be produced at a new engine facility in Melbourne.

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