Editing Holden (section)

=== 1940s ===
[[File:NAA A1200 L84254 Ben Chifley at the launching of the first mass-produced Australian car 1948.jpg|thumb|[[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[Ben Chifley]] at the launching of the [[Holden 48–215]] on 29 November 1948]]
[[File:2012 NRMA Motorfest - Flickr - NRMA New Cars (56).jpg|left|thumb|The [[Holden 48-215]] was the company's first wholly domestically produced model, when introduced in 1948.]]

Holden's second full-scale car factory, located in [[Holden Fishermans Bend Plant|Fishermans Bend]] ([[Port Melbourne]]), was opened on 5 November 1936 by [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[Joseph Lyons]], with construction beginning in 1939 on a new plant in [[Pagewood]], [[New South Wales]].<ref name = "milestones"/><ref>Prime Minister Opens General Motors-Holden's Fishermen's Bend Plant ''[[Truck & Bus Transportation]]'' December 1936 page 13</ref> However, [[World War II]] delayed car production with efforts shifted to the construction of vehicle bodies, field guns, aircraft, and engines.<ref name = "The Holden car in Australia"/> Before the war ended, the Australian government took steps to encourage an Australian automotive industry.<ref>{{cite web |date=22 August 2007 |url=http://www.holden.co.nz/news/article/114 |title=The Holden Ute History |publisher=[[Holden New Zealand]] |access-date=26 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218210732/http://www.holden.co.nz/news/article/114 |archive-date=18 February 2008  }}</ref> Both GM and Ford provided studies to the Australian government outlining the production of the first Australian-designed car. Ford's proposal was the government's first choice, but required substantial financial assistance. GM's study was ultimately chosen because of its low level of government intervention.<ref name="NAA">{{cite web |url=http://www.naa.gov.au/The_Collection/transport/road.html |title=Road transport |publisher=[[National Archives of Australia]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051025213951/http://www.naa.gov.au/The_Collection/transport/road.html |archive-date=25 October 2005}}</ref> After the war, Holden returned to producing vehicle bodies, this time for Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Vauxhall.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Holden-Ltd-Company-History.html |title=Holden Ltd. |encyclopedia=International Directory of Company Histories |volume=62 |year=2004 |editor=Grant, Tina |publisher=[[Thomson Gale]] |access-date=28 February 2008}}</ref> The [[Oldsmobile Ace]] was also produced from 1946 to 1948.<ref>{{cite web |last=Russell |first=Rohan |url=http://home.vicnet.net.au/~oldsclub/acehist.html |title=The Oldsmobile "ACE" – 1946 to 1948 |location=[[Gladstone Park, Victoria]] |publisher=Oldsmobile Club of Australia |access-date=8 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113003159/http://home.vicnet.net.au/~oldsclub/acehist.html |archive-date=13 January 2012  }}</ref>

From here, Holden continued to pursue the goal of producing an Australian car. This involved compromise with GM, as Holden's managing director, [[Laurence Hartnett]], favoured development of a local design, while GM preferred to see an American design as the basis for "Australia's Own Car".<ref>[[#Loffler (2006)|Loffler (2006)]], p. 5–7.</ref> In the end, the design was based on a previously rejected postwar Chevrolet proposal.<ref>[[#Loffler (2000)|Loffler (2000)]], p. 5.</ref> The Holden was launched in 1948, creating long waiting lists extending through 1949 and beyond.<ref>[[#Balderstone, Bowan, Lewis (2006)|Balderstone, Bowan, Lewis (2006)]], p. 184–188.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden/jsp/corporateinfo/history/chifley.jsp |title=The Birth of 'Australia's Own Car' |publisher=Holden |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723092757/http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden/jsp/corporateinfo/history/chifley.jsp |archive-date=23 July 2008 |access-date=5 March 2008}}</ref> The name "Holden" was chosen in honour of Sir Edward Holden, the company's first chairman and grandson of J. A. Holden. Other names considered were "GeM", "Austral", "Melba", "Woomerah", "Boomerang", "Emu", and "Canbra", a phonetic spelling of [[Canberra]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/holden_prototype_car_no_1 |title=Holden Prototype Car No. 1 |publisher=[[National Museum of Australia]] |access-date=6 April 2011 |archive-date=17 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317111424/http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/holden_prototype_car_no_1/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although officially designated "[[Holden 48-215|48-215]]", the car was marketed simply as the "Holden".<ref>{{cite web |year=1948 |url=http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/gallery/pdf/Holden_48215.pdf |title=Holden – General Motors new Australian car |publisher=General Motors–Holden's |access-date=2 March 2008}}</ref> The unofficial usage of the name "FX" originated within Holden, referring to the updated suspension on the 48–215 of 1953.<ref>[[#Loffler (2002)|Loffler (2002)]], p. 4.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=She's a Beauty (Enlarged Ed)|last=Loffler|first=Don|publisher=[[Wakefield Press (Australia)|Wakefield Press]]|year=2006|pages=266}}</ref>