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A Melbourne manufacturing facility which beforehand produced Volkswagen, Nissan and Volvo automobiles for many years has been demolished to make approach for a knowledge centre on the identical website that has already claimed the previous Holden Particular Automobiles headquarters.
The long-defunct automobile manufacturing plant on Centre Street, Clayton, which first produced Volkswagen Beetles in 1954, was demolished this week to make approach for a ‘cutting-edge knowledge centre’.
Bosch Australia enterprise growth supervisor, Paul Gekas, filmed the event from the corporate’s headquarters adjoining to the plant at 1555 Centre Street (under).
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Initially owned by Martin and Kings Ltd earlier than Volkswagen purchased the manufacturing facility in 1968, the manufacturing facility later expanded its manufacturing to incorporate Datsun (the title of Nissan’s motorcar model on the time) and Volvo automobiles.
Volvos had been additionally made within the plant between 1972 and 1988, together with Volvo 140, 240, 260 and 740/760 Collection fashions.
It stopped producing Volkswagens in 1977 and was bought in 1988 by Nissan, which wound up its native car manufacturing in 1992 after producing native fashions together with the Pintara sedan and wagon (and later a hatch).
Nissan continues to produce elements globally for each its personal model different alliance companions together with Renault via its casting plant at close by Dandenong.
The levelling of the previous Volkswagen, Volvo and Nissan manufacturing facility follows the demolition of the previous headquarters of Holden Particular Automobiles (HSV) and its motorsport offshoot, the Holden Racing Workforce (HRT), on the identical broader Clayton Enterprise Park website.
Each entities had been a part of the Walkinshaw Group (then often known as TWR), with HSV shaped by Tom Walkinshaw in 1987 after the collapse of Peter Brock’s Holden Seller Workforce Particular Automobiles enterprise in controversial circumstances.
Walkinshaw Automotive now develops and remanufactures the Ram 1500/2500, Toyota Tundra and Chevrolet Silverado pickups to right-hand drive for his or her respective manufacturers in Australia.
In April subsequent yr, Walkinshaw will end shifting from its present Clayton South website into its new premises in Dandenong South to proceed its in depth operations, together with the Walkinshaw Andretti United staff’s swap from Ford Mustang to Toyota Supra within the Australian Supercars championship from 2026.
MORE: Discover the Volkswagen showroom