United States car maker General Motors has announced plans to cut 23,000 jobs in the next two years and discontinue production of its oldest brand, Pontiac.
General Motors says it will close or stop production at 16 of its 47 plants as part of a restructuring plan to save the firm from bankruptcy.
General Motors chief executive Fritz Henderson says the Pontiac brand is no longer viable and will be discontinued by no later than 2010 to focus on four core brands in the US - Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.
The Pontiac decision will mean Australian car maker Holden will lose one of its biggest export models.
Holden produces the Pontiac G8, a version of the Commodore, for the US market.
However, Holden spokesman Scott Whiffin said there would not be any impact on jobs in Australia.
"G8s are assembled at our plant at Elizabeth where we have been modifying our production volumes and we will continue to do so," he said. "We don't envisage there will be any job losses at Elizabeth as a result of this decision."
Holden has already announced a decision to axe its afternoon shift from early next month, with plans to run two teams on a single day shift, each working one week on and one week off.
The move will cut wages for local workers but retain the 3,000 jobs at the Adelaide manufacturing plant.
The company said it would push ahead with plans to build a new small car in Adelaide from 2010.
