Walkinshaw Automotive Group’s Managing Director Joel Stoddart is widely known in the Australian automotive sector as the expert to go to about Holden Special Vehicles (HSVs). He’s spent most of his career, spanning some 20 years, leading engineering, operations and product planning at HSV, until Holden closed its doors in 2020, and Stoddart took on his current role.
“We were making around 3,000 HSVs annually,” says Stoddart. “But now we are producing around 9,000 different vehicles each year here at Walkinshaw. Most of those are left- to -right-hand-side drive conversions for our customers, including General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV), and some of the most popular vehicles sell for up to $160,000.
“We also do a performance up-fit for Volkswagen. They supply us with a complete vehicle and we transform it, enhancing the interior, wheels, tyres and suspension. Volkswagen is now co-branding with Walkinshaw with the release last year of the Volkswagen Amarok Walkinshaw W580, a four-door light commercial vehicle. That’s really big for Walkinshaw, co-branding with such a well-known global company, and there’s even a ‘Walkinshaw Station’ TV commercial by Volkswagen promoting the W580.”
Racing car driver and automotive entrepreneur Tom Walkinshaw teamed up with Holden in the late 1980s to produce HSVs and so Walkinshaw Automotive Group was born. Since Tom passed away in 2010, his son Ryan and widow Martine have served as directors of the company, which remains privately owned by the family. Located in Clayton, in Melbourne’s east, Walkinshaw today employs more than 700 people.
In 2018, the company purchased New Age Caravans, which has an additional 300 employees in Epping, in Melbourne’s north. New Age has quickly integrated Walkinshaw’s automotive expertise in engineering, design and manufacturing to introduce a new level of innovation to the recreational vehicle industry. The Walkinshaw Andretti United and Walkinshaw Racing side of the business offers the racing car industry excellence in engine development and race car restoration, as well as operating a successful Supercars team.
With a comprehensive design studio and advanced engineering facilities with a team of 65 engineers, Walkinshaw offers a wide range of advanced manufacturing services to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Walkinshaw’s Clayton site consists of three buildings, comprising 6,500sqm of engineering and design facilities, and 25,000sqm of advanced manufacturing across three assembly lines. The company prides itself on its tear-down, production and end-of-life testing, which meet or exceed OEM quality benchmarks.
“When OEMs ask us to design a special-edition vehicle, we can do that from the design concept to a full-sized car, and work collaboratively with them to bring niche vehicles to life,” advises Stoddart.
“The future is exciting for Walkinshaw with plans for working with OEMs including electric and autonomous vehicles on the horizon. We are always looking for new opportunities and it’s great to be keeping the Australian automotive industry alive.”