The former Holden proving ground in Lang Lang is still looking for a buyer, more than two and a half years after the facility’s current owners initially put the site up for sale.
In August 2021, Vietnamese carmaker VinFast ceased operations at Lang Lang, which it purchased from Holden for $34 million in September 2020 – only a handful of months before the iconic Australian brand shut its doors for good.
VinFast had intended to use the Lang Lang proving grounds to further develop its vehicles ahead of an expected local launch, and it had bolstered its engineering lineup with dozens of Australians who formerly worked for other locally based carmakers.
Its sudden exit from Australia led to the Lang Lang facility being officially listed for sale in October 2021, however VinFast is yet to find a buyer for the 877 hectare (2167 acre) car testing ground.
While commercial real estate group Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE) continues to find a buyer for Lang Lang, it has readvertised the proving grounds through its manager Lee Holdsworth.
Holdsworth holds a special place in Holden history, having taken three of his four V8 Supercars race wins in Commodores, which included the 2021 Bathurst 1000 alongside Chaz Mostert.
Within the Lang Lang site, there are 44km of testing tracks, which includes sealed and unsealed roads, a 4×4 course, a skid pad, and the banked high-speed bowl which encompasses most of the grounds.
Numerous testing, storage, office and laboratory facilities account for the 11,920 square metres of building space on the site.
Holden and General Motors undertook $16 million of renovations to the Lang Lang facility in 2018, which included a $8.7 million investment to install an emissions testing lab – as well as various building renovations and upgrades – plus $7.2 million towards repaving the banked bowl.
Having first opened in 1957, the Lang Lang site was used for the development of locally built Holdens right up until Australian manufacturing ceased in October 2017, though the facility continued to be used by the brand until it ended operations entirely.
While numerous car brands and even CarExpert have been able to use Lang Lang in recent years, it is not known whether the sale of the facility will affect operations.
Shortly after it was first listed for sale by Holden, a local environmental group called “Save The Holden Bushlands” began protesting the potential sale of the Lang Lang proving ground to developers, however its social media presence and website are now dormant.
