But the group's director, Adam Poyser, does not envisage any real job losses or changes to staffing numbers.

"Most of the people we employ are to support people in service and parts," Mr Poyser said.

General Motors announced the retirement of the Holden brand from sales in Australia and New Zealand on Monday.

Local design and engineering operations would wind down by 2021.

Holden would provide servicing and spare parts for at least 10 years.

The company promised to honour all warranties and servicing offers made at the time of sale.

It said it would work on transition arrangements with its dealer network.

Mr Poyser said General Motors had shown itself to be honourable about such promises in other parts.

"So I don't think it'll have a significant impact," he said.

He expected the number of Holden vehicles on the road to diminish in the next 10 - 15 years.

"At some stage we'll stop selling new Holden vehicles. It's not clear exactly when that will be," Mr Poyser said.

He said there would be a clearance of the vehicle stock in the pipeline, and expected the offers in the market to be "aggressive".

"We've already got a large volume of franchises in our business," Mr Poyser said

He said other franchises were already approaching the motor group.

But Monday's announcement was still "really sad".

Mr Poyser said Holden had been a part of his family and their business.

"We've represented the brand since my father, Ron, became the local Holden dealer in 1979," he said.

Poyser Motor Group's first dealership sold Holden, Isuzu and Bedford vehicles.

"There's a lot of Australia in Holden and a lot of Holden in Australia," Mr Poyser said.

"The saddest thing is not the fact we don't get to sell Holdens anymore. There's so much engineering and design work in Australia... people don't understand.

"I'm sad there are so many people that will lose their jobs in really specialised, high-end roles."

General Motors international operations senior vice-president Julian Blissett said the company had implemented and considered numerous options to maintain and "turn around" Holden operations.

"After comprehensive assessment, we regret that we could not prioritise the investment required for Holden to be successful for the long-term in Australia and New Zealand, over all other considerations we have globally," he said.

"This decision is based on global priorities and does not reflect the hard work, talent and professionalism of the Holden team."

GM Holden interim chair and managing director Kristian Aquilina said all the hard work and talent of the Holden family, the support of its parent company and the passion of its loyal supporters had not been enough to overcome its challenges.

"We understand the impact of this decision on our people, our customers, our dealers and our partners and will work closely with all stakeholders to deliver a dignified and respectful transition," Mr Aquilina said.

The announcement comes two months after Holden retired its Commodore nameplate, citing a desire to focus on producing SUVs and light commercial vehicles.

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