China’s GWM has been confirmed as a “permanent resident” of Holden’s former proving grounds, months after hiring the iconic Australian brand’s vehicle dynamics lead engineer to locally tune its cars.
Great Wall Motors (GWM) has confirmed it will be the first “permanent resident” of the Lang Lang vehicle proving grounds in Victoria, its first long-term tenant since General Motors sold the facility when it axed the Holden brand five years ago.
Former Holden vehicle dynamics lead engineer Rob Trubiani, now employed by GWM as its Project Engineering Manager, will lead the Chinese brand’s work at the 877-hectare testing facility, to tailor its vehicles for the Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) region.
The Lang Lang Proving Ground (LLPG), 90 kilometres south-east of the Melbourne CBD, was established in 1957 by General Motors Holden, and was used to develop many GM vehicles, including locally built Commodores.
MORE: Holden engineering legend hired by GWM to develop cars for Australia
However, it was sold to Vietnamese manufacturer VinFast in 2020 following GM’s decision to sell the facility when it axed the Holden brand, and is now leased to many car brands on a short-term basis for local development work.
Melbourne-based GWM Australia said its decision to sign on as a “permanent resident” at the LLPG – the only manufacturer currently doing so – builds on its “deliberate and determined efforts to evolve its product offering for the ANZ region” following customer, media and dealer feedback.
Mr Trubiani, who was employed by Holden for two decades, joined GWM in March, following the appointment of former Hyundai executive John Kett as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the start of 2025.
MORE: Vietnamese car company buys historic Holden test track
“Lang Lang is an iconic proving ground, one of the best in the world,” Trubiani said.
“It’s an absolute dream to be back, developing great cars specifically for Australian and New Zealand drivers. I know this track like the back of my hand, having spent a considerable amount of my career here with Holden.”
According to GWM, it will use the Lang Lang facility to engineer localised ride and handling packages for its future vehicles, along with “full vehicle interaction” and “precision tuning”.
MORE: GWM commits to Australian engineering, ride and handling development program for all models
“When Rob presented the idea of establishing Lang Lang as our home base for local development, it was met with overwhelming support, both locally and from our global leadership,” added GWM COO John Kett.
“Rob has been relentless in defining what the true GWM feel should be for our markets, and with the right tools now in place, we’re confident this investment will deliver improved products right here on home soil.”
GWM said it will showcase the results of its ‘AT1’ local tuning work “across multiple vehicle platforms” in the coming months, while the brand’s future vehicles could be built with Australia in mind “from the outset”.
The post GWM secures the first long-term use of the Lang Lang proving grounds since Holden appeared first on Drive.