Historic Australian Car Factory Demolished to Make Way for Data Centre

A Melbourne factory, which once produced vehicles for brands like Volkswagen, Nissan, and Volvo, has been demolished to make room for a state-of-the-art data centre. Located on Centre Road, Clayton, the facility had a long history, starting with the production of Volkswagen Beetles in 1954. The plant was owned by Martin and Kings Ltd before being acquired by Volkswagen in 1968. Over the decades, the plant expanded to manufacture cars for various brands, including Datsun (later known as Nissan) and Volvo, producing models like the Volvo 140 and 240 Series. The factory ceased Volkswagen production in 1977, was taken over by Nissan in 1988, and continued to operate until 1992 when local manufacturing ended. This demolition follows the razing of the former headquarters of Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) on the same site, part of the broader Clayton Business Park development. The site is being repurposed for a data centre, further reshaping Melbourne’s industrial landscape.