Holden was chased out of the country by the federal Coalition, SA Premier Jay Weatherill has said as he farewells the company that has been producing Australian-made cars since 1948.

In 2013, the Coalition, led by former prime minister Tony Abbott, refused to increase its subsidy to the Australian car-manufacturing industry, which had been suffering from high production costs and a sustained, high Australian dollar.

Former treasurer Joe Hockey takes a shot at Holden during Question Time in Canberra in December 2013. ( AAP: Daniel Munoz )

The Coalition actually wanted to cut the subsidy by $1.63 billion to $1.02 billion up to 2020 to compensate for Ford's planned withdrawal from the industry, which it had earlier announced.

In response to Holden's ambiguity surrounding its commitment to Australian manufacturing, former treasurer Joe Hockey dared Holden to leave.

"Either you're here, or you're not," he said in Parliament.

Holden shortly afterwards announced it was leaving, citing the high Australian dollar, the high costs of production in Australia, a small and fragmented domestic market and its subsequent lack of a business case to continue.

Today, Mr Weatherill said he remembered being at a meeting where Holden made an offer to stay but the Federal Government "ignored it".

"Every country in the world that has a car industry subsidises it," he said.

A Holden owner has personalised his number plate for the occasion. ( ABC News: Drew Radford )

"There's about 19 countries in the world that make cars. If you want a car industry, they are the rules of the game.

"I think we should have kept the car industry."

In 2013, deputy leader of the federal opposition Tanya Plibersek said Holden had generated $32.7 billion in economic activity for Australia between 2001 and 2012 and paid $21 billion to other Australian businesses such as component suppliers.

She said the company received $1.8 billion in Commonwealth Government Assistance during that period, representing an "18 to one" return on investment.

But Mr Hockey said the Coalition had put another $1 billion on the table for Holden from 2015.

"There's a hell of a lot of industries in Australia that would love to get the assistance the motor industry is getting," he said at the time.

Asked today if he blamed General Motors Holden for pulling out of Australian manufacturing, Mr Weatherill said you could not "blame a dog for barking".

"Holden operates all over the world … if you want a car industry, you have to pay for it," he said.

"But that of course is a decision that has passed and so most of the effort has been focused on getting on with the future and that is what we have been doing over the last four years."

Supply chain employees also out of work

As well as about 950 Holden workers who will today lose their jobs, Mr Weatherill said an estimated 1,000 others in the supply chain would also be out of work.

SA Premier Jay Weatherill says his Government is focused on the future rather than the events of 2013. ( ABC News )

"We know that about 5,000 workers have left Holden, the supply chain, such as component makers, since the announcement back in December 2013," he said.

"Many of them have been able to find other work. Holden, in particular, report something like an 85 per cent success rate.

"Because of the preparations that have been made, I don't believe it will be as severe as once feared.

"Having said that, there will be some workers, when they walk out of the gate today, who won't have a job to go to and some of them won't even have thought about that yet."

Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union state secretary John Camillo said many workers would not find it easy.

"Some have found full-time work, some have found only part-time or casual work," he said.

"There is some good news in regards to that, but let me tell you, those people over the age of 50 are finding it extremely difficult to find employment, so it is difficult out there, especially here in Adelaide."

Holden human resources manager Jamie Getgood said the company would help workers gain new jobs over the next year, with its transition centre to remain open for 12 months.