After being on sale for about 4 years, the former Holden proving ground atLang Lang, Victoria now has at the least two interested buyers – but national security concerns could find yourself dictating who its latest owner is.
CarExpert understands Australian military technology company Defendtex has also bid on the acquisition of the historic facility, situated 90 minutes from Melbourne.
The news comes just weeks after CarExpert reported on GWM’splans to accumulate the 877-hectare property, after the Chinese automaker began leasing the proving ground for vehicle testing – hiring former Holden engineer Rob Trubiani to tune its models for Australian conditions in March, before taking on ‘everlasting residency’ on the Lang Lang Proving Ground.
Nevertheless, while the Australian Government has the authority to potentially step in and block the sale to GWM, sources claim GWM has yet to formally submit a proposal for the proving ground at this stage.
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CarExpert understands each Defendtex and GWM have been using the power to check products at the identical time.
It’s not clear what military technology Defendtex has been testing, and whether or not it was classified or sensitive.
In accordance with the corporate’s website, Defendex won the Defence Innovator of the 12 months award in 2023 and 2024, and was a finalist in 2025. It was also a finalist for Sovereign Industry Capability Provider of the 12 months on the Australian Defence Industry Awards.
While there isn’t any suggestion of improper or illegal behaviour on the a part of either company, Chinese cars – a lot of that are fitted with camera systems as a part of their safety suites – have been banned from military sites in several countries, akin to the UK and Israel.
Under Australian law, the federal treasurer has the ability to approve or block any significant foreign investments, with security and defence considerations forming a part of the choice.
While Treasury declined to comment for this text – and is legally unable to comment on foreign investment review cases – guidelines provided to CarExpert show a foreign entity could also be mandated to notify, or encouraged to notify, the federal government of its intentions.
On this particular case – with a defence industry contractor as a tenant, as defined by the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 – it appears GWM could also be encouraged to notify Treasury of its plans to buy the Lang Lang Proving Ground voluntarily.
Vietnamese automaker VinFast purchased the property in 2020, following the axing of Holden that yr, and had ambitious plans to enter the Australian auto market on the time. Nevertheless, the brand soon modified course, closing its local office and putting the Lang Lang facility up on the market lower than 12 months later.
As a part of GWM’s announcement of its intention to buy the Lang Lang property, the Chinese automotive company claimed it was negotiating on price with representatives of VinFast.
In accordance with sources near the newest deal, VinFast’s Australian representative is currently considering proposals from each GWM and Defendtex to buy the proving ground – though Defendex is believed to be the one party to have recommend a proper offer at the moment.
CarExpert understands there may be a preference on the part of the present owners to sell the proving ground to a different automaker – which might likely help secure the roles of auto engineers currently employed there.
The Australian Government could take a distinct view, given the power is currently used to check military equipment by defence contractors.
In 2015, the Northern Territory government got here up against significant public scrutiny after a Chinese corporation signed a 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin – with either side of parliament vowing to return the port to Australian ownership through the 2025 federal election.
Defendtex didn’t reply to inquiries by CarExpert.
This Article First Appeared At www.carexpert.com.au
