The wind-down of Holden’s car-making operations in Adelaide will gather pace this year, with the company to stop making the Cruze model in October and cut almost 400 jobs.

Holden says it will continue to build the Commodore and remains committed to maintaining production at the Elizabeth facility until the end of 2017.

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It says the latest decision comes as no surprise to its workforce and has been discussed in weekly staff meetings and forums.

“Holden is giving our employees and suppliers as much advance notice as possible,” human resources director Ashley Winnett said on Friday.

“We have openly been discussing this move with our people since 2014.”

The October job cuts will reduce Holden’s workforce at Elizabeth to about 800 as the Cruze is replaced in the Australian car market by the imported Astra model.

Holden managing director and chairman Mark Bernhard said the end of Cruze production would be a difficult time for employees but was always part of the company’s gradual scaling down of production in Australia.

“October will bring to an end five-and-a-half years of Cruze production that saw nearly 125,000 built and sold in Australia,” Mr Bernhard said.

“I want to thank our people for the part they have played in Holden’s history.”

Mr Bernhard said those people remained the company’s priority and reaffirmed its commitment to help them find new work.

“Our focus is to manage the gradual wind-down of manufacturing between now and the end of 2017 in a way that treats out employees with respect and dignity as they leave the company and gives them the best chance at gaining future employment,” he said.