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Australian automotive (manufacturing) industry

Discussion in 'Other Cars' started by cwerdna, Dec 12, 2013.

  1. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    GM is the most recent to announce they're throwing in the towel there:
    GM To Bid Holden G'Day In 2017
    The Australian Ford Is Dead came earlier.

    Car Manufacturing In Australia Is Dead says

     
    #1 cwerdna, Dec 12, 2013
  2. Prius04Sydney

    Prius04Sydney Junior Member

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    There would have been hope for Holden if it weren't for the conservative government that was voted in here a few months ago - see this Sydney Morning Herald article: Taunts in Parliament and text brought about General Motors Holden's exit from Australia

    GM Holden's disappearance is particularly significant because after Ford announced they were leaving in 2016, Holden was the only carmaker still producing a car designed, built and sold only in Australia (the Commodore, although I believe a performance version was exported to the US as the Chevrolet SS).

    In the past, as far as I'm aware, Nissan, Ford, GM Holden, Toyota, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, Leyland, Chrysler and Renault used to have factories here. After 2017, only Toyota will be left.
     
    #2 Prius04Sydney, Dec 12, 2013
  3. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    We had the Pontiac G8 but died as GM axed that brand. Apparently, the basis of that became 2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV Police Car Review – Review – Car and Driver.

    From what I understand, "utes" (we don't use that term here in the US) are popular in Australia. Are there non-Australia makers of utes?
     
    #3 cwerdna, Dec 12, 2013
  4. Prius04Sydney

    Prius04Sydney Junior Member

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    Not as far as I am aware - speaking for myself I refer to everything with a rear tray as a ute, including things I suppose you guys in the US would call pickups or trucks.

    Technically, though, I think the term ute applies only to sedan-style cars (i.e. the Falcon and the Commodore) with a rear tray - for example, http://images-2.drive.com.au/2010/08/04/1745073/Holden_ute_SS-V_m_m.jpg

    I don't think there's anyone else that manufactures those things. Often they're performance-oriented and driven by revheads.

    Not sure where things like the Toyota HiLux fit in but I'd also call it a ute - http://www.toyota.com.au/static/images/161pl-hilux-4x2-workmate-single-cab-hero-940x529.png

    Obviously, there are a lot of manufacturers that make utes (pickups?) like the HiLux.

    Anyway that's a different debate!
     
    #4 Prius04Sydney, Dec 12, 2013
  5. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    For us, pickups are just a subset of truck.

    But "light trucks" in the US encompasses pickups, minivans, SUVs and even some vehicles that look like cars but are classified as "light trucks", partly to inflate an automaker's CAFE ratings. Best examples was the Chrysler PT Cruiser. Many Subarus are counted as "light trucks" even though most of those "light trucks" tend to resemble wagons.

    Heh. We have nothing that in the US anymore. I distinctly recall see Chevrolet El Camino - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia when I was little.
     
    #5 cwerdna, Dec 12, 2013
  6. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    It's because the Aussie dollar is so strong that it makes in totally unviable to make things when imports are so cheap.

    I think Australia is finding that it's all very well making shed loads of money selling your natural resources but at the expense of everything else. They keep advertising Aussie tourist destinations here now because the tourist sector is suffering, but once upon a time Australia was good value and worth 24 hours on a plane to visit. Now it's way too expensive.
     
    #6 GrumpyCabbie, Dec 12, 2013
  7. Prius04Sydney

    Prius04Sydney Junior Member

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    Absolutely. And none of the vehicles only made here, in recent memory, were made for export anyway - the cars made uniquely in Australia were only *for* Australians, with the exception of the Chevrolet SS/Pontiac G8 which are relatively small-volume models anyway.

    The bulk of the vehicles we produce(ed) here aren't made for the domestic market and they're the same stuff manufactured all over the world anyway.

    For anyone interested, there's a good explanation of the issue about three quarters of the way through this report - Grim Reality - 12/12/2013
     
    #7 Prius04Sydney, Dec 13, 2013
  8. Emcguy

    Emcguy Member

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    We also don't have any tariffs here which makes imported cars appear very attractive. The government hasn't thought about the impact to South Australia and Victoria if 50000 people (qty directly linked to automotive) loose there jobs. There will be a trickle on effect to every other industry as people restrict there spending habits due to massive unemployment . C'mon Toyota, stand strong and show us you can hang in there.
     
    #8 Emcguy, Dec 13, 2013
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