How would the death of the Australian car industry effect you?
smh.com.au/business/death-of-local-car-makers...
smh.com.auPosted Apr 11, 2013, 12:37 PM UTC
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smh.com.auMaybe I'd buy an Australian-made car if we made cars people want. Stop pushing big cars and stop making small embarrassing shitboxes.
Compete with the Corolla, Lancer and Focus. Then you can have my money!
5
They need to make another Torana.
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Erm. Have you driven an XR6 Turbo? They're fucking quick.
Ford and Holden make brilliant performance large saloons, it's just a pity they don't get sold overseas. (Fun fact, the current FPV GT is line-ball with the Jag XFR performance wise)
The marketing is terrible, but for us that look at the numbers, the EcoBoost falcon has better performance and economy figures than the current low-end 5-series and E Class mercs. All they miss is the interior.
Anyway - Large cars are dying, all they need to really do is downsize the falcon chassis and the Zeta platform and bam - 3-series competitor. Uprate the interior, update the engines (perhaps a 3.2L inline 6 instead of a 4, port over the 5L for the performance market, GM can do whatever), sell them internationally and not just locally, and bam.
Oh and make the Cruze not shit, and give Ford a mid-sizer that can compete with the 3 series not just in price, but also in driving dynamic which the Mondeo sorely lacked.
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I work for a company that makes parts for a company that makes parts for a company that makes parts for the car industry.
The word is going around that if we can't support each other and the industry shrinks, most manufacturing in OZ will be gone.
The guy that used to machine your parts for your hydroelectric dam or your local power station will no longer be in business.
The girl that owned the buisiness that made the tin cans for the company that put the goop into that they use for cars will be gone.
Spare parts made for farming tractors. Just buy a new tractor.
How would this affect you?
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"I work for a company that makes parts for a company that makes parts for a company that makes parts for the car industry."
I work for a company that's not dependent on government subsidies.
"The guy that used to machine your parts for your hydroelectric dam or your local power station will no longer be in business."
Mr Schmidt?
Mr Patel?
Mr Li?
-5
Should Australia have any manufacturing if it does not profit a foreigner?
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Australia should have many businesses which make a profit without the government propping them up.
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Damn right.
If the parts manufacturer is profitable, but the business it sells parts to isn't, we need to look at that business and its products and work out why. Not just prop it up regardless.
We can profitably manufacture parts, even whole engines... So have your Ford and Holden and Toyota management work out how to add the rest of the vehicle and turn a profit. Or let clever locals have a go with their own brands. Markets have a way of working these things out.
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From facebook:
holden spent a million to sponsor the nrl under 20s competion then got a goverment subsidy to build a car that doesnt sell lrt face the real truth the dar building industry in australia to put it in australian language is FUCKED intead off subsidising american multi nationals spend the money on hospitals and the poblic health system
Who am I to argue with such enlightened economic genius?
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Old classic restoration.
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[deleted]
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Ford ute can carry a shitton of stuff. 1T suspension package, then add the 2.3T towball and bam, you've basically got a cheap truck.
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It would probably raise the value of my XR6 Turbo.
-1†
Why would anyone buy it if it was on bricks in your backyard because you could not source a water pump replacement? It would be just as worthless as any other disposable car.
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Most parts have enough service stock for ten years, in the case of a managed closure there would be very little risk of parts running out earlier than any other vehicle.
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WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? THE XR6 TURBO IS AS RELIABLE AS ANY V8!
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I must admit (without bold caps thank you) that the XR6 is a very, very nice car and a testament to our car industry. But.........don't worry...... it's OK.......enjoy your last Australian designed car.......
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You're welcome.
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So you work at the Ford factory in Adelaide? You're surrounded by Australia's best wine growing regions so you're in luck. Learn how to make a nice strong Shiraz, it goes well with Peking Duck, that's the sort of thing we'll be exporting in the future.
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Well, for starters, I'd be out of a job.
How long would it take to train yourself in a similar more viable industry?
If you can tell me what a "similar, more viable industry" is, I might be able to answer you better. I have two degrees and a few years of project management experience so I would hopefully be able to get into another engineering role somewhere, but ultimately there is nothing else like the automotive industry here. No other field churns out as many globally-minded, highly capable engineers, mechanics and tradespeople.
Tram/Train construction? I have no idea how similar it is, but anything that's not mass market really. We can't compete with third world countries on mass market consumer products.
We're not competing with developing nations. In 2012, more cars sold in Australia were made in Japan than any other country. Thailand, Korea and Australia were a very distant second, third and fourth respectively.
The reason these countries sell so many cars here isn't low labor rates - they're not, particularly in Japan - but government support. All three countries have unbalanced tariffs preventing us from exporting to them while taking advantage of our very low import tariffs, along with generous tax concessions to local industry. Here in Australia we still pay far more in tax than we've ever received in co-investment.
Two days ago the vast majority of people on /australia opposed government subsidies for the car industry.
The Liberals have now officially opposed these subsidies and rather than congratulating them for their agreeable stance the people of /australia have suddenly changed their mind......
Weird huh?
I'm a hipster engineer, I disliked the liberal party for opposing government support for manufacturing before it was cool. (Also, cutting automotive industry support has been an Abbott policy for a while now.)
It's weird how the government doesn't support the Australian manufacturing businesses which are naturally profitable.
It's almost like the Labor Party is rewarding failure.