244 replies to this topic

[Rockoz]

Probably not a scenario that would work with our auto industry, but in the 70s it was said that Swedens biggest export was unemployment.

 

Apparently the Swedish government subsidised Volvo a significant amount of money each year.

At the time their unemployment rate was close to zero.

 

The subsidies enabled Volvo to export vehicles, in particular trucks, at landed prices that made them very competitive against the traditional American based trucks.

 

The Volvos were 15 to 20% cheaper than an American truck of the same rating.

 

I know a lot of truck owners that went against buying their traditional Mack Kenworth or Ford truck and bought Volvos.

 

There were a lot of Volvos bought and as a result there was a downturn in sales of the American trucks.

 

Could we do the same here and subsidise our products with government money to increase exports?

It would be a very brave move for any government to do.

 

Perhaps we need to go back to import duties and use that money to prop up local manufacturing.

 

But in reality the public would raise a huge stink over it.

Because the majority of Australians dont support local industry by choice, they support the cheapest price.

Even our government departments choose price over locally made.

 

Really need to face the fact that for whatever reasons, our manufacturing industry is pretty much dead.

And I doubt it will get any better.

[yel327]

I think Australians will buy Australian products, if the products are what they want. Some go to the extreme like Bomber dos (and I applaud him for it), others like me buy Australian where we can if the product we want is made here. I don't drive an Aussie car at the moment as what I want isn't built here. If GMH had built a decent SUV you'd find they would sell as this seems to be what the market wants.

[yel327]

I was only going by the stuff you'd posted before about buying from local grocers and hardware stores etc. wherever you can. Both our drive cars are Japanese too, the Lexus is full Japanese but the Hilux is Thai made with the engine and box Japanese. I'd have even bought a Holden dual cab or SUV that was imported if they were any good, but I drove both equivalents at the time, the 3.6L V6 Colorado/Rodeo and the 3.0L V6 Captiva and they were both so awful I was embarrassed to see the Holden badge on them. I tried to talk my Mrs into a Territory (as I wanted the turbo 6 one) but she didn't like it either. So what i'm getting at it there is two sales since 2010 (three if you count the written off 2010 Hilux) that Holden could have had from me alone, but the products either didn't exist or were poor compared to their competition.

[Dr Terry]

 I drive a Japanese car made in korea 

What Japanese car is made in Korea ?

 

Dr Terry

[yel327]

He means Thailand I think Terry. The Hilux is essentially 120/150 Landcruiser (Japanese) but assembled in Thailand.

[MARKL]

Could we do the same here and subsidise our products with government money to increase exports?

It would be a very brave move for any government to do.

 

Perhaps we need to go back to import duties and use that money to prop up local manufacturing.

 

Most countries subsidise their car manufacturing to some extent due to the positive flow on effects for the rest of the manufacturing sector. And whilst I don't support import duties, the FTA we have seem to be BS - though really if a FTA is any longer than a page it is unlikely to really be a FTA, after all how hard is it to write something along the lines of 'we will trade freely between x & y without restriction on quantity or taxation beyond the equivalent locally made product'?

 

The other change that happened to the local industry, that doesn't get reported enough is, that in the mid 2000's Government agencies all but stopped buying local cars. In NSW they set fuel efficiency targets for Government fleets (may have been federally mandated?) that you could only meet with small 4 cylinder cars. Government fleets went to small 4 cylinder cars overnight along with a pack of nails in the local industry which had always relied on massive fleet sales.

 

My wish is that somebody in politics champions local manufacturing and formulates a plan to encourage it. 

[Shiney005]

Totally agree with everything said here ^^^ ......  I am not sure whether the same scourge hit the car industry at the same time it hit everywhere else ......   Now I am going to hypothesize here, but it did happen to the best company I ever worked for..
 The scourge I talk of is Accountants....

And it starts by buying locally, as Bomber stated...  And I myself will try and follow Bombers lead, and try and buy more Local & and at least Aussie made stuff when I can ...  sorry about the long post ..  cheers Ian

Hear Hear.

The VF Redline was in Motor magazines Performance Car Of The Year, (published this month) and it came 5th out of 11 cars. Pretty good considering that what beat it was a $260,000 Jag, two AMGs, and a Porsche GT3. I wonder how many execs high up the GM food chain have actually driven one of these.

[Shiney005]

I turned it off at 1 minute, 30 seconds.

People like him are why people like me end up in places like Port Arthur.

[RallyRed]

I turned it off at 1 minute, 30 seconds.

People like him are why people like me end up in places like Port Arthur.

 

ha ha .... I was thinking the same thing!...but as it goes on, I think it's a bit clearer he is taking the piss. 

 

Best way to get exposure for your web car review business is to be controversial.....then you can go to HSV and tell them your web side gets 90000 hits a day and therefore HSV should loan you a car for a week or two.

[Ice]

That guy above is an absolute dick he wouldn't know shit from clay the tosser
he bags every car on that site just about
if he had his way we would all be driving Kia,s

[Ice]

What exactly makes him an auto expert?

frOck nose DJ

[yel327]

What about the other thing you've been doing (compulsively) for years Bomber? Are you good at that?

[Ice]

What about the other thing you've been doing (compulsively) for years Bomber? Are you good at that?

He is the gold medalist at that Byron pmsl