How to Ressurect the Australian Car

[FalconXV]

http://performancedrive.com.au/edito...lian-car-1200/

Does anyone think there's any possibility we'll see another Aussie car in some form or another? I sure hope so

[Itsme]

You will never see another car manufacturing industry in Australia again on the same size scale we had, our governments are good at killing off manufacturing industries here.

We are the joke of world when it comes to manufacturing industries.

[chich]

Nice article. Short, concise, to the point and above all, accurate. I hope someone is crazy enough to give it a try..

[Nikked]

Should have added Iveco still build Acco's and Powerstars here...

[FalconXV]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Should have added Iveco still build Acco's and Powerstars here...

Ah damn didn't know maybe I should've researched longer. Good to know, but.

Originally Posted by chich

Nice article. Short, concise, to the point and above all, accurate. I hope someone is crazy enough to give it a try..

Thanks I appreciate the kind feedback it's a real shot in the arm to know I'm improving. And so do I. I kind of wrote it hoping. It would motivate someone lol

[csv8]

Aren't MAC;s still being built in Wacol Brisbane??

[Revolver]

When Australia's economy goes completely down the toilet, and our wages have dropped to a dollar a day with more people who don't have a job lining up to replace them as soon as one worker falls dead, and can produce cars that can be sold to a country whose car buying population expects a fully loaded Rolls Royce for the price of a Kia....

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by csv8

Aren't MAC;s still being built in Wacol Brisbane??

Serviced definitely. Maybe not produced.

[GasoLane]

From the Mack truck site................

"As a part of the Volvo Group Australia, Mack Trucks has the largest dealer network in Australia and New Zealand with over 80 service points and are proudly built locally in Brisbane."

Kenworth's are still made in Bayswater Vic.

[Burnout]

Volvo & Mack are built at Wacol, Brisbane, as GasOlane has indicated.Their aim in 2016 was to out produce PACCAR, which I believe they did.
I've been though the plant.

[Trump]

A niche car maker might have some success, and that would hinge on how good the car is or which hole in the market it fills that is currently not being filled. As for large scale car manufacture...

Australian automotive industry
RIP 2017

The economy will be shaken to the core when Holden and Toyota pull up stumps at the end of the year.

[b0son]

If you want viable manufacturing of any sort, you need exports, but no one takes us seriously. Australia is probably viewed by US/Europe as we view NZ, nice place for a holiday, but not much else.

[MITCHAY]

Originally Posted by Trump

A niche car maker might have some success, and that would hinge on how good the car is or which hole in the market it fills that is currently not being filled. As for large scale car manufacture...

Australian automotive industry
RIP 2017

The economy will be shaken to the core when Holden and Toyota pull up stumps at the end of the year.

Exactly what I was thinking, niche could work but I'm not sure what. Mass produced is dead and buried come end of 2017.

[FGX-351]

I'd be okay with HSV doing an LS Stinger.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Should have added Iveco still build Acco's and Powerstars here...

Assemble would be closer, actually I am not convinced that even do that here now

Kenworth are still manufactured here

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by csv8

Aren't MAC;s still being built in Wacol Brisbane??

Volvo used to 'assemble' in Wacol, not sure if they still do

[Bill M]

This business supplies the heavy hitters in the trucking manufacturing segment. It is a large concern. http://www.hiltonmanufacturing.com.au/

[2011G6E]

To be blunt, we'd be far better working at putting together CKD kits here as a "manufacturing" industry. Face it...there's less people in Australia than in a lot of large overseas cities. We should be thankful we ever had a car industry at all building specialised models.

[Sprintey]

Go for a niche: the ute (coupe utility) for example. Use that history of doing them well. Australian steel (or Australian alloy), Australian leather seats - sell them the image of the rough, red country and the quality of our leathers. Go for simple and easy to understand/fix mechanicals - reliability. Make it practical - for example a proper airbagged bench seat option rather than waste the space with a huge console. A tray that can take a decent length. Aussies are no-nonsense, practical people. Rear wheel drive is a must and an important Unique Selling Point. Make it rugged - have a 4x4 capable option. Performance: our stock motors when shipped to South Africa, or tried in the UK blew minds with their power and the simplicity of build. If you take that unbustable over-engineered philosophy (for example the Peugeot 404 Redex trial cars) and do it well all of Africa, South America and Australia are yours for the taking. I'm talking the ability to cruise at 140 with excess power as Ford did with the Terry mules on the Gibb River Road... that's motoring in many parts of the southern hemisphere. The future growth prospects of these regions is considerable.

And build it really, really well.

[MethodX]

Someone import and start making a kit car based on the Argentinian Falcon...
Ok ill sit down again.

[FalconXV]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Go for a niche: the ute (coupe utility) for example. Use that history of doing them well. Australian steel (or Australian alloy), Australian leather seats - sell them the image of the rough, red country and the quality of our leathers. Go for simple and easy to understand/fix mechanicals - reliability. Make it practical - for example a proper airbagged bench seat option rather than waste the space with a huge console. A tray that can take a decent length. Aussies are no-nonsense, practical people. Rear wheel drive is a must and an important Unique Selling Point. Make it rugged - have a 4x4 capable option. Performance: our stock motors when shipped to South Africa, or tried in the UK blew minds with their power and the simplicity of build. If you take that unbustable over-engineered philosophy (for example the Peugeot 404 Redex trial cars) and do it well all of Africa, South America and Australia are yours for the taking. I'm talking the ability to cruise at 140 with excess power as Ford did with the Terry mules on the Gibb River Road... that's motoring in many parts of the southern hemisphere. The future growth prospects of these regions is considerable.

And build it really, really well.

This is what I mean- if someone overdelivers a premium, desirable product for small-scale production, then it's not impossible to imagine mild success. Especially now we have carbon fibre expertise in Australia now. We still have a lot of the ingredients even after the manufacturer-specific parts leave.

I think it's highly, highly unlikely for large-scale manufacturing to ever come back but if the planets did align as stated in the article, I wouldn't quite say it's impossible. I hope some people out there are planning it.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by MethodX

Someone import and start making a kit car based on the Argentinian Falcon...
Ok ill sit down again.

I was thinking the reverse and send the stamping over to Argentina and let them make Vehicles based on the FG and SZ for the next 30 years. Then us enthusiasts have panels and parts for the next 30 years and don't have to drive Stingers, Genesis, BMW, Tesla or whatever modern junk will hit the scene.

[Pepscobra]

Are the trucks made here in Australia just for the domestic market? Or are they exported?

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Pepscobra

Are the trucks made here in Australia just for the domestic market? Or are they exported?

Domestic, but some go overseas to Tasmania

[kevino]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

Domestic, but some go overseas to Tasmania

Trucks built in Aus by Kenworrth, Volvo, Mack, Iveco/ACCO are exported to NZ and PNG. Possibly other pacific islands.

[FalconXV]

Do they rely on local component suppliers? or O/S?

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Lever T

Assemble would be closer, actually I am not convinced that even do that here now

Kenworth are still manufactured here

Stralis is Assembled here, While the Acco and Powerstar are manufactured here. Both are Australian only models, the powerstar is based around a Stralis cab however.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by FalconXV

Do they rely on local component suppliers? or O/S?

Depends...the Acco and powerstar have over 60% local content.

[whales]

Originally Posted by FalconXV

http://performancedrive.com.au/edito...lian-car-1200/

Does anyone think there's any possibility we'll see another Aussie car in some form or another? I sure hope so

Nope..... Not as long as your **** points downward

[71cop]

Originally Posted by FalconXV

http://performancedrive.com.au/edito...lian-car-1200/

Does anyone think there's any possibility we'll see another Aussie car in some form or another? I sure hope so

No I don't but maybe if we close our eyes we might see one in our dreams, that would be about it I would think.