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#721 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: A.C.T
Posts: 1,574
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Yes,but...the population was a lot smaller,there was nowhere near the auto makers(& sheer competition there is now.)You really only had the “big three” in the game.Toyota @ the time was still building it’s “empire”.The Button plan really was the beginning of the end for the big three.
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#722 | |||
BLUE OVAL INC.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,645
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Quote:
When Mitsubishi bailed the supply chain continued on for another 6 years with the 3 remaining but once Ford made its intentions clear in 2013 their fate was sealed. Mind you, if Australians had the same pride in local manufactured goods that previous generations had, the numbers would still be there. Its only 20yrs ago that the Elizabeth factory was churning out 100k VT's a year. |
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#723 | |||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,536
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Quote:
Social media gives too many people a voice, and the powers that be are too weak to ignore the noise. Every manufacturing country gets subsidised by the govt, yet the know it all's forced our govt to abandon that policy.
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#724 | |||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,536
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Quote:
Also govt policy ruled out Aussie cars for govt vehicles due to tighter emissions targets. This probably hurt more than Joe public not buying. You need protections in place from the govt esp in a global market.
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#725 | |||
BLUE OVAL INC.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,645
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#726 | |||
BLUE OVAL INC.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,645
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Quote:
Both sides of the equation want to take the moral high ground, the customer for electing to exercise their right to choice over a product which is lacking and the manufacturer that points to the numbers as justification for reduced investment. Now they're selling utes built in 3rd world countries with healthy profit margins, that certainly would have made it all easier to swallow. |
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#727 | ||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,536
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It was a multi faceted situation. No single factor can be apportioned any more blame than another. Death by a thousand cuts.
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#728 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 831
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Quote:
Sent from my SM-T720 using Tapatalk
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My G6ET: http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11366213 |
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#729 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11,286
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Quote:
manufacturing actually added nice little revenue earner for other Ford and GM divisions supplying parts, it's the reason why Ford was able to keep producing Falcon and Territory for so long at remarkably low numbers. What was really fishy about the Holden closure was the timing of the whole thing, Holden went from almost bragging about continuing manufacturing beyond 2020 to an almost knee jerk response to the government pressing them for an answer. Also The timing of the closure announcement came after Camaro design lock in so no factory RHD, Holden ended production without full contingency plan in place.....and as we've seen all of Holden's other import sales really suffered once the local cars went away, so even more collateral damage. |
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#730 | |||
BLUE OVAL INC.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,645
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Lets call a spade a spade, no one wants to build cars in Australia with all the red tape and union extortion when you can build them next door at a better return for the shareholder, they may point at different aspects to justify their decisions but its all just the means to the end. |
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#731 | ||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,536
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The problem was none of the brands were fully local. They all had/have foreign parent companies.
Our facilities were aging and in need of major upgrades, the govt didn't want to support it and to get to anywhere else in the world was a decent boat ride. Those parent companies were never going to keep building the orphans they were when they could build mega factories in cheap labour countries and transport them easier.
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#732 | |||
BLUE OVAL INC.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,645
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#733 | ||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,536
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They had no reason to stay by that point. No point retooling factories to build something that you are already building elsewhere at a fraction of the cost.
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#734 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11,286
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Quote:
the upgrades cost, $125 M and the governments chipped in $62 M, relatively peanuts.... The $500 M figure was how much Abbott proposed to cut in car industry assistance but that somehow was assumed as money offered to Ford..... It's the same BS deal that always happened, Ford was offered $30 M assistance for Focus production while Holden was given over $300 M to assist Cruze production. There was always a lot more apathy to investment in Ford because they had the hand on the ejection lever for years and governments just saw it as tactics to get more assistance and not a real threat to leave. Last edited by jpd80; 15-08-2019 at 12:15 PM. |
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#735 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11,286
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what Holden's poorly timed announcement would do to it. Ford had the good sense to move as many customers as possible over to Ranger and Mustang while Holden clung to Commodore right to the end. |
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#736 | |||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,536
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Quote:
Getting back to the thread title, the problem with Holden now is they only exist as a 'name' and only in Australia. They don't make their own vehicles. GM still use them as an importer. How long that continues for is the big question. Obviously Commodore is no longer a GM product.
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#737 | |||||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11,286
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Quote:
in some cases the average difference is well over $15K and Mustang versus ZB Commodore, well they're not on the same page price wise... Quote:
I suspect they will persist for another year or so but ultimately it will either drop Regal and ZB from sales or move to something like either a rebadged Chinese ATS-V or US CT-5 - both of which are probably a bit of a stretch... The only thing preventing Holden from taking the big dirt nap is discounting on sales, how long head office will tolerate that is anyone's guess.... Outside of Ranger, Mustang and a handful of Everest and Edge, Ford is basically selling rubbish numbers of vehicles that buyers can easily get from other manufacturers with less hastles and more choice... Last edited by jpd80; 15-08-2019 at 01:01 PM. |
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#738 | |||
BLUE OVAL INC.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,645
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#739 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Catland
Posts: 3,637
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Quote:
This in turn paid good wages to many working people who could easily buy much cheaper housing (housing was not financialised so much). The Button plan was actually the beginning of the end of all 8+, and good working wages for auto manufacture to boot. Astounding it was done by an ALP government.
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#740 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11,286
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Quote:
that any offer never got to an actual figure, all they did was allow Ford to keep $34 million offered for the 2014 Falcon FGX model upgrade and a similar amount for Territory.... Apart for that the govt chipped in for $30 M assistance for workers and Vic Govt. $9 M I do remember some comment that even if Ford was offered $500 Million it wouldn't be enough to change the decision that was already made and that may have been from Ford itself. Last edited by jpd80; 15-08-2019 at 04:03 PM. |
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#741 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Catland
Posts: 3,637
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#743 | |||
BLUE OVAL INC.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,645
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Quote:
As I said earlier, the supply industry managed in the wake of Mitsubishi's closure in 08 whilst the rest continued on but as someone who was part of that supply chain by way of transport and logistics, the shockwave after Fords announcement was quite obvious and many small companies that couldn't diversify were concerned. When Smokin' Joe gave GM the ultimatum I firmly believe he hadn't prepared himself for the response he got and by the time Toyota entered the conversation its fate was sealed despite their reluctance to close. |
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#744 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11,286
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Mulally back in 2012 said no more one off vehicles for one off countries. He was so sick of Aussie journalists pestering him about FOA’s manufacturing future that he just refused to discuss it. It didn’t matter if Falcon and Territory were profitable or not, no money would ever again be invested in a new product cycle when Ford could get a better return elsewhere.
I don’t exactly know what Holden and GM were thinking but it looks like things changed after the election when the Liberals claimed they had a mandate to stop throwing money at the local industry, they listened too much to the ultra right wing rhetoric instead of just looking at balanced support, we give you something, what’s the return to the taxpayers. The local business activity generated, employment and tax paid from that was never fully considered. In saying that, I suspect that Ford had quietly off-shored most of its suppliers by 2012, in complete contrast to Holden, zeta was very much home spun on local Aussie supplies set up as a cottage industry. All so sad to see can do attitude dismissed so easily by the brown shirts. |
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#745 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: A.C.T
Posts: 1,574
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Quote:
![]() Last edited by hackney; 16-08-2019 at 07:21 AM. |
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#746 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: by the beach
Posts: 1,982
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City Holden in SA , sales down 50% tech's leaving some made redundant. Nailsworth branch shut down and land sold off . Not much of a future
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clevo mafia (sadly sold) 351c xe manual (now with short shifting 5sp goodness) xc gs coupe project...hmm more clevo for me new daily 2005 ba sr |
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#747 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,354
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Quote:
For example the front windscreen which required new technology to make it triple-layered, yet thinner & stronger was made in Malaysia by the same company (Pilkingtons) who used to make them locally. They could see the 'writing on the wall' way back in 2002-2004, when the VE was in its planning phase. They weren't prepared to invest in the local factory to supply GMH going forward. They just made them overseas & imported them like so much stuff nowadays. Much more profit for the multi-nationals. Dr Terry |
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#748 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11,286
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Quote:
and I bet that if you could see the actual internal figures Commodore, Falcon Territory and even Camry would have been better than break even proposition. I just think all lost patience with our governments grizzling about supporting a local car industry - they just couldn't see the benefit of increased local business activity, the less profit, the more money is kept here with business. |
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#749 | |||
Donating Member
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Posts: 5,672
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#750 | ||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,536
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City Holden is building brand new premises on railway terrace, mile end.
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