Its pretty clear if a country wants a successful car manufacturing industry the population has to support that industry through both buying the product and demanding protection and subsidies for the industry.

Gone are the days where if you were not driving an Australian made car you were looked down upon. Gone are the days when the most basic car cost about $20K and the most basic full time wage was about $20K. Today the basic wage is double or more of that and the basic car is about $15K. Should Australians pay $50K for a basic car if that will keep the Australian car industry going?

Look on the road and see what people are buying. Those little wagons they call sports utility vehicles. None of them are made here. Its getting to the point you see more new Great Wall wagons around than you do Ford Falcons.

Its true Australians have this crazy fixation on German cars. They think if its got a two letter name or has a three pointed star on the front then its worth about twice as much as anyone else is prepared to pay for it. Yes go to Germany and see all those $130K in Australia and $50K in Germany taxis with the three pointed star on the front. Take a ride in one.

Disagree that Aussie cars fall apart. I had a Magna and it was very reliable. I did not have any mechanical issues with it. The only trouble was a smashed driver mirror from some bastard who sideswiped the car when it was parked and a headlight lense cracked headlight lense from a collision with a roo. I easily replaced both parts.

Mobydisc said..

Gone are the days where if you were not driving an Australian made car you were looked down upon.

I remember my dad telling us kids about the first time he met my grandfather (mum's dad). He pulled up in a Datsun...and that was nearly the end of it! Pa was absolutely disgusted that his daughter was going out with a kid that drove a 'Jap-car'!

I'm a Ford fan and always bought our cars locally. After retrofitting the local Ford dealership showroom & reception a few years back, my wife & I bought an ex-demo territory - still have it & it's been a great car for the family. I also owned a BA (RTV) ute with my joinery business & travelled to Geelong & back with school - every week for 2 years (3hrs one-way trip)...sold it very reluctantly as it was only a 2-seater & with 3 kids - not practical. It was also a great car & I see it regularly driving around by the guy that bought it off me. Owned an XR8 going back about 10 years - the wife wants another one as soon as the kids get older.

As for Ford pulling the pin - very sad day for all the employees & suppliers. I hope that many of them manage to find or create work.

A four door 2013 2.0L TDi Golf weighs 1397kg, FYI. Not light by any stretch.

FormulaNova said...


Ian, I can't get your link to work. Edit: It was the period after the link. I always leave a space, otherwise it doesn't work.

Are you sure that it has the same interior space as the Falcon? Is that usable space, or voids above the passengers heads? I am not sure where all that extra space would go.

The falcon weighs 1648kgs, and the Golf weighs 1050kgs?

I couldn't get the link to work either but going back thru my internet history of "Golf kerb weight" I found the article so I'll quote the section. it's the latest Golf whic may not be on sale yet? and it is the one with the smallest engine. It is the SMH of course maybe they've misquoted. But most cars of the Golf's size weigh about 1300kg.

From the SMH
"
Behind the evolutionary appearance of the new Golf is a highly contemporary platform known internally as the MQB (modularen querbau, or modular transverse). Set to underpin more than half of all Volkswagen models by the middle of the decade, the highly flexible structure makes use of a higher percentage of hot formed high strength steel than its predecessor, the so-called PQ35 platform, leading to a 37kg reduction in weight for the platform alone.


In combination with other weight saving measures, including a 40kg reduction in certain engines, 26kg reduction in the chassis and 6kg reduction in the electrical architecture, the adoption of the new structure sees the new Golf tip the scales at up to 109kg less than the fifth-generation model introduced back in 2008, with a claimed kerb weight of just 1050kg for the most basic model, according to Volkswagen?s own figures.

The seventh-generation Golf will continue the tradition of its various predecessors in offering a wide range of transversely mounted four-cylinder direct injection petrol and common rail diesel engines ? all now with automatic stop/start and brake energy recuperation systems as standard. Engineering refinements and resulting efficiency gains see a reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 23 per cent, according to Volkswagen, with standard models all boasting front-wheel drive.

The initial launch range in Europe offers two turbocharged petrol engines from Volkswagen?s new engine family: a 1.2-litre unit producing 63kW and a 1.4-litre with 103kW - the latter fitted with a cylinder cut off mechanism that disengages the middle two cylinders from the combustion process for reduced consumption in low-speed city driving between 1400 and 4000rpm. "



But getting a figure off the VW website is difficult. Easy on the ford website. I'll try the link again. Haven't measured the interiors but I've been in both. A Falcon might be wider but the roof is lower. The perception of space is big in a Golf.

http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor-news/volkswagen-golf-revealed-20120904-25caw.html

FormulaNova said...


I wish Ford dumped the sedan and just built a good looking wagon (for windsurfing of course).

That's the 2wd Territory. One of the foresters I used to work with rented one at the airport on his way to a field trip. The foresters of course bagged it up against a Landcruiser. Do you think I could convince them it was only 2wd. But it did pretty well on sandy tracks with just a locking rear diff. Great on the highway, comfy driving position, best headlights I've seen. It's listed on that same 1648kg Falcon site as 1900 kg, no wonder they're thirsty.

Gizmo said..

It's interesting there are talks on the radio news about re introducing import tariffs on overseas cars.... that will affect GMH and Ford as well, do they actually want their imported cars to go up as well?
Perhaps counter productive...
How long can the industry be protected for 5, 10, 20+ years or do we just accept the enviable?

Well, for the Ford cars made in Asia, I imagine Ford don't mind. The cost of labor would be cheaper, so they could probably handle it on a level playing field.

I think we should look to Germany for ideas. Do they protect their car industry? They seem to be able to make them, and you would argue they have a very healthy economy.

If you 'accept the inevitable' (or the enviable ), you would shut down everything that we are not competitive at. That would mean a lot of industries shutting down and a lot of people importing stuff.

Mark _australia said..

^^^ yeah agreed but what buggered us was

the strikes over no covered walkway to the dunny
knock off at 38.5deg
strike over one bloke who got sacked and probably deserved it
strike over a fridge in the lunch room at 4.5deg not 4.0 deg
OH&S stuff cos somebody got a sore finger so have to do a JSA and employ a consultant to show us how to bang a nail into wood
etc etc ad nauseum

nobody is saying we need to be like asia and treat workers like sh!t - but all the little bits have added up.
We are reaping what we have sown.

People seem to forget when the aussie dollar was 75c US, not on par, and we were still shutting steel mills and a car manufacturer pissed off overseas. You can't blame ONLY a strong dollar for Ford closing up

Australia is a resource rich country that could do anything but it is hamstrung by red tape, OH&S, militant unions (not saying unions are bad, just the militant attitude), over governance and a pussy attitude by workers.

If you were a person fortunate enough to be earning AUD$1100.00+ per day you wouldn't be so quick to question the motives of unions.