What can be done to improve the struggling Aussie Motor vehicle industry

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by gtxb67

why don't ford and holden tell the government they are importing the falcon and commode dore from indonesia
the idiots running the country won't know they are really built here, but believing they are from indonesia, they will receive billions in subsidies and the government will actually start buying them . . . . . problem solved

Tell them they are made in China... they'd do anything to kiss China's a$$.

[graham7773]

Just a point on fuel economy being a reason for buying small cars. I owned a VT Commodore that I took to Queensland on several occasions and it returned 7.5 liters per 100 kilometers for all of the trips. My daughter has a VZ Commodore with all the bells and whistles, whatever that means, air, steer, cruise, auto headlights, power doors, mirrors, warning bells and chimes for different things that need attention, automatic trans, alloy wheels and so on. On the trip to Brisbane it returned 7 liters per 100 kilometers. I believe that there are a number of so-called "small cars" that do not deliver economy as good as the two (VT and VZ) that I mentioned. I also believe that the VE Commodore and current Falcon sixes also return economy as good or better on a trip. The new 4 cylinder Falcons would be doing better again, would they not? Smaller cars for fuel economy? Not so much. Bring the tariffs back up. That would improve the Aus car makers business and make more jobs available right across the industry...

[dddd]

I don't understand any of this confusion its really very simple. Other countries can mass produce their cars far more cost effectively than
Australia can and therefore give the buyer far better value, eg 300SRT8.

The real question is why can they be so more efficient than us

1 Larger population in the country of origin means larger scale of production

2 Five years ago Australia had one of the worlds cheapest power cost now we are the second dearest in the world. This has come about because of three main reasons
(A) many many years of state government neglect on power line infrastructure
(B) Rudd's introduction of mandatory green energy, which is about ten times more costly per KW hr to produce than conventional
(C) Gillard's carbon tax

3 The radical shift in work place regulations, Australia already had amongst the the best working conditions in the world (if not the best) handing control back to the unions has resulted in the obvious ie a huge increase in strike action and yes better pay and conditions for workers, but are we really so stupid as to believe this extra cost and disruption to industry is going to help us be more competitive with other countries. We all have to be grown ups here and acknowledge we are part of an international market and as such have to remain competitive with other country's if we wish to remain in manufacturing

4 The rise of the Australian dollar or to be more specific the fall of the American dollar

I personally believe the necessary steps to cripple Australian manufacturing have already been implemented and over the next few years will we will see a huge amount go overseas we simply are not competitive here anymore.

Going back about a six months ago I was watching a news article about a factory that was on the brink of closer, they were interviewing a union leader and this bloke was screaming that the federal government has to give this company support to protect the jobs of the people at the plant "as the company cannot compete with overseas competitors" he states . He then also goes on to say that he has also just lodged a list of demands with the very same company for better pay and conditions that they are demanding for the employees !!!
Its at this point I really understood just how ridiculous we have all become, I believe we are all living in a fools paradise, much like the Greeks have done for many years

I'm sorry to sound so pessimistic but I have given up, all this from a person who has always bought Australian made were possible makes me angry

[robbyj]

Originally Posted by dddd

2 Five years ago Australia had one of the worlds cheapest power cost now we are the second dearest in the world. This has come about because of three main reasons
(A) many many years of state government neglect on power line infrastructure

I think you'll find the privatization of power companies is for this reason. In it to make a $.

My dad works for what was the SEC (txu, eastern energy, tenix, just to name a few, this company has changed hands so many times its hard to keep up)

and is now currently known by SP Aus Net. AKA Singapore. They have spent a bit on infrastructure, possibly more then the government would have. but still, its all about the bottom line.