Should build 4wds, thats what we buy here
$275mill for Holden ...Help me understand
- Thread starter Paradigm
- Start date
- Tagged users None
- May 5, 2006
- 62,726
- 70,017
- AFL Club
- West Coast
Why would we start building what we already buy from elsewhere? That's a hundreds of millions of dollar investment to produce something at a higher unit cost in tens of thousands of dollars.
This philosophy is why the industry is in a mess in the first place. Yes we are behind the 8 ball with a small domestic market and high costs but we're never going to have a sustainable manuacturing industry building an averge quality, more expensive version of what other countries already build.
Exactly. We used to at least have a point of difference before.
We built powerful, rear engineered cars with 5-6 sec 0-100, that were cheap compared to their competitors. And killed what the US was making. Sure, I'm not interested, but others are.
Want to expand the market of what you produce locally? Make the Commodore, but RWD and with engines from 100kw to 350kw. Then, if someone wants fuel economy and low power, they can. And, you still have your hero car.
- May 5, 2006
- 62,726
- 70,017
- AFL Club
- West Coast
Yep, we had a niche market.
Then we were supposed to build V6 engines as part of GM's global platform or whatver they called it.
Now no one wants the cars or the engines, and we're back in a world of poo.
I maintain the govt should * subsidies off and buy Holden back from GM, and operate it (publicly or privately) as a small-volume producer. We don't need the Cruze, or the Colorado, or any other Holden-badged car that comes out of Thailand or Japan. The only Holden demand that will exist going forward is for some Commodore variants (ute/sedan/HSV etc.). The days of Holden selling 90,000 Commodores are long gone, but I reckon if they aimed at 20-30,000 total units a year it could be done.
Then we were supposed to build V6 engines as part of GM's global platform or whatver they called it.
Now no one wants the cars or the engines, and we're back in a world of poo.
I maintain the govt should * subsidies off and buy Holden back from GM, and operate it (publicly or privately) as a small-volume producer. We don't need the Cruze, or the Colorado, or any other Holden-badged car that comes out of Thailand or Japan. The only Holden demand that will exist going forward is for some Commodore variants (ute/sedan/HSV etc.). The days of Holden selling 90,000 Commodores are long gone, but I reckon if they aimed at 20-30,000 total units a year it could be done.
Ford should be offered subsidies if they make a modern version of this, same outside and interiors, but modern chassis, brakes and the latest Ford 6 litre v8 engine.
Power Raid
We Exist To Win Premierships
I really feel for the people of Geelong and Adelaide but they have had a victim mentality, a hand out / entitlement mentality and a union mentality.
The result is they are simply not equipped as cities to cope with the requirements of a modern economy to keep industry. For those reasons businesses are shutting up shop and moving elsewhere.
So does the government let them fail or throw money at the businesses and beg them to stay? Either way, on there own, neither solution works unless you actually address the problems.
The result is they are simply not equipped as cities to cope with the requirements of a modern economy to keep industry. For those reasons businesses are shutting up shop and moving elsewhere.
So does the government let them fail or throw money at the businesses and beg them to stay? Either way, on there own, neither solution works unless you actually address the problems.
10/10 would bangFord should be offered subsidies if they make a modern version of this, same outside and interiors, but modern chassis, brakes and the latest Ford 6 litre v8 engine.
- May 5, 2006
- 62,726
- 70,017
- AFL Club
- West Coast
Ford should be offered subsidies if they make a modern version of this, same outside and interiors, but modern chassis, brakes and the latest Ford 6 litre v8 engine.
Hell, I'm OK with Valiants too...
Was looking at EK's on carsale.com.au the other day. I don't even need a car, but they are just so cool.
Power Raid
We Exist To Win Premierships
The last two for me thanks.
I'm still a bogan at heart. Thinking about it again.......... I go for Port; I am a bogan.
I'm still a bogan at heart. Thinking about it again.......... I go for Port; I am a bogan.
- May 5, 2006
- 62,726
- 70,017
- AFL Club
- West Coast
I wonder what it would cost Holden to start producing LX Toranas and HQs instead of Commodores and Cruzes.
I'm not talking about a modern equivalent, I mean cast iron OHV straight 6 motors with carburettors, leaf spring suspension, 14 inch wheels etc. with luxury options like cloth trim and an air conditioner which takes about 20kW to run and cools the ambient air a handful of degrees...
You can guarantee there would be a market.
I'm not talking about a modern equivalent, I mean cast iron OHV straight 6 motors with carburettors, leaf spring suspension, 14 inch wheels etc. with luxury options like cloth trim and an air conditioner which takes about 20kW to run and cools the ambient air a handful of degrees...
You can guarantee there would be a market.
Looks like a 1972 ChargerHell, I'm OK with Valiants too...
My first car(not 6 pack) just a 265 with a 3 speed.Probably worth $70k these days
Seeing as the big 3 in the US are doing nostalgic copies of Mustangs,Camaros amd Challengers.It might work doing GT's and Toranas.
All the old bogans I know would want them.A lot of them have an original in the shed for sunny Sundays
- May 5, 2006
- 62,726
- 70,017
- AFL Club
- West Coast
The problem is that they're moving away from 'big engine at the front driving the wheels at the back' - and that's what the originals were.
If Holden announced a FWD 4 cylinder Torana there would be a lynch mob carrying pitchforks and Bundy & cola cans formed outside Fishermans Bend before you could say 'eat my dust, Allan Moffat'.
If Holden announced a FWD 4 cylinder Torana there would be a lynch mob carrying pitchforks and Bundy & cola cans formed outside Fishermans Bend before you could say 'eat my dust, Allan Moffat'.
Sadly they wouldn't pass the emissions testing and fuel economy standards. Plus the car bodies themselves are so unaerodynamic they'd make the fuel economy even worse. I've been told that some Commodores and Falcons only met the fuel economy standards through aerodynamics improvements.
http://www.businessspectator.com.au...ional-affairs/tony-abbotts-300000-new-enemies
Does this help the OP understand why?
Does this help the OP understand why?
telsor
Hall of Famer
Exactly.
I'm sure both parties see the motor industry as a lost cause, but are afraid to bit the bullet for fear of losing votes.
Not just losing votes. I imagine it would cost a fortune to suddenly have an extra 150,000 people on new start benefits especially since these people will have a skill set that is not easily transferable to another industry.
telsor
Hall of Famer
True, but redirecting the money that goes to the car industry into retraining and job creation would reduce that number a fair bit.
Of course, a lot of car industry workers are relatively old (they haven't done a lot of new hiring for a long time), so harder to retrain, re-employ.
Whilst Australians have slowly but surely shunned such models for cheaper, smaller, efficient vehciles - the idea that Austrlaia should make these cars never really was a good one becuase it is such a highly competetive market segment.
To survive, the best strategy would have been to specialise in the bigger 'hero' cars and work harder to export. Was always going to be difficult though given the foreign ownership of the Aussie car makers.
There are two cars we should make here. A larger car with different engine options, including hybrid. And a decent 4WD (a real 4WD - not a SUV). Make something reliable, safe and with good off road qualities, you could easily export it around the world. There are very few decent 4WD out now as most were developed in the 70's and 80's.
Similar threads
