'Major announcement' from Toyota this afternoon

[Trump]

What happened today is indicative of one massive fact: govco does not hold the reins of power in this country. Those that wield real power laid the foundation for the demise of manufacturing in Australia and the global players ensured it happened.

Only now I see that Ford wasn't negligent in terms of marketing Falcon due to incompetence, it was a coordinated effort to ensure marketing was at a bare minimum and nothing more. Geoff Polites was the spanner in the works, he single-handedly brought Falcon back from the abyss and near on put it on top.

[BroadyFord]

Melbourne/Adelaide ~2018?

"Lock up your kids after dark!"

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

What happened today is indicative of one massive fact: govco does not hold the reins of power in this country. Those that wield real power laid the foundation for the demise of manufacturing in Australia and the global players ensured it happened.

Only now I see that Ford wasn't negligent in terms of marketing Falcon due to incompetence, it was a coordinated effort to ensure marketing was at a bare minimum and nothing more. Geoff Polites was the spanner in the works, he single-handedly brought Falcon back from the abyss and near on put it on top.

Geoff Polites, deserves more respect than any leader Australia ever had. If he could reinvigorate Ford Australia in such a short amount of time, championing Ford BA and Territory in such a short space of time, imagine what he could have done if he ran the country Pity he had to go.

[GT2]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I'm seeing a lot of union blame here, how about Ol' mate Johnny Eyebrows and his free trade agreements with Thailand? Or poor decisions by the fat cats leading the company down the wrong path?

Unless you want our manufacturing workers to work for less than a bowl of rice a month it just ain't happening.

I quite certain that Thai workers earn more that "a bowl of rice a month".

[PlukaDuck]

Originally Posted by GT2

The story was from 2013, the tax proposed by the previous Gillard government.

The tax is an IMF / G20 strategy for all western nations. Has nothing to do with Gillard as she just bent over same as abbott will do and has already agreed with. Australians will just keep taking it up the ***** as usual


Already tried it in Cyprus and the people rioted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/bu...sits.html?_r=0

[Maka]

Originally Posted by cheap

Didn't take long to blame Abbott - He's been in power for 6 months, inherited an economic mess with +$300 Billion debt, yet people expect him to be able to change a trajectory that the previous mob of genius had taken 6 years to set.

I suppose steadfast refusing to rescind the CO2 tax is part of their spectacular visionary economic plan for Australia. Lets face it, the CO2 tax has worked a treat so far...

Historically speaking, i can think of an agreement back in 75 or something that started the rot.... A perfect storm sometimes takes years to form.


cheers, Maka

[BroadyFord]

The death knell was when the IR judges upheld the recent unions claims, at a time Toyota was looking at cost cutting options for the next Camry - they didn't get it and surprise, surprise!

[OCTANEBOSS]

YOU WILL DRIVE A GREAT WALL AND YOU WILL ENJOY IT... just might be made in Bangladesh for economic reasons

[2011G6E]

One: we have less people in our entire country than a lot of large cities overseas.
Two: we are a prosperous western democracy plonked right in the middle of tightly packed bunch of virtually third world (but reasonably industrially advanced) countries with populations of many hundreds of millions of people (not to mention the over two billion total in China and India) whose economies of scale mean they can always undercut any western nation...and it's our bad luck to be right next door.
Three: Unless something is a big export earner...coal, metals, mining...it won't, and usually can't, survive without massive ongoing government subsidies.
Four: Tariffs. Don't work, especially when we don't have the power as a nation to push them on other countries who we depend on for so much. If we pushed too hard, they could quite nicely shut off the taps with little effect to themselves, but we'd suffer...badly.

Face it...there's nothing overly special about being able to make cars in your own country. It's a global market now with cars...mostly...but we're behind the eight ball for a few reasons, such as those above, and because we're one of the few countries that is right hand drive.
The basic tenet of a successful business is that if you do something that someone else can do cheaper for you, pay them to do it and spend your money on something else. That's what we're seeing here. Toyota, Ford, and Holden will still be here, and with Toyota the cars we see on the showroom floor probably won't even change, but with Ford and Holden the only thing that will change is that two unpopular and unprofitable models will be gone from the line up.

Car making certainly isn't the huge boom business it once was.

[Outbackjack]

Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke, Keating, Howard, Rudd, Gillard, Abbot. What do these names mean to the average Aussie?

They are all living ex and current Prime Ministers of Australia. They are all drawing a full PM's salary and other benifits like free air travel, first class of course, a com car and a funded office..... Now since they are all in their own way responsible for what has been happening for the last twenty years perhaps they can forego their "entitlements" for three or four years to help keep food on the Ford, Holden and Toyota workers plates.....

Not likely. But if the demise of Australian manufacturing does not wake the average Aussie beer drinking, fag smoking, cricket and footy lover from his/her slumber... Then these parasites should keep their tax funded life styles.

Sadly that is exactly what will happen.....

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

Melbourne/Adelaide ~2018?

"Lock up your kids after dark!"

image

now youre just being stoopid dude

do you live in a nice suburb with lots of shiny stuff

theyre on their way to your place

[Trump]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Face it...there's nothing overly special about being able to make cars in your own country. It's a global market now with cars...mostly...but we're behind the eight ball for a few reasons, such as those above, and because we're one of the few countries that is right hand drive.
The basic tenet of a successful business is that if you do something that someone else can do cheaper for you, pay them to do it and spend your money on something else. That's what we're seeing here. Toyota, Ford, and Holden will still be here, and with Toyota the cars we see on the showroom floor probably won't even change, but with Ford and Holden the only thing that will change is that two unpopular and unprofitable models will be gone from the line up.

Car making certainly isn't the huge boom business it once was.

You're right, there isn't anything inherently special in making cars in your own country. However, where we differ is that it has been the barometer by which manufacturing overall has been measured against. And it appears as though as it is an accurate one as the destruction of Australian manufacturing has accelerated in the time since Ford decided to pull the pin.

As brands, I only really see Toyota surviving long term. Ford does have good product in Focus, Ranger and Mondeo (with Mustang and Everest to come), but unless the dealers are pulled into line, they will ensure the brand dies a slow, painful death.
Holden on the other hand... their imported lineup is complete rubbish. Had their Korean product been of the ilk of what Hyundai and Kia are making these days, they would have been okay. As it stands, their lineup is pathetic. The Malibu is a joke, the Cruze is barely passable, the Captiva is complete ***, the Barina is a shocker, the Colorado is useless; no amount of dealer proactive initiative will change that.

[JG34JA]

May not be much special in making a car in your country, but 19 out of 20 top OECD economies do it. Soon to be 18. I know what odds I'd take in that one.

[PlukaDuck]

Originally Posted by redloamrules

YOU WILL DRIVE A GREAT WALL AND YOU WILL ENJOY IT... just might be made in Bangladesh for economic reasons

NEVER WILL I BUY A NEW FOREIGN MADE CAR.
Until today of course.
Wait I have 1 option left to up hold my credibility and dignity as an Australian.

I will buy a AUSTRALIAN MADE PUSHBIKE.
And with the new laws will own the road. I will get great enjoyment banking up 5 kilometres of traffic full of foreign cars with there drivers who don't care about there fellow Australians.
This countries LAW MAKERS have gone mad so I might as well join them


QUEENSLAND drivers will soon have to stay at least one metre from any cyclist on the road - but State Transport Minister Scott Emerson says he is against changing current helmet laws.
Cyclists will also face harsher penalties for breaking road rules.
While the State Government will continue to consider the recommendations of a new report into cycling, from early next year motorists will have to keep a distance of one metre from cyclists in 60km/h or slower zones and more than 1.5 metres in faster areas.

[PlukaDuck]

M1/Pacific highway in 2 years

[BroadyFord]

Nothing is stopping anyone from buying a Kenworth, Iveco or Volvo!

[Trump]

Originally Posted by PlukaDuck

NEVER WILL I BUY A NEW FOREIGN MADE CAR.
Until today of course.
Wait I have 1 option left to up hold my credibility and dignity as an Australian.

I will buy a AUSTRALIAN MADE PUSHBIKE.

We make bikes here????

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by PlukaDuck

NEVER WILL I BUY A NEW FOREIGN MADE CAR.
Until today of course.
Wait I have 1 option left to up hold my credibility and dignity as an Australian.

I will buy a AUSTRALIAN MADE PUSHBIKE.
And with the new laws will own the road. I will get great enjoyment banking up 5 kilometres of traffic full of foreign cars with there drivers who don't care about there fellow Australians.
This countries LAW MAKERS have gone mad so I might as well join them


QUEENSLAND drivers will soon have to stay at least one metre from any cyclist on the road - but State Transport Minister Scott Emerson says he is against changing current helmet laws.
Cyclists will also face harsher penalties for breaking road rules.
While the State Government will continue to consider the recommendations of a new report into cycling, from early next year motorists will have to keep a distance of one metre from cyclists in 60km/h or slower zones and more than 1.5 metres in faster areas.

Originally Posted by PlukaDuck

image
M1/Pacific highway in 2 years

And what do these two posts have to do with the topic??

[OCTANEBOSS]

Pushbikes on the Nullarbor... boss just taken 25 weeks annual leave to visit family

[GT2]

Originally Posted by PlukaDuck

The tax is an IMF / G20 strategy for all western nations. Has nothing to do with Gillard as she just bent over same as abbott will do and has already agreed with. Australians will just keep taking it up the ***** as usual


Already tried it in Cyprus and the people rioted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/bu...sits.html?_r=0

For nations where governments guarantee bank deposits, we don't need to be ding this.
The story states that it was thought of to help bring about the surplus we were never going to have.
I do believe however that the lib's will bring it in. Need to pay that money back somehow.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

The death knell was when the IR judges upheld the recent unions claims, at a time Toyota was looking at cost cutting options for the next Camry - they didn't get it and surprise, surprise!

No, the death knell was when Abbott made it clear they would not be giving the manufacturers another cent.

Wages were only a small slice of the exorbitant electricity, gas, water, OH&S and other assorted red tape costs we have here that the others don't.


Well Tony, where are all these new business's coming from to replace the ones that are leaving. You are leaving in a fantasy land if you believe that.

And the ones who are supposed to protect our industries should hang their heads in shame too, they did as much damage as the Libs have. They are all to blame, but who cares about the country when you have your parliamentary pensions right?

[mik]

Once the three car manufacturers have completely pulled up stumps , that will complete the record, every single mass producer of cars in Australia will have left for other countries because they can't make a buk or they have gone broke.

Govco and crappy policy for decades deserves 90 % of the blame imo

The other 10 % is our fault for a multitude of reasons and allowing this to happen.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

Melbourne/Adelaide ~2018?

"Lock up your kids after dark!"

image

Sounds like Western Sydney of 2014.

[BroadyFord]

I've compiled a list of *vehicle* manufacturers still in existence in Australia off the top of my head.

Bombardier
Downer EDI
Kenworth
Iveco
Volgren
Volvo
Thales
Jayco
Tomcar

[JG34JA]

Using Detroit as an analogy of what's happening here might just be too close to home.

http://www.policymic.com/articles/45...federal-policy

[mik]

Originally Posted by Outbackjack

Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke, Keating, Howard, Rudd, Gillard, Abbot. What do these names mean to the average Aussie?

They are all living ex and current Prime Ministers of Australia. They are all drawing a full PM's salary and other benifits like free air travel, first class of course, a com car and a funded office..... Now since they are all in their own way responsible for what has been happening for the last twenty years perhaps they can forego their "entitlements" for three or four years to help keep food on the Ford, Holden and Toyota workers plates.....

Not likely. But if the demise of Australian manufacturing does not wake the average Aussie beer drinking, fag smoking, cricket and footy lover from his/her slumber... Then these parasites should keep their tax funded life styles.

Sadly that is exactly what will happen.....

No doubt about it Outback, pollies steered us down this path decades ago, but consecutive tool heads that make decisions for us over the years have continued to exacerbate our manufacturing downfall year upon year upon year upon year.

i don't think Abbot could have done much anyway ............ the die was cast............ the cat got out of the cage long ago, you can't put the genie back in the bottle to coin a phrase or 3.
manufacturing was already toast, the locals did not have a chance against such huge competition.

[mik]

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

I've compiled a list of *vehicle* manufacturers still in existence in Australia off the top of my head.

Bombardier
Downer EDI
Kenworth
Iveco
Volgren
Volvo
Thales
Jayco
Tomcar

does volvo make any cars here ? i have learned something if that is the case, as for trucks, they are in a different league i think, how many parts are made here, not a lot i expect.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

Nothing is stopping anyone from buying a Kenworth, Iveco or Volvo!

http://www.victa.com/au/support-centre/faqs/

... or chugging along down the road on a Victa ride-on lawnmower, singing Advanced Australia Fair

[Maka]

Originally Posted by JG34JA

Using Detroit as an analogy of what's happening here might just be too close to home.

http://www.policymic.com/articles/45...federal-policy

Thanks for the read JG34JA, heres an interesting take on the English situation from way back -

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/ar...-Why-none.html

cheers, Maka

[V8 Ghia Mike]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

It's a global market now with cars...mostly...but we're behind the eight ball for a few reasons, such as those above, and because we're one of the few countries that is right hand drive.

It makes you wonder where future car enthusiasts will be if Ford, GM and Chrysler decide that it isn't worth the developments costs to engineer future cars for the small right hand drive world market....

Mike