Car Makers Welcome The Australian Government $6.2b 'Green Car Innovation Fund'

[Full Spectrum]

Carr introduces green car plan.

The Bracks report didn't go far enough, so the federal government has taken the report's recommendations further
The federal government has accepted the necessity for change outlined in the Bracks review of the automotive industry. In fact, the government has seen a need to go beyond what the Bracks report proposed, putting $1.3 billion on the table for the Green Car Innovation Fund -- not the $1 billion suggested in the original report.
Other points approved by the government in its new plan released to the media today ('A New Car Plan for a Greener Future') include a change to the LPG rebate system, doubling the rebate for new cars fitted with LPG from the factory.

Article in full here.
Carr introduces Green Car Plan ? Car Reviews, News & Advice - CarPoint Australia

Big three welcome car industry rescue package.

Australia’s three remaining car makers have welcomed the Government’s $6 billion rescue package for the local automotive industry and say it paves the way for investment in environmentally friendly technologies such as hybrid vehicles.

Ford, Holden and Toyota say the plan paves the way for added investment for an industry that’s been crippled by high fuel prices and changing buyer demands.
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKellar says the Rudd Government’s announcement this morning is a “very strong vote of confidence in the future of the Australian automotive industry”.

Article in full here.
Big three welcome car industry rescue package - drive.com.au


Car industry package saves jobs: union.

A key manufacturing union has hailed the federal government's car industry package, saying it will save tens of thousands of jobs.
A key manufacturing union has hailed the federal government's car industry package, saying it will save tens of thousands of jobs.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has outlined its $6.2 billion car industry package, which includes an extra net $3.2 billion on top of $3 billion already committed.
It will buffer the industry against tariff cuts and fund research on environmental car design.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) said the plan, provided crucial investment for the industry amid global economic turmoil.


Article in full here.
Car industry package saves jobs: union - drive.com.au

[VSIIISU]

I've only got one thing to say about this: If they produce those pathetic front wheelers for any variant, they won't see me as a potential customer. Most of Toyota range are all lousy front wheelers, Ford is considering front wheelers. Lets not hope Holden doesn't start converting commodores into front wheelers.

[minux]

lol, yay for handing more money over to sinking ships. Good work KRudd, keep driving this country further and further down the gurgler. Thank **** there is another election in 2 1/2 years.

If people wanted ****box little cars they would be buying them in record numbers, considering the Commodore is outselling the corolla etc, seems to me people are quite hapy with what they have.

[Full Spectrum]

I shouldn't be surprised that you couldn't find a single positive anywhere.
Corolla is only selling in numbers they have - At times they have back logs. Now it's no secret the large cars are not dominating as in the past. And there is no rule that says holden can't go back a bit in size and offer what the public is looking for, But still offering what the other half want.

The car industry is a pretty large part of this country, And has been so for decades It deserves nothing short of some action to try and prolong it.

Now i find positives. Holden/Ford to move on duel or dedicated gas models across most of the range - with doubling the rebate extra incentive. Holden to jump into 5 speed auto and remove the 4 speed. Or jump over and offer the 6 speed across the range. Sources say the 5 speed is in doubt with some talk of it not being built ?. That and it's expensive and the 6 speed just might be better priced.
More investment into engine efficiency to reduce fuel consumption and emissions without sacrificing performance. Diesels will come back on the agenda again.
But in the end it will help maintain jobs and help us overall to buy better more efficient higher technology cars into the future. And maybe more price competitive against imports.

Doing something is better then watching it die and being a accessory to manslaughter.

[Full Spectrum]

Holden and Ford to get greener

Ford and Holden to announce new green-car projects in wake of new federal car plan

By DAVID HASSALL 11 November 2008


FORD Australia and GM Holden are expected to announce new green car projects in the next few months following the release this week of the government’s new car plan, which includes a more than doubling of the Green Car Innovation Fund to $1.3 billion over 12 years.

Federal minister for innovation, industry, science and research, Senator Kim Carr, told GoAuto on Monday that both Ford and Holden had given him undertakings that they would follow Toyota Australia, which has already been promised $35 million form the fund to build a hybrid Camry at Altona.

Mr Carr said that the government expected a significant commitment from the industry in return for the $6.2 billion commitment outlined in the plan.

“I’ve had undertakings from all the major companies, and from the suppliers, about a whole new approach to the industry,” Senator Carr told us.

“The companies have individually and collectively agreed to significant new investments being made and we would expect that to be rolled out, with announcements to be made over the next few months of specific projects that otherwise would not have been done.”

Are these specific green car projects?

“Yes.”

So more than just Camry?

“Yes.”

Have Ford and Holden given those sort of undertakings?

“Yes. I’m expecting over the next few months to be able to announce new projects.”

GM Holden executive director of corporate affairs Jason Laird told GoAuto that the company had told the government of its short, medium and long-term plans as part of the review process, but would not reveal the nature of its green car plans, or whether they would be locally-produced or imported products.

“Stay tuned,” he told us. “We’ve got a number of things that we’re looking at, so we could have a number of announcements.”

Holden has previously revealed that it is looking at a variety of developments, including ethanol, LPG, diesel, direct-injection, cylinder-deactivation, hybrid and the electric Volt model from the US.

More here.
General News - Holden and Ford to get greener - News

[minux]

I am still trying to see what the positives are? In the last 15 years the government has dished out billions to keep the companies operating. It is just prolonging a death, Ford are set to lay off more workers in the coming months(from my understanding Ford would like out of Australia all together, there is no money to be made). I simply cannot see ANY positives at all, in fact, we should not be propping up giant international companies at all, the money would be much better spent in so many more areas.

[commsirac]

The car industry is a pretty large part of this country, And has been so for decades It deserves nothing short of some action to try and prolong it.

Now i find positives. Holden/Ford to move on duel or dedicated gas models across most of the range - with doubling the rebate extra incentive. .

The car industry is big, but its been financed by the taxpayer for too long. Simply the government, present and past, hasnt looked past how are we going to employ people in the future, other than producing 1000s of cars that we dont really need or are inappropriate. It creates jobs, so does paying people to dig holes in the ground and fill them in again, that's effectively what the government prop ups have been doing for the last 50 years.

Why do we need to give people $2000 to have a car that runs on cheaper lpg, has this government lost sight of the fact that we need to reduce CO2 emissions, not increase them!
Push the tax up on petrol instead and well have consumers dropping off petrol cars(reducing their usage) and actually creating a demand on the manufacturers to produce quality lpg offerings.

[minux]

The car industry is big, but its been financed by the taxpayer for too long. Simply the government, present and past, hasnt looked past how are we going to employ people in the future, other than producing 1000s of cars that we dont really need or are inappropriate. It creates jobs, so does paying people to dig holes in the ground and fill them in again, that's effectively what the government prop ups have been doing for the last 50 years.

Why do we need to give people $2000 to have a car that runs on cheaper lpg, has this government lost sight of the fact that we need to reduce CO2 emissions, not increase them!
Push the tax up on petrol instead and well have consumers dropping off petrol cars(reducing their usage) and actually creating a demand on the manufacturers to produce quality lpg offerings.

Sadly I agree with you, however, this money should also be extended to companies to produce biofuels and develop cars that not only cost less to run, but also have a minimal impact on the environment.

On that same note, this 6 billion would be better spent on public transport to ready for the uptake of people using it when the CET comes in. Currently in Vic our Public transport is at best dismal, imagine having 2-3 billion spent on upgrading and developing the network, it seems governments want to tax people money to pay for co2 emissions, yet are not willing to provide viable transport options to commuters to reduce the use of cars etc.

[Full Spectrum]

It's not going to happen overnight. Hybrids are not the true answer. Diesel is more the now, And alternative fuels are future.
You can't make holden/ford reinvent o2 emission cutting when they both are as competitive as anyone else. Little check of falcon/commodore vs 5 series bmw. 4 /12 star to both bmw and holden. Ford with 3 star. That is against a giant who's efficiency is second to none. Hybrids are one answer but diesel can be as clean to the environment, But maybe not as much to us.



Ok pull support from the whole car industry. In 5-10 years from now we will be driving FWD Camry-Taurus-malibu. No sign of RWD cars. Used car prices on Falcon/commodores will sore by 50%.
Right now they only compete with holden/ford. Loose them and you give them no reason to compete anymore, No competition we loose. So what do they dish up ?.

[Shounak]

LOL. Same car industry that was meant to be self sufficient, now we're bucketing a planned $3bn to keep them on life support til 2020? Sounds like the 80's.

I've analysed the Bracks report extensively and am planning a dissertation around it. The Australian car industry is in shambles.

Diesel won't do anything. What Australian's don't understand is that an industry is about the customer, not the producer. Australian customers are not purchasing Falcodores anymore, yet Australian manufacturers keep pushing them out like rabbits and the government is bearing the loss.

The Australian car industry has been dead for years. Keeping it alive is as futile as keeping the Buggy or Typewriter industry alive for the sake of those producers. If people knew they would pay about $5 grand less for a Commodore without subsidies, I doubt they'd so vociferously support them.

International standards are not the problem, it's that Australian consumers have moved on and Australian producers haven't.

[Full Spectrum]

Our industry had record sales only a few years ago.

I'm not hiding the fact i think ford/holden should drop a size. No more large rwd hefeirs. Lets go into Torana size with more engine options. But that is years away from even being in consideration.

[Shounak]

Our industry had record sales only a few years ago.

I'm not hiding the fact i think ford/holden should drop a size. No more large rwd hefeirs. Lets go into Torana size with more engine options. But that is years away from even being in consideration.

Who said anything about dropping a size? How about gaining some size and quality.

Mazda outsold Holden and Ford combined, in the personal vehicle sales (either that or just Holden, I'll double check). Sure that's one aspect Holden definitely need to brush up on.

But people are moving into SUV's now. Territory, Kluger and even Hummer now. If Holden put these cars together in Australia, it would do a hell of a lot more. Now with global cars, it's becoming increasingly possible. Cars are like Big Macs.

Australia produces 300,000 cars, that's everyone combined. That's how much a decent size German Factory will produce, let's not even talk about the Japanese and Koreans.

Holden/Ford should give the consumers what they want. Back to basics here.

[Full Spectrum]

The market is leaning towards smaller sedans now. Yet Ford/Holden grow larger. Some could say with all the expertise they have learned over the years, Why did they need to go larger. Consider the VP is longer then all models except the VE. Yet it's more comfortable to sit in a VT then VN-VS. Larger boot larger interior space. With not going overboard on exterior size. They could have easily made a VZ size car with the VE.
Then there are rumors of Holden moving back a step into the VZ size. They say it will happen and we wont know it.

When your bread and butter is large cars and the market is turning against them. You need to move with what they want, Or ad to the line. Torana would fit in perfect.

300,000 in a country of 21mill with a huge variety of cars to choice from more then just about anywhere else on the planet. The car industry is very important still.

On the personal sales. It was Holden's goal to sell more private, This doesn't seemed to have worked. But used is high. That's why i feel holden needs a smaller car or a smaller option that they can sell cheap enough and good enough for private buyers.

[commsirac]

just watch what will happen when ford get a factory lpg territory going and people can claim $2000 rebate for it, they are already a very popular 2nd hand conversion. Thats the sort of car many want and to be able to run it cheaply. Do we want the roads full of these tractors, because weve paid out for them to run cheap fuel and suffer the effects of all the tonnes of CO2 they are going to push out.

That's where the government needs some initiative and make sure the manufacturers give us what we need,(to have a future).....not what we want. For one, no lpg rebates on new cars and definitely not for tractors of any age. If you need to drive a tractor, pay your own way!

[Shounak]

The market is leaning towards smaller sedans now. Yet Ford/Holden grow larger. Some could say with all the expertise they have learned over the years, Why did they need to go larger.

300,000 in a country of 21mill with a huge variety of cars to choice from more then just about anywhere else on the planet. The car industry is very important still.

On the personal sales. It was Holden's goal to sell more private, This doesn't seemed to have worked. But used is high. That's why i feel holden needs a smaller car or a smaller option that they can sell cheap enough and good enough for private buyers.

The market's not going smaller. The three main threats are SUV's, smaller cars and Euro luxury cars. Page 10 deals with the change in consumer preferences. You're right, people are going for smaller cars but SUV's and Luxury imports are a bigger threat.

http://www.innovation.gov.au/automot...ort_secure.pdf

I don't get the second part? We have hardly any variety to choose from here and the world market is very restricted to us. We'd be heaps better off having more choice rather than less. The sooner the tariff gets dropped, the better.

Commsirac, any attempt to stop people getting what they want will always end in tears. It's not upto the government to decide who drives what car and who needs what car.

I also doubt an additional $1000 rebate will suddenly flood the roads with territories. The government should step back a bit here and definitely stay away from the paternalistic approach where "father knows best".

[minux]

I lol'd at this article.

Imagine Holden being Chinese owned..or Indian owned.

Holden could be Indian takeaway as auto crisis bites | The Daily Telegraph

We might actually pay close to what a commodore and falcon is REALLY worth for once.

[Shounak]

It happened to MG, a premium British car and from all reports, the Chinese owned and made version is better than the British one.

Asian owned does not mean bad quality, not any more.

[minux]

It happened to MG, a premium British car and from all reports, the Chinese owned and made version is better than the British one.

Asian owned does not mean bad quality, not any more.

Exactly, quality control out of China and India is so much better than it used to be. I mean pretty much every brand name you buy has a Made In China/India tag on it.

[EvoVIIIJDM]

Story here

India, China could snap up Holden, says analyst | Business | News.com.au

What are your thoughts? Would you continue your love affair with Holden if it was owned by one of these countries? I know alot of parts now come from overseas but what would mean to you?

To me, an Aussie icon for over 60 years, it would be really sad to see. Unlikely i would buy another one.

[stocky]

i would think that a lot of people would lose interest, thinking "well, they had a good run" and then just hold into the australian holdens that they currently have. imagine how much an aussie HSV would be worth in years to come

[EvoVIIIJDM]

i would think that a lot of people would lose interest, thinking "well, they had a good run" and then just hold into the australian holdens that they currently have. imagine how much an aussie HSV would be worth in years to come

Chuck the VX in the shed you reckon lol. It would be an absolute shame and seems to be the trend in todays market climate for Australia anyway, sell sell sell.

[pow3rslave]

i've heard mixed things about late models build quality, but they've never been recalled because the paint contained toxic levels of lead.
i'd be concerned quality would suffer. imho you get what you pay for (mostly) and those aren't two of the countries i traditionally associate with high labour pay.

[Cobez]

If it got sold to either of those countries i would spit on the first model they bought out from over there.

I'd still drive mine though, pigs arse i'd be buying any new ones though. I'd rather drive a Ford than drive a car that supports a foreign country (yes i am aware that alot of the parts are made overseas, but most of the jobs stay in Australia and give employment to Australian citizens), as soon as it goes over to either of those countries and gives them jobs, no way i'd buy a new Holden.

[minux]

I have merged this with another thread, as it was touched on earlier today.

[EvoVIIIJDM]

New Holden?