Holden Announces Elizabeth Plant Restructure

[vztrt]

Hardly a surprise that they have dropped 600 workers. What makes me angry is that the unions are trying to blame the federal government for this, saying that because they have reduced tarriffs on imported cars its affecting Australian built cars. What a load of crap! Its plain and simple, Australians aren't buying as many large cars these days because of petrol prices, etc... Smaller cars have become more popular as a result!

It's not Australian built cars it's Commodores and Falcons in general, people have a choice between an import car that is more reliable, better build quality, better fuel economy and more features for not much more than a car built in our back yard. Also Australian built cars arnt that highly regarded as they use to be.
The tariffs did do alot to keeps the cost of import cars higher. Every other car producing nation has import tariffs yet were lowering ours and killing the industry.

 

[JD]

Hardly a surprise that they have dropped 600 workers. What makes me angry is that the unions are trying to blame the federal government for this, saying that because they have reduced tarriffs on imported cars its affecting Australian built cars. What a load of crap! Its plain and simple, Australians aren't buying as many large cars these days because of petrol prices, etc... Smaller cars have become more popular as a result!

i agree and holden small cars arn't the best in comparison to others.

 

[drewins]

It's hard to blame anyone. The lowering of tarrifs does hurt us. But we need the exports too. There are more and more imports coming in which gives people more choice and hence Holdens sales go down. And if you could buy a small imported car for $15000 drive away why would you buy a $32000+ base commodore? Thats the way some consumers look at it.

 

[1991_Vn2nV]

Hardly a surprise that they have dropped 600 workers. What makes me angry is that the unions are trying to blame the federal government for this, saying that because they have reduced tarriffs on imported cars its affecting Australian built cars. What a load of crap! Its plain and simple, Australians aren't buying as many large cars these days because of petrol prices, etc... Smaller cars have become more popular as a result!

You cant honestly think that 10% tariffs compared to 50% tariffs in the 80's doesn't have a large effect?

Why should Australia only charge 5% tariffs (as of 2010), compromising our local market, when other countries in the world are charging extremely high tariffs which are compromising our export markets? Why should Australian car manufacturers get the rough end of the stick locally and overseas?

Keep tariffs at 10% Its not an unreasonble figure. Especially by world standards.

 

[fnlow1]

Utes are due July/ August I believe, wagons a little later IIRC. Edit prototype utes already in testing having trouble with rigidity around the rear windscreens in testing. Don't worry will be sorted come production time .

 

[robbo10]

So what happens now to the Cross 6 & Cross 8 wagon and utes. Are they still catered for in the VE range in the future. Or have they spent millions developing an all wheel drive vehicle, to just throw it away, like the Mitsubishi Magna. What a waste that will be. Maybe we should just go back to a genuine 4WD Chassis and drop on a body of our own choosing like that fella in Tasmania did with the HQ--WB Holdens and Toyota or Jeep mechanicals. There was a bloke in Lillydale put an old Crown wagon onto a Landcruiser chassis and did a real good job of it too. What do you lot think. Put a VK wagon on a Suzuki Vitara chassis and shoehorn in a 3.6 v6. How would that go?

 

[vy_storm]

The cross6, 8 and Adventra were a flop sales wise and would be not worth the effort re-tooling for the VE. I doubt we would be seeing them again. Will probably go the same way as the 1-tonner did.

 

[vztrt]

The cross6, 8 and Adventra were a flop sales wise and would be not worth the effort re-tooling for the VE. I doubt we would be seeing them again. Will probably go the same way as the 1-tonner did.

Pretty much, the money wasted on the AWD system would have been better spend keeping the 1 tonner alive. At least there was a market for that.

 

[robbo10]

C'mon guys, a vk body on a Suzuki vitara chassis powered by the 3.6 OHC V6 in the current crewman. Thats gotta turn heads in the street. All that sculpted panelling sitting so high in the air. You wouldn't have to drive it up onto the top of the kerb and lay in the gutter to do an oil change. May be just a little stretch of the chassis to make it fit the wheel base of the VK but it wouldn't be much.

 

[holdenrules]

Also Australian built cars arnt that highly regarded as they use to be.

Huh? If anything, it would be the opposite, our recent cars are highly regarded more than they have ever been ...

Our road and weather conditions can be pretty tough. Add to that the way how we like to drive our cars those cheaper, imported cars will just break in half ...