FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

 As reported on 7 news just now holden to cease local production from 2017 :'( :'( :'(

 :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

That's the end to all large scale manufacturing companies in Oz  >:(

We should piss off GM and go back to Australian owned and run.

(Rant over for now)

Stewy   8)

Could explain why the PM has placed an order with BMW for the replacement of the Statesman that has been the main ride for the last few years.
Jim

we will have the biggest dole queue in the world soon.... ::)

R.I.P holden... :'(

Send all the Indians,boat people and asylum seekers back home and there will be jobs for everyone.
Australian and proud of it  :-* 
TMO anyway!

Jim, as reported in our advertiser this morning their fleet of eight year old caprices doesn't meet the foreign leaders standards for terror attacks.
The only option of a semi local car was a retro fitted later model caprice by british aerospace at $800,000 each or a ground up model based on a holden chassis costing $1.2 million dollars each. The off the shelf BMW high security 7 series are $525,000 each. The government is damned if they do and damned if they don't. How much outcry would there be if they went the dearer option. Everybody wants cheaper cars and this is the cost of doing business.  The world trade free agreements are crap. I'm all for going back in time and keeping Australia self sufficient and forget the rest of the world. Food is next! if we cant feed ourselves first whats the point.

Only my point of view. I blame our state government to a degree. power prices and taxes are through the roof here so the costs of doing business is prohibitive.

Cheers Stewy   8)

Place a small tariff on all car imports (3 to 5%) and use this to fund the 3 car manufacturers here. Cost the people nothing but a slight increase of a few hundred bucks if they buy a new car.

I can't understand why they don't have a tariff, it seems every other country has the right idea to protect their local car industry except Australia  ???

Guys
This all started with the "Senator Button" plan in the late 80's and now as the market is completely stuffed and overloaded with cheap imports having no tariffs at all we are left with a cluster @#$%ed car industry! we are in for some tough times in the next few years I think I believe we are on the way to a massive recession and this will be the start of it. Free trade is a joke and the last 30 years of Australian governments of both sides have a lot to answer for! we are now standing buy watching Asia buy what it likes domestic and commercial in real estate with no parity or tariff or extra taxes, try doing that in china, Japan or India. God help our kids!!! Power prices and other utilities owned by multi national companies will continue to rise pushing out manufacturing totally! Small business and households are the next to cop the massive price increases that will continue over the next decade. My dad said 30 years ago "sell the farm {country} at your peril" , how true!!
Brett

 Well said Brett.

 I found a for sale add on gumtree last night for the GMH Elizabeth plant contact was Mike Devereux % billionnow been deleted

  that was meant to be 5 billion  :o

So in 4yrs time,where gunna be roaring around Bathurst in Chevies,just can't wait for that 8) 8) 8) 8) :-*bring it on!

Our Holdens may go up in price, trying to be optimistic  :)

fink, the Holden factories have always offered a job to Australian migrants, your thinly veiled racism is misguided here. Holden would not be the success it has been without the efforts of thousands of new Australians over the decades.

I also don't think it's fair to blame the Button review. If it wasn't for the changes that forced on the industry in the 80s and 90s, I think Holden would likely have folded a long time ago.

The GFC and the high exchange rate for the Aussie dollar buggered the export market, and too many people have chosen to buy imported vehicles, again largely due to the $A.

I think it's desperately sad that Holden will be closing, and I think the cost of them going will dwarf the cost of federal government assistance to keep them here, but anyone who has bought a foreign car rather than a locally manufactured one in the last decade has to accept they have played a part in the local industry's demise.

cheers
RET

 :-*

Combined with the Ford plans & Toyota concerns, I agree - "the cost of them going will dwarf the cost of federal government assistance to keep them here." The impact will expand broadly while many businesses reliant on the motor industry wither away. Let's hope the tables turn before the doors are closed forever.

The figure that they were after was 560 million dollars. 80 million dollars per year for the next 7 years just to keep going.
With all the other pledges it was to be 1.1 billion dollars or 160 million a year.

Cheers Stewy   8)

I wonder how that really compares to the cost of paying for unemployment and the loss in taxes collected for the entire industry workforce impacted.
Perhaps within that 7 years there would opportunities missed to build on an existing industry & turn it around to become a real asset to the country again.
The global economic climate will eventually improve & those who can hang in there will prosper.
If it goes, I also wonder what could fill the void.
I don't think I'll be around long enough to see the Australian motor industry re-emerge from scratch.

How long will it be before the Holden badge disappears completely ?  :o

Listening to the GM boss on the telly..  He said the Holden name will be around for a long time
What's "a long time" in automotive boss speak ?  2020  ???



Will there be a National Day of mourning when the last Aussie built car rolls of the production line ?  :'(
Will my boss let me take a week off work as bereavement leave ?  :D

 8) 8) 8)

So we think outside the square and ask ourselves ,do we wan't to save the car industry here in OZ ?or do we save GMH.I will definately feel the 'knifes'going in ,but if we are serious,pride has to take a back seat for once.So Holden and Ford combine as ''ONE'',and we become'' ABC ''
AustralianBuiltCars.For once working together and being a competitive force here in Australia.Can you imagine Bathurst,US against The rest of the World,sounds 'crazy'but crazier things have happened. >:(

Would they then call the car a Folden

I agree with DJ, and have said as much elsewhere. The high $A won't  stay that way forever - if the US end their stimulus program (ie printing $80B a month) - then our dollar will quickly fall.

That sort of pressure is cyclic, but once an industry goes, it doesn't come back.

http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/football-meat-pies-kangaroos-and-er/774/

cheers
RET

[Edit: had monthly stimulus out by a factor of 100. It's actually $US80 billion]

Hmmmm, HSV , HRT..... ???

That's a reasonably balanced article, RET. We could end up with a monopoly in Toyota being the 'last man standing'. Could possibly save the industry if they take full advantage of the opportunity and really expand. There would then be a trail of breadcrumbs back here for others to re-enter the Australian motor industry. Wouldn't it be good if Holden could negotiate a merger deal here with Toyota for the next few years & get over the hump.

Here is another variation of Holden's future.

(http://www.news.com.au/national/the-2017-holden-commodore-will-be-made-in-china/story-fncynjr2-1226783057648)

Some sort of joint venture sounds a good thing. There used to be Commodore/Lexcen, Camry/Apollo. The Ford teretory Could be in the mix, along with some of the Holden utes & special vehicles. A name could be tricky.  There will NEVER be a great china wall in my shed.

Would be good to see Holden try a new design built here in 2017, & perhaps a new model name.
For those old enough to remember the phrase 'Japanese junk", there are some similarities with the way China is developing - flood the market with second rate cheap stuff initially to eventually become a recognised leader in many fields. Not confident that their motor industry can produce a comparable standard to Holden or Toyota for a while yet though.

I hate to "rain on parades", but in my opinion this is a step (not necessarily deliberate) towards dystopia :/

Does it matter who is to blame, they can't reverse the course now, can they?

I think Eric Norton's editorial in the latest "Holden" magazine says it all really.

Ken

What Ret said + 3 , plus we just don't have the population to keep our car industry viable, especially when Japan has Devalued it's yen, China is Forcing it's currency low, the US is Printing Cash like theres No Tomorrow and Aust Allow Rubbish like GW and Sherri to be imported into this country, plus the Aust. Wages are huge compared to most places in the world. I don't know what we can do now? I hope Adelaide doesn't turn into another Detroit !