Holden closure

[Dodge]

more people out of work, soon we have to start attacking the rich, hit the banks, the land lords the energy companies, the oil companies for discounts cause sure as hell 20% of australia will be out of a job

[b0son]

Originally Posted by Struggo

Those fools have methodically reduced protection and tariffs on the imports, all in the pursuit of their flawed holy grail of "Free Trade Agreements".

Would you have preferred higher tariffs? In that scenario, we the populace are effectively taxed to buy our own product, because with reduced competition come higher prices.

An XR6 sells now for what it did 10 years ago, and production volumes dwarfed those of the current model. Clearly, there was a LOT of fat in the price and I don't think it particularly fair for the consumer to be expected to subsidise that industry to such an extent.

[D Block]

Blame tariff reductions, free trade agreements and sleaze bag pollies from both sides.
Dont blame unions, workers or the companies involved.
Once again Australia shoots itself in the foot.

[TC200six]

Official media release.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/190825323/...-Media-Release

[Mighty Reds]

Originally Posted by D Block

Blame tariff reductions, free trade agreements and sleaze bag pollies from both sides.
Dont blame unions, workers or the companies involved.
Once again Australia shoots itself in the foot.

They are all part of the blame as are we the buying public.

[Yellow_Festiva]

On TV now. 1.8b given to them over the last 11 years. Apparently 50,000 people both directly and indirectly will be out if work.

Figure includes Toyota should they leave.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

What a sad day. Who would have thought 20 old years ago they'd be a day without Falcons & commodores in Australia!!! What the hell went so wong??

Both manufacturers rode large car into the ground.
Instead of worrying about Focus or Cruze a few years ago, they should have considered downsizing the main products
so instead of Falcon-Fairlane and Commodore-Caprice, both made Cortina-Falcon-Territory and Torana-Commodore-Mid SUV.

I cannot believe how many times both manufacturers tried importing mid sized vehicles without success,
had either one delivered a mid sized-large car combo like above, Camry sales would have never got as large as they are..

[olds]

Abbott and the coalition had a chance to save Holden which Labor couldn't do with Ford . The difference is they chose not to .

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by kypez

I've argued the same point as well. The cost of labour here is crazy. Maybe a pay cut would have helped them. Some income is better than no income. This is what I don't understand with the Unions, don't they get that if they keep making demands, they will price themselves out of the market?! There is a saying, "Ask for too much and you'll get nothing and lose what you already had".

I really feel for all the people at Holden and their families. Tough few years ahead of us as a nation as we move from what we've done for so long.

You just cannot blame just the unions, economy, sales, Australian dollar has played a big part into the demise of car manufacturing here.

What you people do not realise is that there are other manufacturing industries on the verge of collapse, steel industry will be next.

[pottery beige]

much lols @ union peanuts all over the news blaming Abbott gov

[The FOMOCO]

Its a sign of the times people put your seat belt on

[blueoval]

I hate to say it, but the time to simplify your lives is now! Don't burden yourselves with things you do not need.

[D Block]

I seriously hope the idiotic goading of Holden by Abbott & coalition, lead by Warren Truss, wasn't pay back for the live cattle export ban brain snap by Ludwig.

Idealogical battles by morons in Canberra mean just one thing. Pain for all of us.

P.S. To the rest of Australia I apologise for the politicians we elect in QLD.

[chevypower]

I know people talk about economic deflation as being a bad thing, but it's the artifical inflation that causes prices to get out of hand. Perhaps a deflation in the economy will bring it back to equilibrium, allowing economic growth to happen again. I think this is especially true in a global economy. The only other way you could protect your local industries is to end economic globalization (abolish FTAs). Perhaps each country would be better off just looking after itself rather than trying to compete across borders? Just a thought.

[Rodge]

Profoundly sad news. The new VF looks like a good bit of kit and I have been warming up to the idea of a new HSV Senator or HSV GTS next year, (I have been keeping that pretty quiet till now), but can't see any point in writing yet another big cheque and buying a pending orphan now.

As a Kiwi over the last 15 years I've bought 7 brand new Austrlaian cars, most have been very good, quite why Australians seem to by and large have abandoned buying their own cars is something I struggle to come to terms with to be honest.

My BF2 Typhoon and my current SC GT-P especially stand out as an exceptionally good bit of kit. I am very fortunate to also own a top of the line Euro so I know how well the FPV cars stack up on an international comparitive level, not from a technology perspective granted, but they do the core functions of performacne, handling and braking very, very well for the money.

Quite why Australians thought their own cars arn't up to scratch and showed such a low level of loyalty, why the unions didn't take a more pragmatic approach, why your Govt entered into such a blatantly one sided so called "free" trade agreement with Thailand, why the Govt both at a Federal level and state level didn't encourange a more Australain made vehicle buying policy, I find difficult to figure but when the music finally stops all Australians and Kiwi's will have lost something very special and unique to their culture that goes back over 50 years and we will all be so much poorer for it.

How did it all go so terribly wrong

[Spammy]

http://www.smh.com.au/business/comme...211-2z63t.html

[Bulletime]

Very sad indeed, has been coming, next is toyota :(

High AUD certainly didn't help nor did the brand snobbery that so many australians showed towards ford and holden, Hockey did have a point saying people should be buying Australian cars if they want cars built here.

[b0son]

Originally Posted by olds

Abbott and the coalition had a chance to save Holden which Labor couldn't do with Ford . The difference is they chose not to .

Save them for how long exactly?

Holden may be moving 3000+ this month, but its a new model. The novelty fades and sales start to decline in line with the long term trend. When sales are back down to 2000 or less per month, what's to stop Holden begging for more?

[jpd80]

The sad part is that with the strengthening American economy, our dollar could well be down around 70 cents US
by the time Ford, Holden and maybe now Toyota manufacturing leave our shores.

Successive, stupid and totally inept governments completely undervalue the worth and contribution of this industry,
this is a case of ultra right wing anti-subsidy philosophy destroying a whole industry sector - well done our politicians..

[Franco Cozzo]

What is the AMWU going to represent now that there is no manufacturing industry?

Yes, I'm an AMWU member.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

What is the AMWU going to represent now that there is no manufacturing industry?

Yes, I'm an AMWU member.

sausage sizzles at bunnings

[cheap]

Originally Posted by EBII Fairmont

Sorry but last time I checked before the election, there were campaigns run in the Murdoch papers blatantly saying to get rid of Labor. Abbott is still harping on about Labor rather than getting on with the job. Unfortunately Australian politics are about who is the bigger bully and not what is in our best interest!

The unions are at fault for everything right? Well if there were no unions who would negotiate wage rises? O r would everyone just sit back on a 1970's wage while council rates, electricity, petrol, water and the list goes on keep rising. So then we are all living on a week by week basis while the rich keep getting richer.

The situation is simple. The government stopped purchasing Aussie made cars a number of years back. That is a big hit to the local auto industry. The so called free trade agreement ruined it also allowing cheap korean cars to flood the market. On the other hand Detroit have wanted to get out of Australian manufacturing as it is too expensive and they don't sell the cars elsewhere. But why has it become so expensive? An easy reason is all the utility industries were sold off and now each individual company is screwing us all out of our money. Wages are not the only reason why the car industry is seeing it's death!

There isn't much Abbott can do whilst the ALP/Greens stonewall everything in the senate, or has that basic fact escaped you?

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

What is the AMWU going to represent now that there is no manufacturing industry?

Yes, I'm an AMWU member.

Shot themselves in the foot...



I guess there still is Elfin?

[Auslandau]

To argue the fact that either side would or could have saved them is going to be a never ending story as each lost manufactures during their watch. Decisions like this are never ever made over night but are taking over a long period of time ..... FoA were doing the sums months/years before the announcement and believe GM would have done the same.

Not a good idea to show your political allegiance through a political debates and shows how biased people can be in these instances and discussions become unbalanced! This is how threads get closed!

Please be careful with the political side of things ......

[Trump]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

On TV now. 1.8b given to them over the last 11 years. Apparently 50,000 people both directly and indirectly will be out if work.

Figure includes Toyota should they leave.

Fifty thousand is a very conservative figure. People in the industry I know are placing the real number closer to 160-170,000.

Originally Posted by jpd80

The sad part is that with the strengthening American economy, our dollar could well be down around 70 cents US
by the time Ford, Holden and maybe now Toyota manufacturing leave our shores.

Successive, stupid and totally inept governments completely undervalue the worth and contribution of this industry,
this is a case of ultra right wing anti-subsidy philosophy destroying a whole industry sector - well done our politicians..

The US economy is dead in the water, quantitative easing to infinity is giving it the appearance of life, when in actual fact, "Weekend at Bernie's" is a more accurate picture. Far too much debt (sovereign and private) will be the unravelling (it almost was, $1.8 trillion of funny money courtesy of the Fed just kicked the can down the road). Bondholders want their money before it all goes breasts up.

[Supercharged]

Do you think Holden is closing for real or is it possible they are positioning themselves for a better handout, just a thought.

[Spammy]

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politi...211-2z6c3.html

[Trump]

Originally Posted by Supercharged

Do you think Holden is closing for real or is it possible they are positioning themselves for a better handout, just a thought.

There is no way they would threaten the livelihoods of thousands as a means of wrangling money out of govco. It would be an extremely low act if this is a bluff though...

[Charliewool]

After Toyota rolls up their swag, Australia will be the only continent on earth (except Antarctica of course) not manufacturing cars.
Soon, the only continent not refining their own oil..
The only continent without their own airline...
AND the only continent that don't even make their own socks & undies.....

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

What a sad day. Who would have thought 20 old years ago they'd be a day without Falcons & commodores in Australia!!! What the hell went so wong??

This is so wrong. It's like Australia without Kangaroos and Koalas.. So we will now see Nissan Altimas and BMW M3s going round and round mount panorama?! Might as well scrap motor racing in Australia altogether if they are going to be racing foreign vehicles...