Holden to make "important announcement" about its VIC and SA operations

[BroadyFord]

As of today - AUD at $1.05 (highest since Jan) and at a new high with the Yen.

It just gets better and better... :

[stang65]

Damm Just when I thought you were evil, you come out with a quote like that.

SHHHH Big Damo might here it.


Only Kidding Big Dammo :-)

[R-Design]

.....

[Road_Warrior]

More auto job cuts coming, but funding justified: Carr

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257B48001CBE9B

Global threats to Australian auto industry do not mean we stand down, says Kim Carr

9 April 2013

By KIM CARR (COMMENT)

GIVEN the state of the Australian dollar, further lay-offs in the auto industry are, unfortunately, inevitable.

The industry needs to reshape and buffer itself against the highest dollar since 1983, and very high government subsidies in competing markets.

This does not mean that support for the industry is wasted.

Last week, Holden chose to disclose the funding it has received from government over the past 12 years. And it got the economics club’s pulse racing. Nothing gets them going more than auto investment.

I’ve yet to see the same arguments applied to wheat, or sheep, or resources – sectors which benefit far more from public funding than auto.

Let’s start with the claim that this is money poured on sand – a sop to some nostalgic rev-head dream.

The fact that a country with some of the highest terms of trade in the world can still make export-class cars is phenomenal. We are more than just a mine, and our skills run deep. It is all the more remarkable when we put Australia’s investments in context.

The best available estimate of the cost for Australians is about $US18 per person per annum, less than the cost of a footy ticket. For Germans, it’s $US90; and for Americans, it’s $US96 – based purely on the level of federal government support.

A more accurate figure would take into account the billion-dollar deals done at state level, which ramped up substantially in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

Our auto tariff is 5 per cent – compared to 10 per cent in the EU, 25 per cent in China, and up to 100 per cent in India. And let’s not be naive about where this game is really played – in the arena of monetary policy.

The Japanese government, for one, makes no bones about it. Prime minister Shinzo Abe declared Japan is pursuing a course of “bold monetary easing”. Cabinet documents confirm that these “aggressive” settings are intended to “facilitate the expansion of Japanese businesses in overseas markets”. Put simply, Japan is driving the price of the yen and exports down.

And the Obama administration is aggressively encouraging auto manufacturers to come back to American shores – they call it “onshoring” – using a range of tariffs, incentives and subsidies far more generous than Australia maintains.

That ought to remind us of the sheer resilience and leanness of local auto firms.

The Labor government is proud of its investment in auto.

That attitude used to be bipartisan. But the Coalition has already pledged to cut support to the industry by $500 million; and has given no commitment beyond 2015. Leaks from Shadow Cabinet confirm the strong pressure for further cuts.

This is a capital-intensive industry. It relies on long-term investments underpinned by a clear and consistent message from the Opposition. If Abbott in opposition has been a threat to Australian cars, in government he could be fatal.

So I come to the final argument – the claim that auto has had its day.

Anyone who has walked into a car plant would know that the auto industry incubates vital skills and develops new infrastructure and technologies. It supplies the workers, the contracts and the innovations on which other manufacturing sectors rely.

Above all, it sustains the jobs that pay the mortgage and put the food on the table.

I defy any economist to tell me these are somehow unworthy concerns.

Today the Labor government is continuing to support vital technology development and product diversification within the sector. Work is being done to better integrate the local industry into global markets and attract new investment.

More can, and I trust will, be done to encourage state governments to buy locally.

This support for the industry continues through to 2018. That, at least, is the future Labor intends.

Australian industry leaders have said that 2013 could be the year Australia decides whether it wants a car industry or not. If Mr Abbott is successful we know what the answer will be.

Editor’s note: Senator Kim Carr was the federal industry and innovation minister from December 2007 to December 2011, and minister for manufacturing from December 2011 to March 2012.

Shadow minister for industry and innovation, Sophie Mirabella, has also been invited to contribute.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by stevz

....removed....

Wow such an intelligent post
Passing judgement on someone based on their car purchase....bravo...
It's time you lifted those knuckles off the ground...

[Road_Warrior]

Australian cars are world class

http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor...410-2hkb3.html

Numbers don’t lie and the numbers say Australian-made cars are on the nose with consumers.

But what the numbers don’t say is that Australia still makes some of the best cars on the planet.

Take the Ford Territory. There are very few SUVs that corner as confidently as a Territory. And the car also has one of the most thoughtful and practical cabins in the business. Admittedly, the fuel consumption of the petrol model is off the pace, but the diesel version is smooth, quiet and frugal. Put simply, it is a better drive than the Toyota Kluger or Mazda CX-9.

Then there is the Holden Commodore. Roomy, safe, practical and more fuel efficient than Japan’s Toyota Aurion or Honda Accord. It will also show them a clean set of heels through the bends. The same applies to the Ford Falcon, which can now be had with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that is at the cutting edge of powertrain technology.
Advertisement

If you like performance cars, then there are very few in the world that offer the bang for the buck of an SS Commodore, XR6 Turbo Falcon, HSV ClubSport or FPV F6.

The Holden and Falcon utes were the first workhorses to offer tradies industry leading safety with six airbags and stability control. They also manage to match the payloads of the Japanese utes while offering superior road manners.

The locally built Toyota Camry and Aurion are also world-class vehicles that sell in huge numbers in the United States. And while the Australian plant isn’t allowed to crow about it, it is on par with Japanese plants for build quality. Looking for technology? The Camry Hybrid built here is one of the most fuel-efficient family cars money can buy anywhere.

That leaves the car that made headlines this week because of Holden’s plans to cut jobs at its Elizabeth plant. The Holden Cruze may not be the best small car around but it is by no means a bad offering. And the rest of the world agrees – it is the eighth best-selling car in the world.

But Australia’s local offerings, while competitive, aren’t perfect. They tend to have things go wrong more often than their Japanese and Korean counterparts. And the declining sales of both the Commodore and Falcon in recent years means there are fewer profits to pour back into development of new models, which can show on the spec sheets. But that’s not the reason they aren’t selling.

The biggest problem the local industry faces is that it is building cars in segments that have gone off the boil. Australian buyers want city cars, four-door one-tonne utes and compact SUVs, while the industry is building large sedans, big SUVs and utes with only two seats.

And lack of desirability creates a vicious cycle. Car makers discount, resale values plummet and buyers get burned when it comes to trade-in time. Throw in the strength of the Australian dollar, the devaluation of the yen and the cut-throat competition that comes with 48 brands competing for a slice of the market and you have what Holden boss Mike Devereux referred to this week as “a perfect storm”.

[Professor Farnsworth]

anyone else who comes out with ridiculous one liners will also be taking a holiday

[Joe5619]

That Drive article is one of the better articles I've read in a long time. It pretty much sums things up correctly, without kicking anyone that is already down.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

That Drive article is one of the better articles I've read in a long time. It pretty much sums things up correctly, without kicking anyone that is already down.

Indeed. And Drive has never been backward in coming forward with its criticism about Ford in particular. So it begs the question, Mr Dowling, what's your problem?

[SB076]

Originally Posted by bobthebilda

.

A weak Australian dollar would destroy alot more Australian families than a strong one. Petrol prices rise, food prices rise, financing costs rise. Devaluing the Australian dollar in half basically works out to halving an australian workers wage (its that simple)

No, when the Aussie dollar appreciated did you see petrol prices fall, food prices fall - there is more to it than that. Lot of food is still sourced locally - if the AUD halved food prices would not double. Even financing costs, as the AUD appreciated financing costs increased (hence the reason banks were not passing on the RBA's cuts in full - there were other factors that come into play)

US, China, Japan, South Korea are all attempting (by various means) to devalue there currency - research currency wars.

Having said that the AUD is part of the problem its not everything - yes there are benefits to having a higher dollar but there are also disadvantages - depending on world events the Aussie dollar could fall very quickly (not saying it will happen)

[mik]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Funny that, given I've got:

2010 LV TDCI Focus
2009 WS Fiesta
2001 GMC Sierra
1997 EL Fairmont Ghia

Have you even driven any new small car thats newer than 1970?

My Focus is diesel, it weighs less than my EL Fairmont Ghia and puts out about the same amount of torque and lower in the range, it would pull a 6x4 better than the Falcon would.

For a large car, there ain't much room in the drivers seat in the EL Fairmont Ghia, the person I bought it off, ditched it for this very reason (replaced with a 2001 Ford Escape), he's 6'2" tall and he barely can drive it in the seat fully back position, his son who is my apprentice can't comfortably drive it and he's 6'4", his knees hit up against the steering wheel and his legs are bent.

Yet my Fiesta and Focus are more comfortable for them to drive? There is more leg room in the front seats, and the steering column moves in/out/up/down and the seat up/down.

Oh and the Focus is capable of carrying my tools and any other assorted crap which floats around in my car in the back, unlike the Fairmont Ghia. Its more practical to load/unload the toolbox loaded and standing up, then try lay it on its back in the boot of a sedan, or on the back seat trying to get it out the rear doors.

The only good quality about it, is it floats over bumps, and the back seat is comfortable for passengers, good long trip car, thats about it.

Its slow, even with ported/polished head, bigger exhaust valves, full exhaust, high flow cat, stiffer valve springs and cam. It Handles like the Costa Concordia and has eleventy million electrical problems.

Also when was the last time you saw a Falcon/Commodore pulling anything larger than a 6x4? Everyone moved to dual cab 4X4s and SUVs for that sort of work.

We'll put my GMC Sierra against your Falcon if you want to have a towing contest See what your piddly petrol 4L Inline 6 can do against 6.5L of Detroit Diesel turbo V8.

i think the late model focus might have the advantage against the antique el simply with more gears, you mention your el is cammed so it possibly has less torque off the mark.
i would`nt be so confident with the little focus towing anything more than a 6x4 or a light van, as you said the modern falcon has more mass it`s torque at low revs even in na would`nt be far off the focus at low revs and would destroy it above that with more power and and a bigger rev band and an up to date 6 speed. and i tow a 1200 kg van probably 1500+ all loaded with my au, it sits like a rock on the road............... zero electrical problems in 8 years.

[stang65]

Well said I just didn`t want to derail the thread with a reply.

[BroadyFord]

Originally Posted by SB076

No, when the Aussie dollar appreciated did you see petrol prices fall, food prices fall - there is more to it than that. Lot of food is still sourced locally - if the AUD halved food prices would not double. Even financing costs, as the AUD appreciated financing costs increased (hence the reason banks were not passing on the RBA's cuts in full - there were other factors that come into play)

US, China, Japan, South Korea are all attempting (by various means) to devalue there currency - research currency wars.

Having said that the AUD is part of the problem its not everything - yes there are benefits to having a higher dollar but there are also disadvantages - depending on world events the Aussie dollar could fall very quickly (not saying it will happen)

Honestly, what are the advantages of a high AUD apart from cheap overseas holidays and LCD TVs?

Think about it; the AUD isn't only destroying manufacturing - it's having an impact on just about EVERY sector in the Australian economy. Indeed, when the AUD is at this level:

1. We can't make anything
2. We can't attract tourists
3. We can't retain volume in the services industry
4. We can't attract major events
5. We can't convince Australians to travel in their own backyard instead of overseas- again, damaging tourism
6. There's less government revenue meaning there's less money for things like important infrastructure, health etc., forcing governments to raise taxes

It's a very worrying situation and indeed, I can't see it ending anytime soon bar some unforeseen financial meltdown.

If people recall, despite the GFC, our manufacturing industry performed far better in 2009-10 than is the case now, primarily because the AUD was in the 60c-70c range.

When it started to rocket at the end of 2010 I knew we would inevitably see what we are seeing now.

I can fully understand what Holden et al are going through despite all the commentary.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

I've never driven any buzz box FWD crap that even comes close to the handling of my FG XR6T.. The front end grip of a Falcon leaves any small FWD for dead & over all handling for dead!!

You obviously haven't driven any good FWD cars then

Originally Posted by mik

i think the late model focus might have the advantage against the antique el simply with more gears, you mention your el is cammed so it possibly has less torque off the mark.
i would`nt be so confident with the little focus towing anything more than a 6x4 or a light van, as you said the modern falcon has more mass it`s torque at low revs even in na would`nt be far off the focus at low revs and would destroy it above that with more power and and a bigger rev band and an up to date 6 speed. and i tow a 1200 kg van probably 1500+ all loaded with my au, it sits like a rock on the road............... zero electrical problems in 8 years.

Focus comes on boost at around 1500 RPM and by 2000 its at peak torque.

It has a lot of work done to my EL, the cam is supposedly designed for the 4sp auto and is more of a torquey cam, CMS stage 2a cam.

Electrical problems on my EL:

- Killed the thermo fans, wires broke through insulation and dead shorted together, the factory fuse didn't blow quick enough and it toasted the relays and fan motors.

- Blown globes behind cluster and climate control module

- With lights and high beams on, if you indicate, all the lights dim and brighten with the indicators flashing, its only slight but its noticable.

- Dull cluster/stereo/climate control button globes as of 3 days ago, they barely light up anymore.

- Killed an alternator

- Current draw issue, if you don't drive it for a week, the battery drains flat enough to make it hard to start

Falcon would legally pull a bigger load better than the Focus, Falcon has 1.6 tonne towbar and the Focus is rated to 1 tonne, no tow bar on it though, and its lowered.

We've only got a 6x4, so anything can pull one of those.

On topic:

Really, you can't compete with these third world countries paying their employees 2/10th of F all, but I don't like tarriffs either, because it just allows local manufacturers to be slack with their vehicles.

If it wasn't for Jap imports, we probably would just be getting FM stereo now, competition keeps everyone on their toes and you have to be doing your best.

[Road_Warrior]

Sounds to me like you bought a 16yo clunker where some backyard mechanic had been stuffing around with the electrical system a bit too much. I hate it when people mess with the wiring of cars without any thought given to how it will work out long term. You end up spending your ownership chasing faults.

Really, you can't compete with these third world countries paying their employees 2/10th of F all, but I don't like tarriffs either, because it just allows local manufacturers to be slack with their vehicles.

The issue there is that every other car making country - especially those countries we source our imported cars from - have the tariff system in place and it is exorbitant compared with ours. Ours is a pushover by comparison. So if it is good enough for Japan, Germany, Thailand, the US and France, why not Australia?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

Sounds to me like you bought a 16yo clunker where some backyard mechanic had been stuffing around with the electrical system a bit too much. I hate it when people mess with the wiring of cars without any thought given to how it will work out long term. You end up spending your ownership chasing faults.



The issue there is that every other car making country - especially those countries we source our imported cars from - have the tariff system in place and it is exorbitant compared with ours. Ours is a pushover by comparison. So if it is good enough for Japan, Germany, Thailand, the US and France, why not Australia?

Wiring is 100% standard, except where I rewired the earth side with thicker guage cable and better lugs to the same spots, the indicator issue is apparently a body earth problem, as they've got a crappy factory earth, its a tiny wire going from the negative terminal to the overflow bottle bracket. the main one goes to the block, and the other is just for head lights I think.

I guess if the tariffs for imported cars are fairly high, it promotes local manufacturing too.

Ford had a chance to build the Focus here but they let it pass....

[flooded one]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Wiring is 100% standard, except where I rewired the earth side with thicker guage cable and better lugs to the same spots, the indicator issue is apparently a body earth problem, as they've got a crappy factory earth, its a tiny wire going from the negative terminal to the overflow bottle bracket. the main one goes to the block, and the other is just for head lights I think.

I guess if the tariffs for imported cars are fairly high, it promotes local manufacturing too.

Ford had a chance to build the Focus here but they let it pass....

might be because it was cheaper too build in Thailand then here...

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Wiring is 100% standard, except where I rewired the earth side with thicker guage cable and better lugs to the same spots, the indicator issue is apparently a body earth problem, as they've got a crappy factory earth, its a tiny wire going from the negative terminal to the overflow bottle bracket. the main one goes to the block, and the other is just for head lights I think.

I guess if the tariffs for imported cars are fairly high, it promotes local manufacturing too.

Ford had a chance to build the Focus here but they let it pass....

That decoision was based on the assumption that 70% of Focus sales would have been Lx/Ambiente
which has been subsequently proven wrong at LV launch and the latest model too with Ford being caught
with their pants down big time. All water under the bridge now....

[prydey]

Originally Posted by jpd80

That decoision was based on the assumption that 70% of Focus sales would have been Lx/Ambiente
which has been subsequently proven wrong at LV launch and the latest model too with Ford being caught
with their pants down big time. All water under the bridge now....

holden are losing money hand over fist with cruze and even toyota can't see how holden can do it (build a small car here) as they can't make the sums work with corolla.

many people just struggle with the concept that ford do actually know what they are doing. believe it or not, they have much more data at their disposal than any internet expert.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by jpd80

That decoision was based on the assumption that 70% of Focus sales would have been Lx/Ambiente
which has been subsequently proven wrong at LV launch and the latest model too with Ford being caught
with their pants down big time. All water under the bridge now....

They did the same with WS Fiesta launch in 2009, thought most of them would have been base models.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by prydey

holden are losing money hand over fist with cruze and even toyota can't see how holden can do it (build a small car here) as they can't make the sums work with corolla.

many people just struggle with the concept that ford do actually know what they are doing. believe it or not, they have much more data at their disposal than any internet expert.

That info came from Ford dealers..

[prydey]

Originally Posted by jpd80

That info came from Ford dealers..

maybe, but the inference is that with a slightly different model mix the sums would have been in favour of building it here.

when weighed up against building it in thailand, the answer would have been obvious.

[FPV GTHO]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

That article brings up a question for me. I keep hearing on here that Ford Aust has much better cost control base then Holden. However, Holden builds twice has many cars, yet only employees 50 more people? Wouldn't that make it the other way round??

The article claims 1750 factory workers at Elizabeth only, and lists both Geelong and Broadmeadows numbers at Ford but only labels it a "head count", not specifying factory or development roles.

They could be wrong numbers or they're comparing Holden's assembly worker numbers to a broad range of Ford workers.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by prydey

maybe, but the inference is that with a slightly different model mix the sums would have been in favour of building it here.

Slightly?

LV launch, everyone wants Zetecs/Ghias, sells out in record time guess what, instant 4 months wait
on cars from Europe and a paddock of LXs discounted because no one wanted them..

You'd think that Ford would have learned it lesson for the latest model...
Ever wonder why Ambiente seems to be constantly on special?

Yes I do understand the rationale behind moving Focus to Thailand and that the original deal had a
big condition, I don't profess to be an internet expert, just someone who is a good listener..

[Road_Warrior]

Personally I reckon they would have been better off leveraging an existing platform. Like making a smaller SUV off the Territory platform. Yes I know the Escape/Kuga is now here, but I can't help but think a shorter narrower Territory with 2.0 Ecoboost and 2.0 TDCi engine options with the same clever design and handling prowess as its big brother would have been a winner...

[Resurrection]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/bus...-1226617650131

Holden will not back down over job cuts with South Australian premier as unions prepare to rally

Brad Crouch, National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling
News Limited Network, adelaidenow
April 11, 2013 1:29PM

SA Government unlikely to back out of $50 million promise
Holden unlikely to back down over job guarantees
Weatherill: We must repair relations with Holden

UNIONS will rally at one of the SA Government's "Big Build" sites in light of Holden's job cuts, saying that companies which receive government funding are obliged to protect jobs.

It comes as Holden holds the upper hand going into critical negotiations with the South Australian Government over funding that will guarantee the company keeps building cars locally until at least 2022.

Unions representing construction, manufacturing, mining, trades and maritime workers will converge on North Terrace in Adelaide tomorrow at 12.30pm to highlight what they call a "jobs crisis" in manufacturing linked to the high Australian dollar.

Under the banner of the Let's Spread It Around campaign, the unions will call for policies to protect workers when corporations receive government assistance, and will target the rally at Adelaide's under-construction Health and Medical Research Institute.

CFMEU SA secretary Aaron Cartledge said Holden's planned lay-offs show the need for an audit of state and federal construction projects in Adelaide to determine the level of Australian content in building products and manufactured goods.

"If companies are going to receive public money we need to make sure our nation is being supported in return," he said.

"Major projects receiving taxpayers' dollars should be obliged to use locally manufactured products whenever practicable. It's not rocket science.

"Governments must regulate to make sure employers prioritise training locals over importing exploitable workers from overseas, which is far too often their preference."

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill says the exchange of correspondence about the planned $50 million in state assistance to Holden included guarantees of minimum job numbers, production levels and local supplier content.
Jay Weatherill Holden

Backtracking: South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill.

He says Holden has reneged on the deal with its plan to sack 400 workers at its Elizabeth plant, but is prepared to renegotiate a new financial assistance package in the hope of protecting the remaining jobs and those in the wider car component supply industry.

Mr Weatherill has declined to release the documents or name the minimum jobs figure Holden was supposed to maintain, saying the car maker wants the documents to remain confidential.

Holden boss Mike Devereux and Mr Weatherill will meet at the premier’s office tomorrow morning to review the funding promise of $50 million in the wake of last Monday’s announcement of 500 job losses.

Having earlier in the week been highly critical of Holden’s decision to axe 400 factory jobs at Elizabeth near Adelaide and 100 engineering jobs in Melbourne, Mr Weatherill has changed his tune.

HOLDEN SLAMMED OVER CAREER 'ADVICE' FOR REDUNDANT WORKERS

WEATHERILL: WE MUST REPAIR RELATIONS WITH HOLDEN

In a radio interview yesterday Mr Weatherill said the closure of Holden would lead to an estimated 16,000 job losses in the northern suburbs near its factory, and surrounding areas.

"Obviously we want Holden to secure the period between 2016 to 2022. This is an incredibly important employer in the north of South Australia,” he told the ABC’s 730 Report.

Holden VF SS Commodore

Holden unveils its VF SS Commodore sports sedan at Adelaide's Elizabeth plant. Holden workers and Premier Jay Weatherill and Holden's managing director Mike Devereux in white shirt on right. Picture: Mark Brake

Despite Weatherill's tough talking earlier in the week, including a threat to withdraw the offer of $50 million unless jobs are secured, Holden says it cannot guarantee employment numbers because it cannot predict factory output and changing market conditions in the years ahead.

NO GUARANTEES IN LIFE SAYS HOLDEN BOSS

Holden says that of the $2.17 billion pledged to it over the past 12 years by both Labor and Liberal governments, securing job numbers was never part of any deal.

JESSICA IRVINE: WOULD MARGARET THATCHER HAVE HELPED HOLDEN

Holden VF SS Commodore

Holden unveils its VF SS Commodore sports sedan to its workforce at Adelaide's Elizabeth plant. Holden workers and Premier Jay Weatherill and Holden's managing director Mike Devereux in white shirt on right. Pic Mark Brake Picture: Mark Brake

Holden’s Mike Devereux says government assistance is “designed to generate the capacity to build things - and jobs flow from that”.

The SA government’s injection of $50 million is in addition to $215 million from the federal government and $10 million from Victorian taxpayers. In return, Holden says it will invest $1 billion that will see the company building cars locally until at least 2022.

Follow Joshua Dowling on Twitter

[turbodewd]

The Premier of South Australia should do more to lobby the Premiers of other states to lift the % of their fleets which are AU-made.

Id rather a State government spend more on an AU car then send every single dollar overseas.

If there is a property bust in China and their economy goes pear-shaped for a bit we are in for a world of hurt and will need every job we can get. If we have no auto industry it could be quite unpleasant.

[tezxr8man]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

competition keeps everyone on their toes and you have to be doing your best.

You are spot on there but missing the point, there is no competition if the opposition has a free hit, the powers that be are letting the market be saturated with it and with the dollar and all the other factors are killing our products ability to compete

[ryeman]

It's called currency wars.

[Sprint]

Holdens has not been Australian since 1964, well no more than ford, so we are just paying for GM usa. The government and manufacturing for 20 years is the problem not the aussie dollar.

I seen this happening since 2005 personally with Ceo speaches about having to make small cars now because they were scared of toyota(some ten years too late).I see them closing up soon, one half of me would like some revenge. The poor lives they play with, your no more than a number there.

they had over 7000 at the factory in 2005 and pumping out that many cars we had to park brand new cars in the mud. Usa GM sold the rights for the Monaro to mexico to make a Pontiac (lol car stealing at its best)making 2.4 commodore to china was a laugh too.

Few years ago they just rebuilt the entire assembly line that cost like 150+mill, but the line was from HQ days.

Come to Australia! the land of boat people and nursing homes lol.