Aussie cars are just old model American cars. Although I guess some Japanese firms have setup there, or not? I was always amazed by all the old GM and Ford models being made and sold in Oz. It would seem like your models were about 10 years behind what they were making in the US. Of course you have different names for the models than we do. But now you can be sure the Japanese, even Koreans are making better cars, so why buy those big old cars with bad gas mileage?
We don't need a car industry. Maybe a car assembly industry, to make importing more efficient? I'm pretty sure the number of cars you can fit on a container ship increases a fairly reasonable amount if you load them on as component parts, rather than completed vehicles. Also, we need to make sure we're importing the right kind of cars. I drive a 2004 Falcon, and in the area I live in, I wouldn't have anything else. I'm in the bush, and I do mostly highway miles, but I have no need for a four wheel drive (no matter how much I'd like one). The Falcon stands up to the ridiculously bad roads, and is cheap to insure, maintain and repair, unlike the imported (and more fuel efficient) cars I've looked at replacing it with. Admittedly, the issues I have with roads and driving are dissimilar to those of about 90% of Australian drivers, who rarely leave suburbia until they decide to come out to where I live and practice their caravan towing skills.
Nissan, Toyota and Mitsubishi all set up factories or rather bought them off other car makers when import tariffs were much higher. Only Toyota is left but runs at a profit and exports their Camry model and Aurion variation including a hybrid version. Nissan pulled the plug a few years ago but they continued to do casting work because the cost of energy is relatively cheap in Australia. Mitsubishi recently stopped manufacturing here. In Australia they were doing relatively well but have been going down the gurgler for a number of years globally. As a company they hive pretty sordid past and maybe bad karma is visiting them. I would rather have some old British cars than have a Mitsubishi. The last I heard of Ford was they were on a three day week. The Holden Commodore is still the best selling car but Toyota sells more cars in general than Holden in Australia. The Holden Commodore was originally based on the Opal Commodore.The VB had a lovely shape to it. Theo local car industry continues to get government subsidies . I seen no need for any corporate welfare. See also this thread, http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=443320&f=206
Listen to this audio clip on why government subsidies are wrong. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational...es-are-bad-economics-malcolm-bosworth/4137580
