Supporting Australian car industry (a hypothetical)

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by Polyal

So we cant run our country as we see fit? There is something fundamentally wrong with that. We need some leaders with a decent set of stones.

I see 2011G6E's point, we are a in Global market but we are not completely self sufficient. We rely on alot of markets outside of Australia as much as they rely on us if we shut them out they might just shut us out too.


We need to focus on what we are good at (mining) and let others focus on what they are good at (cheap labour/ manufacture). Yeah a hard pill to swallow but that is the way we are going with our high cost of living and union movements we cannot compete in the manufacturing game.

[2011G6E]

You do know of course that this plays into the hands of the car manufacturers...several times over the last few decades they've come up with brilliant ideas to ban cars older than five or ten years...for "safety" of course, not to increase sales and the bottom line...

[AMGC63]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

You do know of course that this plays into the hands of the car manufacturers...several times over the last few decades they've come up with brilliant ideas to ban cars older than five or ten years...for "safety" of course, not to increase sales and the bottom line...

Because our car companies are making so much money arent they...

[IDT]

Originally Posted by jpd80

If governments purchased new vehicles at full retail but kept them
for roughly six times the mileage, that would:

1) reduce annual fleet purchases by government to one sixth of present...
2) since 75% of Falcons are fleet purchases, that would have a devastating effect on sales.
3) While those high klm ex-govt vehicles would leave the system, retail buyers would have
no low cost near new vehicles to buy.

A lot of people on tight budgets cannot afford the luxury of a new vehicle, state and federal governments knows this,
major auto brands know this and that's why the system exists - to generate additional volume for auto plants
while providing low cost volume sales to fleets which in turn dispose of them as affordable vehicles to low income earners.

So instead of clapped out Falcons which are predominantly bought by dealers who mark up the prices extravagantly. We would have Manufacturers cater to drivers who could not afford a new falcon. Meaning:
1) Smaller cars. They could make car bays smaller so i can park closer to the door at the shops
2) A cleaner environment. So no need for the Carbon Tax
3) Safer cars. Less road trauma = more vacant hospital beds for me cause i am now obese from absolutely no exercise (see 1)
3) Double car carage could be smaller so more availabe land for building so i could live closer to the shops

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by WAForce8

So instead of clapped out Falcons which are predominantly bought by dealers who mark up the prices extravagantly. We would have Manufacturers cater to drivers who could not afford a new falcon. Meaning:
1) Smaller cars. They could make car bays smaller so i can park closer to the door at the shops
2) A cleaner environment. So no need for the Carbon Tax
3) Safer cars. Less road trauma = more vacant hospital beds for me cause i am now obese from absolutely no exercise (see 1)
3) Double car carage could be smaller so more availabe land for building so i could live closer to the shops

Most government departments turn their Falcons, Commodores, Camrys and Corollas over with around 40,000 km on the clock.
I'm a believer in the market deciding what vehicles are needed but realist enough to know that government policy can be used to skew
purchasing choices of people, tax on fuel is a good example and increasing that would force people to buy even more efficient vehicles.

A large vehicle doesn't have to be a thirsty one, look at the new jaguar XF, it's a Falcon sized car with two diesels,
the 2.2 I-4 puts out 450 nm but uses 5.5 l/100 km, the engine is same series as Euro Mondeo and T6 Ranger...
A Falcon fitted with either I-4 or V6 diesel would offer unprecedented fuel economy and low CO2 emission.
All I'm saying is that each vehicle segment should give best possible fuel economy with decent performance.
If Ford and Holden looked in that direction rather than performance, maybe they would find a lot of interested buyers...

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by jpd80

1) reduce annual fleet purchases by government to one sixth of present..

The govt always complains it has not enough of our money. here's why..^
extending the required life for all govt vehicles would save them a bucket load of our money.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

The govt always complains it has not enough of our money. here's why..^
extending the required life for all govt vehicles would save them a bucket load of our money.

How so?
Buying a Falcon at full retail price, running and maintaining it until 250,000 km and then writing the whole thing off
as opposed to purchasing heavily discounted cars flipped every 18-24 months, recovering most of the money outlaid.