Good for going sideways making lots of smoke, burning shitloads of petrol and not much else.
And so did you if you bought a car not built by what we laughingly call our automotive industry. Thanks to the tariffs placed on imports, Holdens and Fords cost less than imported cars. Of course this is because putting together pre-manufactured bits of prehistoric automobiles built by companies rapidly going the way of the dinosaur is a deep part of our national image and makes us who we are as a nation, at least if you read the marketing.
We've just had a review of the moribund 'industry' completed by Steve Bracks and, big shock, it recommends that we keep subsidizing Folden to keep making crappy cars for not very much money, only dropping the subsidy to 5% in 2010. And what are Folden doing with the $20 billion in subsidies they get from the taxpayer? Are they trying to catch up to European car makers who are making more efficient, more powerful engines that emit less greenhouse gas? Are they trying to catch up to Asian car manufacturers' hybrid technology? As if. It's just giant, petrol swilling engines and ever more desperate advertising. These guys should know better, they're part of the same companies that spent decades wringing money out of the US government to protect them from leaner, smarter, better European and Asian cars, only to spectacularly implode recently. Propping the turkeys up over here will have the same result.
I don't give a stuff about this manufacturing industry bullshit. We don't even make computers here and they're a damn sight more important to our economy than the Holden Commodore. why should I shed a tear if they're forced to get their act together and, gasp, actually compete with other companies? Are we to keep every car industry employed forever? Despite truckloads of government cash they've been shedding jobs for years (still managing to fine executive bonuses though). Why can't the people we've got build Toyotas or something? Of course that won't happen, because Holden mean$ a great deal to Australia.
3 comments:
Apparently the government donation to these vehicle manufacurers adds up to $23,000 per employee in the car industry. $23,000! What price national character?
Yeah it shits me. It's a hang over from union dominated manufacturing.
I am a union member. But protecting a dying industry just because it's a union stalwart is not sensible.
Hate to tell you this, but engine technology of euro's and japs are just as ancient as engines in Aussie cars.
double overhead cam and quad overhead cam engines have been around since the 30's. Pushrod engines have been around since the 60s. the only advances have been things like variable valve timing and fuel injection, both of which the 3.0 litre commodore engine has.
There are A LOT of euro's that have big engines and when driven hard, will drink petrol like nothing else. Commodores and Falcons driven sensibly return good figures, esp compared to late 80s/early 90s.
They are built for Australian conditions (2x radiator fans, suspension appropriate to drive on a crappy road with a boot full of stuff).
I think Ford Australia and Holden from an enviro perspective have been outstanding. They arent as 'protected' as they were back in the day, but in my opinion they dont need to be as they make a great product by world standards. Drive a new falcon or commodore and see for yourself.
Importing the cars from Japan and Europe seems expensive and think of the carbon that gets burnt on the trip over!
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