Not made here...

[fpv_gtho]

http://carpoint.com.au/car-review/2579683.aspx


Shipping lines are the key beneficiaries of the booming Australian car market. Imports are at record highs and exports of Australian-made cars are strong as well. Trouble is we're buying fewer home-made cars which will have far-reaching consequences


Otto Insider

Comment

Dredging operations in Port Phillip Bay should speed up, if not increase in scope, if car sales results for YTD April 2007 are any guide. Australian appetite for imports has never been this strong, and foreign buyers' taste for Australian cars is equally ravenous.

Quite a dichotomy, huh? Maybe the world loves an import. Shipping companies sure do. So much for the "Not Invented Here" syndrome. Let's reclassify that as the "Not Assembled Here" syndrome.

Otto's tip for investing wisely: Buy shares in ports and shipping companies.

According to figures supplied by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, locally manufactured cars secured less than 20 per cent of the total Australian vehicle market in April; slightly more than the YTD figure. In real numbers that's just 15,045 of the 75,614 vehicles sold here in April.

Just to refresh your memories, Ford builds the Falcon sedan, Utility and Territory SUV, Holden the Commodore sedan (wagon and Ute and Monaro are demised at this point, though Adventra limps on) while Mitsubishi builds the 380 sedan and Toyota the Camry/Aurion sedans. Everything else, dear listener, arrives by boat into one of our suitably located harbours.

Waving at the imports on their way in, as they themselves depart, are vast quantities of Holden Commodore sedans (wearing an increasing variety of badges from Chevrolet Pontiac, Opel, Buick and Daewoo), and significant numbers of Toyota Camrys and Aurions. On occasion, these are accompanied across the Tasman (and to South Africa) by a small quantity of right-hand drive Falcons, Territorys and 380s.

Is it any surprise that we're tuned to Asian and European tastes? When was the last time you pulled on an Aussie-made pullover, suit or shoes? Tuned an Aussie-made stereo or piano? Watched an Aussie-made TV program on a weeknight?

Holden is an undeniable success story. Its Aussie designed and built car is winning friends across the world and opening up new markets on its product strength alone. Toyota's Camry is a successful Aussie mod-job on an undeniably sound base. Ford doesn't have a left-hook Falcon, nor Mitsubishi an export program.

Export or die? It's a stark reality, but if you're in manufacturing, there's no option. The Victorian government's surprising Stamp Duty reduction (not abolition, you'll note) could have been, maybe should have been, limited to the purchase of locally-built cars.

After all, stimulating sales of Victorian/Australian assembled cars would be good for the economy and would help secure jobs, at a time when component manufacturers are struggling to stay afloat, or worse, are at risk of disrupting production plants because they can't supply their vital widget to hold a Ford, Holden, Toyota or Mitsubishi together.

You get to feeling the small component manufacturers nestled in Melbourne's outer suburbs are the crack in the dam. Once they decay, the small hole will quickly engorge, bring down the dam wall. Another stoppage on the final assembly line triggers a slowdown of cars delivered to dealers, upsetting customers.

Dealers will turn to their reliably arriving imported product in order to secure the sale. Customers win with frugal new-generation high-tech four-cylinder engines, fitted to bigger than ever bodies, equipped with the latest technology, such as ESP, traction control, Bluetooth connectivity, etc, etc, etc…

Buying a big six because it is rear-wheel drive? Fine if you're not up for the fuel. But more and more new car buyers can afford to fly to their holiday destination, not lug the caravan or trailer.

Sales of locally-made big-six rear-drive cars are not slow because the cars are not good. It's because they're not the right cars right now.

Falcon sedan sales YTD are down 26 per cent on the same period last year. And there's almost a year to go before the new one pops up.

Toyota's feisty Yaris outsold Falcon in April, 2325 to 2255. The run-out Corolla came close to Falcon too, at 2202, with Camry notching 1975 four-cylinder sales.

VE Commodore, the latest and greatest is only 12.7 per cent up on the ancient VZ over the same period last year. Mitsubishi's 380 is out of ICU, and stable, just 175 units down on the same period last year.

The one local shining light emanates from Camp T. Camry sales are a creditable 8422 YTD, and Aurion's success (6694 YTD) has closed the book on Avalon. Combine Camry and Aurion sales and the big(ish) Toyotas have outsold Falcon, and are muscling up to Commodore.

Aurion alone in April was closer to Falcon than a "Big Six" Japanese LM has ever been. And sales of locally made Toyotas are up 58 per cent YTD, against Ford's 17.9 per cent drop, Holden's 0.4 per cent decline and Mitsubishi is 15.8 per cent worse off.

Year-to-date, the Big Four aren't looking too bad thanks to a full line-up of supporting imports. Holden is on a charge to capture ground from Territory with Captiva.

Territory has a hand behind its back, since Captiva burns oil or gasoline. Would Ford dealers like a diesel Territory? Are the Kennedys gun shy?

Away from the politicking at the big end of town where slicing and dicing market share is all the rage, there are some lonely makes bumping along on the bottom of the bay, looking for that missing gem of a car or SUV to send them rocketing to the surface.

Perennial offenders Saab and Renault have made no progress. SsangYong takes the prize for the most different models and fewest sales (nine model lines on sale and 200 units shifted in April).

Proton is in danger of gaining traction with its newer models (now five in all for 170 units; up 60 per cent on April sales last year), and Jaguar's four model lines argued over 68 unit sales for the month. Compare that with Subaru's five model lines and 2710 April sales.

If you're going to aim low, stick to one model. Dodge sold 130 cars in April, just seven shy of Alfa's total and it has seven model lines.

April's always a sticky month for sales with Easter, school holidays and Anzac Day disrupting the genial flow of business. Handing out the big end-of-month bonuses based on April 07 vs April 06 sales would have been top management at Audi (40.9 per cent), Honda (58.2 per cent), Suzuki (65.1 per cent), and Volkswagen (30.8 per cent). NB: Tiddler brands have been ignored.

Otto's Golden Easter Egg for the greatest improvement in unit sales across the industry for April 07 compared with April 06 goes to Honda for selling 1761 more units, while Toyota gets the double choc version for selling 8696 more units YTD compared with 06.

Otto's Easter bunnies reside in the north of Melbourne -- the Broadmeadows boys and girls were 631 units poorer for the month and 2925 off 2006, YTD. That diesel engine and new body can't come fast enough for the Orion gazers.

[john14]

Currently, many good cars are being made in Australia by Holden. Ford, Mitsubishi and Toyota but I think the problem is we only manufacture relatively large cars with relatively high fuel consumption figures... and we all know about high fuel prices.

[digitalcraft]

That was difficult to read.

But yeah, Australia seems to like big cars even more than the US.

[nota]

That was difficult to read.

But yeah, Australia seems to like big cars even more than the US.
I agree, that author's overly cliche'd fancy-pants writing style interfers annoyingly with the message he's supposed to be conveying

AFAIK the US market ratio for big cars way exceeds that in AU (or anywhere else) except yours are disguised as trucks and SUVs :p

[crisis]

Otto may not be old enough to remember the last oil crisis. Kingswood and Falcon buyers turned to 180Bs in droves. It was then that people started to view Jap cars no longer as Jap Crap. People started looking for alternatives and the demise of the Australian car was at hand. Aussie car makers started aligning with Japanese ones and we got Mitsubishis and Geminis.
Then we forgot about it when the oil came back and we forgot how much we used to pay anyway (who thinks $1.15 a litre is cheap fuel now?) and everything else went up as well as our wages.
We are getting increasingly better fuel economy out of 6’s and V8’s now. I expect to see large Aussie cars around for a lot longer yet.

[fpv_gtho]

We are getting increasingly better fuel economy out of 6’s and V8’s now. I expect to see large Aussie cars around for a lot longer yet.

In some ways yes, in others its still all the same. The highway economy is whats improving the most, but the city cycle and such is remaining stagnant, which seems to be simply a product of heavy car/powerful engine.

[SlickHolden]

That was difficult to read.

But yeah, Australia seems to like big cars even more than the US.
Yes i think we do.. But we like a different kind of large car that's the big difference.
WE want the large car that does it all and we are very lucky that Ford and Holden more so then the others build that type of car we want.
Strap the kids in the car let the wife drive it also take the kids to school, Do the shopping, Go to the footy, Go away and tow a caravan with the family of 5.. And when you feel like it stomp the peddle ****en hard and she will scream I'm ****en hot zapping to 100km/h in under 6 seconds with tops speed above 240km/h. And still be a good enough car to not wake the 2 month old up in the back seat:).
That to me is the typical Aussies large car and dreams:).. All for just over $40,000.

[bypopulardemand]

the author seems to be missing a very important point. australian manufacters dont cover all segments. so they cant expect to have much more market share.

^ its interesting that you say that Ford and Holden give australians what they want yet the article emphasises that Toyota are catching quite quickly.

[clutch-monkey]

^ its interesting that you say that Ford and Holden give australians what they want yet the article emphasises that Toyota are catching quite quickly.
probably because the moronic, mindless drones that make up the general population are quite happy driving big marshmallows.

[SlickHolden]

the author seems to be missing a very important point. australian manufacters dont cover all segments. so they cant expect to have much more market share.

^ its interesting that you say that Ford and Holden give australians what they want yet the article emphasises that Toyota are catching quite quickly.
I think they make it sound like the whole, But when it's really dissected it's base models everyday cars.. You wouldn't buy a Aurion or camry to do the family thing tow and performance in mind, You would buy a Aurion as the day 2 day car with great value and options in a base, But the options of choice really drys up as the models range gets higher you see base model features and you start to see what 1 engine and 1 transmission does, It gives you a lack of choice and a lack of something to hold over the base models something to say hey i paid good money for this i hate the fact that a base aurion is faster then my top of the range Aurion or sporty Aurion.. Something Ford and Holden try not to do anymore.

IF i'm paying $45,000 for a car i don't want the $30,000 base model shitting on me.. Holden and Ford are guilty of this in the past well more so holden with offering the LS1 on base models, They got smart and made the SV8 then made it into a SV6 with V8 engine. Noone wants a base model to walk over the top of the range sport's or luxo models.

[Mr. Jinx]

probably because the moronic, mindless drones that make up the general population are quite happy driving big marshmallows.
Hahahaha, very much agreed.

[Falcon500]

probably because the moronic, mindless drones that make up the general population are quite happy driving big marshmallows.

Couldent of put it any better.

Also one thing worth mentioning is that people are getting tighter and tighter (which is understandable) but its getting to the point where my parents are turning off every little thing in the house that doesnt need to be turned on (they heard all together it can save 30 a year despite the fact they never missed that before and now its annoying haveing to turn the power point on before i listen to my stero for example) and apprently these kind of practices arnt uncommon? I ask are we progressing as a society or are we just getting increasingly stringenet in maintianing some ideal lifestyle?

But anyways some people only want to drive an appliance som people are forced to but an incresingly large number are forceing themselves to do that.

[Falcon500]

IF i'm paying $45,000 for a car i don't want the $30,000 base model shitting on me.. Holden and Ford are guilty of this in the past well more so holden with offering the LS1 on base models, They got smart and made the SV8 then made it into a SV6 with V8 engine. Noone wants a base model to walk over the top of the range sport's or luxo models.

Well Id consider myself quite stupid if I wanted a fast car and both had identical engines except one was lighter :rolleyes:

What id be more upset about is if I had a commodore belina (up from omega) and the falcon XT (optioned up with a 6 speeder auto and euro sports package) and the falcon was a bit faster a cheaper on juice (wheels test this month funny thing is it had the biggest engine the most torque and the 2nd most powerful next to aurion and was the most economical wonder how that works?)

And in a pure stroke of genius on wheels part they made the Belina winner of the comparison (380,aurion,falcon all the trim up from base excluding falcon) despite the fact it had weaknesses all the other cars didn't have :rolleyes:

But anyways base model cars are lighter it makes more sense to use them as a base for something that goes fast its the origonal concept of a muscle car! this is something that seems to be lost on people today.

[crisis]

But anyways base model cars are lighter it makes more sense to use them as a base for something that goes fast its the original concept of a muscle car! this is something that seems to be lost on people today.
Quite. Holden tried it (again) with the first VY SV8. It was bog standard Exec with a rear spoiler (the only concession to weight gain), red instruments (no weight penalty there) and different coloured interior (again). It had wind up windows (something everybody turned their nose up at when they got in mine) and no extra plastic spoilers etc (something I optioned to have put on, what I can say!). It was a real stripper in this guise. Series two came out and on went the power everything. Now the SV8 is fairly indistinguishable from an SS. A luxury sports model. Seems there aren’t enough people out there who demand a car that is about performance first and blingage second.

[2ndclasscitizen]

Now the SV8 is fairly indistinguishable from an SS. A luxury sports model. Seems there aren’t enough people out there who demand a car that is about performance first and blingage second.

Actually there is no SV8 any more. There's the SS which is same as the old SV8, the lowest spec sport V8 model, then there's the SS-V if you want a fancy interior and big wheels.

[SlickHolden]

Well Id consider myself quite stupid if I wanted a fast car and both had identical engines except one was lighter :rolleyes:

What id be more upset about is if I had a commodore belina (up from omega) and the falcon XT (optioned up with a 6 speeder auto and euro sports package) and the falcon was a bit faster a cheaper on juice (wheels test this month funny thing is it had the biggest engine the most torque and the 2nd most powerful next to aurion and was the most economical wonder how that works?)

And in a pure stroke of genius on wheels part they made the Belina winner of the comparison (380,aurion,falcon all the trim up from base excluding falcon) despite the fact it had weaknesses all the other cars didn't have :rolleyes:

But anyways base model cars are lighter it makes more sense to use them as a base for something that goes fast its the origonal concept of a muscle car! this is something that seems to be lost on people today.
Option up?? Different brands it's really not the same.
I'll tell you how it works.. Options options options and a base engine across the range.. Tell me would you be more upset if you bought a BF Fairmont Ghia and a XT BFII pulls up next to you with 6 speed and sports suspension and a bucket of money waving at you that it saved ??

The berlina was maybe the better drivers car nothing wrong with the aurion or BA-BF ride it's just they don't sit as well as the VE's do they are great on the road ni all conditions. And it's only weakness is not being able to option up a better engine and transmission. Unless you ad the 6lt and 6 speed.

My VP is still faster then the VE Base:D.

[Falcon500]

Yeah but still the theroetical worse car is performaning better in alot of areas :P
Wheels true to their usual form said apprently the ba has a cramped rear seat.....now come on a screwman has a cramped rear seat a celica has a cramped rear seat but a falcon?

that would hurt too i wouldent enjoy them rubbing the savings in my face but i still think itll hurt more getting beaten by a oppositions lesser car :P

And on that note the 380 never won a damn thing in that comparison but then again it didnt loose a damn thing either it should fo come 2nd possibly even won it. I be;leive it was the cheapest and it was always in the middle for everything they tested.

Lol all the technology in the world and they still cant outrun a mild 92 version they made :D

[SlickHolden]

After MSN done the test with the Omega and i herd one after driving a Calais i had to agree the engine was mush, They sound pretty shit loud and harsh they do need to replace that and the 4 speed, But they believe it's to expensive to make the 195 5 speed across the range.. Or they just don't want base model kicking the SV6's arse more like it:p.
When i took the Calais back i spoke to the lady at the returns she ask me did i like the car i said yes very much but I'm glad i had the calais and not the omega, She said 90% of the people that bring the omega back complain about the engine being loud and harsh sounding, I said i agree the one next to me was terrible sounding. It really is the biggest flaw in the in the VE range the base engine and 4 speed.

The 380 has been a top car for mitsub and it's been overlooked pretty much all the time. I haven't herd anyone moan about it that has driven one.

The old boy even with me in it:D a not so factory kerb weight of 1420kg before i get in and some not very factory standard tyres 225's the old boy still punches under 9 seconds to 100km/h.. And i know it's slightly out of tune also it takes off more like a VS delayed:(

[Falcon500]

Well typically i like noise but the winded flat note of an omega gets old really quick. (hell the whole car gets old really quick its a slow late model vz with flash suspension)

Yeah 380 isnt so bad but there really isnt much of intrestin their lineup either :(


See low weight for you I keep saying think how fast theyd be and fuel ecconmy etc etc but does anyone listen noooooo :P

[SlickHolden]

there's no low weight in me:D..

If i did more highway driving the economy would be great but i really would be lucky to do 5% over a tank, So not being a sissy and liking to hit the speed limit with some throttle but not being a speeder i'm pretty accepting of my fuel economy of about 14-15.5L/100.. I warm the car up before i go anywhere so i can spent up to 5min warming it first thing in the morning and up to 30 seconds when out..
The omega wouldn't be for me i like some sound rather then shitty sound.. The Calais sounds nice i'd love a sports system on that it's rather quite compared to the omega.

[Falcon500]

Yeah thats too much beer and pies for ya :p

that ecconmy aint so bad the current gen IV gets around that (16 ish i beleive) and its 15 years newer.

IMO i in general dont like the sounds our 6s make (with the exception of a stroked ecotech and the BA motor with a decent exhaust) but nothing beats a good 8 sound and a set od duals on holdens v6s can almost work if done just right :)

[motorsportnerd]

And in a pure stroke of genius on wheels part they made the Belina winner of the comparison (380,aurion,falcon all the trim up from base excluding falcon) despite the fact it had weaknesses all the other cars didn't have :rolleyes:
.

Simple - the Berlina had the best dynamics and of course we all know how important a car's dynamic capabilities are on our commute to work.:p

Also, that article made the Aurion out to be a heap of crap when its comes to cornering - but then again, we all go tearing around a racetrack every weekend don't we?:p

Having driven both - I'd agree that the Commodore is better dynamically, but at the sort of speeds that 99% of us would drive at on public roads that gap isn't that great. After all, neither are meant to be sports cars and both can comfortably do double the recommended speed on most tighter corners.

The ageing Falcon - when fitted with the six-speed gearbox - still makes a convincing argument against the Commodore in they dynamics department and in the performance/economy department against the Aurion.

However - the Falcon isn't quite as smooth/refined as the Aurion, doesn't have the safety features of Aurion or the body strength of the Commodore and is the worst put together of the three.

If I was in the market for a low-mid $30K four door car - I'd still take the Aurion. Yep I'd join the moronic masses as you guys put it. I'd enjoy the Aurion's engine - easily the best of the local sixes; its refinement, its quality, its safety; its comfort; its transmission. And dynamically, its fine up to very, very high speeds (any car that can capably go around a 45km/h recommended corner at 80km/h plus is no dud in the cornering department), which would be adequate enough for me. And I'd win out when I came to selling it down the line.
The deals that are being done on Falcons atm would make it a very tempting option though.

[motorsportnerd]

probably because the moronic, mindless drones that make up the general population are quite happy driving big marshmallows.

Hey - I drive a big marshmallow. Or at least my Falcon does a very good impression of a marshmallow at times. It isn't the most rigid chassis on the block.

[bypopulardemand]

ive read the review in question and i thing i have to wonder is why they didnt make an effort to get 4 cars from the respective models that had a price within a 1 or 2 thousand of eachother? Im sure it wouldve had an effect on the review.

[motorsportnerd]

Well typically i like noise but the winded flat note of an omega gets old really quick. (hell the whole car gets old really quick its a slow late model vz with flash suspension)


Well, yep - there's noise and then there's noise. Of the three Aussie sixes, only the Commodore just sounds noisy. The other three all sound much better under acceleration (the two Japanese sourced V6s have that nice howl that good V6s can generate and the Falcon has a purposeful straight six sound) and are nicely subdued when you're just cruising. The base six in the Commodore always seems to be droning - and its not a particularly inspiring sound.

[clutch-monkey]

Hey - I drive a big marshmallow. Or at least my Falcon does a very good impression of a marshmallow at times. It isn't the most rigid chassis on the block.
i suspect your car was turned into a marshmallow after having 5 less than lightwieght guys placed within it :D the chassis never recovered!

[adrenaline]

If I was in the market for a low-mid $30K four door car - I'd still take the Aurion. Yep I'd join the moronic masses as you guys put it.

I don't like the Aurion, but if I did have low-mid 30k to spend, it would top my list for sure. It's better value than the others, and it has the best base engine/ transmission. I saw a black AT-X the other day and it looked quite good.

[Falcon500]

Ive drivan a VE SS but not a Berlina I was pretty liked the ss alot it was a great peice of equipment. But if the Berlinas anything like an omega (unless it was a true bargin) id give it a miss.

BA theortically is the worst put together but my parts experiance with the holdens makes me doubt it could be that bad :P all jokes aside the ve has its flaws (like all new cars) the BA is a good car and has a great rep in general and from its parts guys at other dealerships havent said there was many problems (excluding niggling ones and territory is a bitch to put a towbar in throw away the instructions....) about it.

Aurion im sure is a fine car and I would try one but im not keen on fwd vehicles I currantly drive one of the finest fwd setups ever devised (beleive it or not my subaru is fwd and ill easily rate it with alot of hondas ive driven) and its still just not right although i do like the cornering speeds...I just dont like front wheelers :(

[motorsportnerd]

ive read the review in question and i thing i have to wonder is why they didnt make an effort to get 4 cars from the respective models that had a price within a 1 or 2 thousand of eachother? Im sure it wouldve had an effect on the review.

The writer of the article claimed that Ford couldn't provide a Futura (which would've matched the Toyota and Holden most closely on price) for the test. Since the Futura only has a four-speed auto as standard, the Falcon's performance in the comparison was flattered a little by the optioned up base model with the six-speed auto. As for the Mitsubishi - there is no direct competitor in the 380 range for the mid-spec Berlina/Futura/Prodigy. The closest 380 to these three in price is the VRX - but that's a more sporty oriented, rather than comfort oriented model. The SX they chose was the best option - much cheaper than the others and still fitted with a sports-tuned suspension, but not quite base level either.
In fact when you think about just how cheap the 380 is (the SX that was tested in Wheels is just $34,990), and how well it does in direct comparison to the other Aussie cars, I'm surprised that it doesn't sell much, much better.
Don't point out its FWD chassis - that isn't holding the Aurion back from selling. The only things I can think of are doubts about Mitsubishi's long term future and the poor resale of the 380 (you can already find very mileage eighteen month old 380 VRXs in the mid 20K range, compared with the high $30K new price).

[motorsportnerd]

i suspect your car was turned into a marshmallow after having 5 less than lightwieght guys placed within it :D the chassis never recovered!

Yep - that'd be the reason.:D
No, Falcons have always displayed lots of body roll. Even the latest Falcons - at least in base trim - are still a more comfort orientated and therefore a little soft in the suspension department.

[fpv_gtho]

The weight of the latest ones doesnt help. No doubt if 1500kg Falcons werent a thing of the past, they'd be able to do something about it, but maybe they'll get it next time.

[nota]

Don't point out its FWD chassis - that isn't holding the Aurion back from selling. The only things I can think of are doubts about Mitsubishi's long term future and the poor resale of the 380 (you can already find very mileage eighteen month old 380 VRXs in the mid 20K range, compared with the high $30K new price).
The guy I sold my Magna to yesterday mentioned he recently saw '06 Falcons (obviously low km) going for $20k at the Pickles auction in ACT

Btw I've driven an AWD Magna and they are far superior to the FWD version, have substantially less FWD feel & feedback through the wheel if you know what I mean

[SlickHolden]

Also, that article made the Aurion out to be a heap of crap when its comes to cornering - but then again, we all go tearing around a racetrack every weekend don't we?:p Cyco does minus track:D.


Having driven both - I'd agree that the Commodore is better dynamically, but at the sort of speeds that 99% of us would drive at on public roads that gap isn't that great. After all, neither are meant to be sports cars and both can comfortably do double the recommended speed on most tighter corners. Omega:o You really got to take a 195 for a ride it makes the 180 engine feel even worse. The 180 engine and 4 speed auto are very much under par with anything other then granny speeds.

i suspect your car was turned into a marshmallow after having 5 less than lightwieght guys placed within it :D the chassis never recovered!
Yeah he should have bought a VP:p:p

Ive drivan a VE SS but not a Berlina I was pretty liked the ss alot it was a great peice of equipment. But if the Berlinas anything like an omega (unless it was a true bargin) id give it a miss.

I think the berlina went back a step to it's roots.. More based on a base car with calais options tossed in for cheap, I would only have a berlina with 6lt 6 speed auto Fe2.

[crisis]

Actually there is no SV8 any more. There's the SS which is same as the old SV8, the lowest spec sport V8 model, then there's the SS-V if you want a fancy interior and big wheels.

That was what I was trying to say.:)