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The Pub For General Automotive Related Talk |
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#1 | ||
Youth worker
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Ipswich QLD
Posts: 6,879
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Yesterday I was doing my daily F1 news search and came across this and it's got me thinking...
https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2017/...d-engineering/ Would the availability of these kind of non mainstream car manufacturers electric drivetrains offer the ability to revive the now dead auto manufacturing in Australia? I mean let's face it, no big car company is coming back any time soon. So why don't we take a leaf out of the Poms auto manufacturing book? They really don't have a major manufacturer based in Britain anymore, just parts manufacturers. But what they do have is a good amount of small independent niche car builders. And with a platform available that is supposed to be superior to Tesla, wouldn't that offer light to producing some Aussie muscle cars again. Sure at the moment this platform would more than likely mean the cars produced would be competing price wise with the likes of Tesla and the Germans, but as the stats suggest, us Aussies have been heading in the Germans direction since our offerings have faulted and now died. And the price for the platform isn't stated and would surely decline over time due to the cost of production of materials etc. Sure it's electric, and there's no V8s to be seen. But in say 20 years, will there be anyone producing petrol powered V8s anymore on mass? Anyway, it has just been bouncing about in my head since reading the article, so I thought I'd share.
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#2 | ||
Irregular member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 3,941
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Hmm, yes. Maybe we need to redefine ourselves as leaders in electric vehicle production somehow.
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#3 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Perth, Northern Suburbs
Posts: 4,919
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There are several auto factories in the UK.
They simply form part of an integrated European system. (Brexit may chance that, have to wait and see.) The fundamental problem with your idea, is that other manufacturing fled Australia long before the auto-makers. Also, whilst it's huge decision to close down an existing factory, the decision on where to build a new one is not. And the really scary problem, is that we are rapidly losing the expertise necessary. Back in the 60's & 70's, Australian Universities were considered world leaders in the new field of Electronic Engineering. The best and the brightest came from all over the world to study and do research. Now most Uni's nolonger even offer the degree. Without an industry, there are no jobs. Without jobs, there are no graduates. Without graduates, there are no schools. |
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#4 | ||
Cranky old bastard
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 9,393
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Electric cars are going to revolutionise the whole industry IMO. Less moving parts to go wrong. No transmission/driveline or workshops to repair. No mechanics to give oil changes or fix leaky radiators. No spare parts shops.
They will be cheap, last a lot longer so less turnover and less jobs.
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#5 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,051
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Aston Martin, Bentley, GM, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover (3 factories!), McLaren, Mini, Nissan, Toyota, Rolls Royce, Vauxhall.... 1.5 million cars, pretty impressive for a country that's not in the game anymore supposedly.
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#6 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Capricornia
Posts: 830
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Quote:
Granted, less parts needed, but I suspect they will be manufactured to a "servicable life". Someone on the forums once called Camrys "whitegoods". How close that may be with electric vehicles.
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#7 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 156
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People will still want to upgrade to the latest and greatest, so perfectly serviceable cars are still going to be traded in. Much like today really
![]() Also battery lifespan would still be a concern, presumably there will be battery replacement services etc |
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#8 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: WA
Posts: 3,705
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Quote:
Some seem to think electric cars will cost nothing to run. I've got a really big bridge for sale.
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#9 | ||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 8
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Interesting thread,
Let's be honest, the biggest problem we have now is that everything is dollar driven. Our country is losing all sorts of expertise as has been mentioned due to companies & store owners etc buying things (crap) from places like China for 2 cents & selling them for $55.00. The silver lining on the profits get bigger & so does the hole we are digging ourselves? So in a nutshell people are now looking only at how much profit they can make & not the quality of good Aussie made gear, there is no stopping it now. Even if we can come up with a world leading invention, someone will get it made in Asia because it will cost less to be made. It certainly won't be of the same quality though. Even the food industry is a classic example of how the dollar rules, why we need to import anything is a joke. What About Australia & our industries, well what we used to have I should have said! I don't know about you but I am sitting here with a Chinese computer, Chinese Keyboard, Chinese Mouse, sitting on a Chinese Chair & dressed in Bloody everything made in China, even my bloody undies are chinese ![]() I know this because I have been picking rice out of my crack all day? Go Australia ![]() Cheers |
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#10 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,051
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Profits are going down... we love shopping for the cheapest, bypassing traditional retail for Amazon/ebay/etc, and think that has no repercussions. The traditional resellers have little option but to source cheaper foreign product to compete.
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#11 | ||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 8
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Hi bOson,
By bypassing Australian goods manufactured in Australia is what is having a devastating affect on our industries though. Personally I like to buy things once & expect them to last, price is not what is important really, the quality is. I have just had to buy 3 Ball Joints for our AU, the originals lasted 340,000Km I tried everywhere in our area to buy some descent quality parts but could only buy nasty Chinese Ball Joints that will last about a year & cost me the same as what some quality Ball Joints would have normally. So I will have to replace these about 15 times over the next 340,000km if the car lasts that long making them 15 times more expensive without all the labour involved. People often get mislead buy buying cheap, it's only cheap if it is comparable with a quality product. Not to mention safety issues, Chinese metallurgy is not what you call up to spec & if these don't break they will certainly start wearing out as soon as I let the jack down. Yes your correct CHEAPER foreign product, this will not cure the unemployment rate or advance Australia into the next century if we have no industries of our own to fall back on if sh*#t hits the fan. Cheers |
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#12 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Perth, Northern Suburbs
Posts: 4,919
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Meanwhile we're all getting poisoned because of our Chinese plumbing fittings made with lead.
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#13 | |||
Cranky old bastard
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 9,393
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Quote:
Now with some major cities banning Diesel and petrol cars in the future, the writing is on the wall for fossil powered cars. Maybe not in my life time though.
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