Belgian Holden Deal Collapses..Cruze to End Production in Oct 2016.

[csv8]

"A bid by a Belgian tycoon to take over Holden's car assembly plant in Adelaide has collapsed.

General Motors and the Punch Corporation have announced that a detailed analysis of the business model has determined it is not viable.

The news comes on the same day Holden confirmed Cruze production will cease at its Elizabeth plant in October with the loss of about 400 jobs."
https://au.news.yahoo.com/sa/a/30934...odel-400-jobs/

[Trump]

Did anyone seriously expect this to work?

[Makovic]

As predicted.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by tempted

I read somewhere that when Toyota ceases manufacturing in Australia, it will be the first time they have closed down a plant anywhere in the world. EVER.
That to me speaks volumes and just goes to show how hostile conditions are for manufacturers in this country.
If they can't make it work then I don't think anybody can.

Mitsubishi saw the light back in 2008. I think it's a major embarrassment to any first world country if it can't even make its own motor vehicles. Even worse if it can't even produce foreign blueprints and assemble parts from boxes as Toyota Australia did.

[Express]

Originally Posted by csv8

A bid by a Belgian tycoon to take over Holden's car assembly plant in Adelaide has collapsed.

[Syndrome]

It was never going to be saved. Facilities are too old, volumes are too low, costs are too high, GM unwillingness to share their intellectual property, local supplier base almost non-existent etc etc

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by tempted

I read somewhere that when Toyota ceases manufacturing in Australia, it will be the first time they have closed down a plant anywhere in the world. EVER.
That to me speaks volumes and just goes to show how hostile conditions are for manufacturers in this country.
If they can't make it work then I don't think anybody can.

It will actually be only the 2nd one... NZ was the other one.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

It will actually be only the 2nd one... NZ was the other one.

I think NZ was technically a CKD assembly plant, not a manufacturing plant.

[Sprint XR8]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

It will actually be only the 2nd one... NZ was the other one.

There was also Toyota's Port Melbourne plant closed in 2006 and the Nummi plant in the US closed in 2010.

[Fordman1]

The Cruze business model was completely flawed, no surprise there.

As for the "Belgian thing", pie in the sky !

[nstg8a]

Yeah, unfortunate but not unexpected.

[Vormund]

Originally Posted by CoupeXB

There was also Toyota's Port Melbourne plant closed in 2006 and the Nummi plant in the US closed in 2010.

Don't think we can count Port Melbourne either, that was just moving premises to Altona basically.

I think Nummi was a joint venture with GM. That said, there are still Toyota plants in the US, so to be more accurate - this is the first time Toyota have pulled out of manufacturing in a country.

And that's sad.

[mik]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Mitsubishi saw the light back in 2008. I think it's a major embarrassment to any first world country if it can't even make its own motor vehicles. Even worse if it can't even produce foreign blueprints and assemble parts from boxes as Toyota Australia did.

Not only an embarrassment , but a bloody tragedy, in the old days before we became the import dumping ground of the planet ,
we made lots of our own stuff and where more self sufficient i think , and we also had massive resources to fall back on , these days we still have some resources but so do the big players who trading wise can squash us like a windscreen bug.

The days of Australia riding on the crest of a wave appear to be done, BHP ..... toast, dick smith ........ toast ......... car makers toast, the list goes on , i also fear for future and younger generations.

[Franco Cozzo]

This just in, the media delivering you the latest news before it actually happens.

What did they think would happen, of course it wouldn't go ahead

[FalconXV]

This isn't good news, what's with all the brevity?

[mik]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

This just in, the media delivering you the latest news before it actually happens.

What did they think would happen, of course it wouldn't go ahead

Yes if the big three couldn't make it viable, it would be a good trick for this bloke to make it work.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by tempted

Everyone is getting high on the Chinese money flowing in, but when that dries up what are we going to fall back on? We will become slaves to the Chinese on our own land.
Everyone thought the mining boom would last forever and look how well that went.
This country has become nothing more than a dry cleaner for filthy Chinese money and we are being used like a cash cow by greedy foreigners to further themselves, at the detriment of our own citizens. The situation would be laughable if it wasn’t so sad. Future generations have been screwed well and truly.

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20150...power-supercar


If a bunch of people in a war torn, tsunami battered island nation with imaginably few resources can produce something like this, what's our bloody excuse? Outright laziness, complacency, government red tape, too many rules & regulation, political correctness? We have brilliant minds, resources, relative peace & stability, minimal natural disasters and sheer land mass nations would kill for and yet, what have we achieved with it all? Why does practically everything we do end up years late, over budget and full of holes? What the bloody hell is wrong with Australia?

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by tempted

I read somewhere that when Toyota ceases manufacturing in Australia, it will be the first time they have closed down a plant anywhere in the world. EVER.
That to me speaks volumes and just goes to show how hostile conditions are for manufacturers in this country.
If they can't make it work then I don't think anybody can.

I've agreed with nothing you have posted. But I hate to admit it you are 100% right I agree with you here.

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by FalconXV

This isn't good news, what's with all the brevity?

Because it was a BS story which we could all see for what it was. We all want the auto industry to stay but know it won't happen.

[BENT_8]

Dont panic guys and girls, weve still got a housing bubble....













..'Pop'

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20150...power-supercar


If a bunch of people in a war torn, tsunami battered island nation with imaginably few resources can produce something like this, what's our bloody excuse? Outright laziness, complacency, government red tape, too many rules & regulation, political correctness? We have brilliant minds, resources, relative peace & stability, minimal natural disasters and sheer land mass nations would kill for and yet, what have we achieved with it all? Why does practically everything we do end up years late, over budget and full of holes? What the bloody hell is wrong with Australia?

That's because if you've got an idea that's something out of the ordinary there are no end of people who want to put you down and tell you how it wont work. There is no encouragement to do it just naysayers.

People need to grow a set and put their money where their mouth is.

Maybe then we will see the Australia that supposedly once was.

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20150...power-supercar


If a bunch of people in a war torn, tsunami battered island nation with imaginably few resources can produce something like this, what's our bloody excuse? Outright laziness, complacency, government red tape, too many rules & regulation, political correctness? We have brilliant minds, resources, relative peace & stability, minimal natural disasters and sheer land mass nations would kill for and yet, what have we achieved with it all? Why does practically everything we do end up years late, over budget and full of holes? What the bloody hell is wrong with Australia?

We've just had 3 manufacturers close down and you're wondering why we dont make a supercar? Umm ok. We could easily do it but its not worth it financially. That article says they haven't even worked out funding to get it into production. It will probably die off in the prototype stage.

[Express]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20150...power-supercar


If a bunch of people in a war torn, tsunami battered island nation with imaginably few resources can produce something like this, what's our bloody excuse? Outright laziness, complacency, government red tape, too many rules & regulation, political correctness? We have brilliant minds, resources, relative peace & stability, minimal natural disasters and sheer land mass nations would kill for and yet, what have we achieved with it all? Why does practically everything we do end up years late, over budget and full of holes? What the bloody hell is wrong with Australia?

Manufacturing something and selling it are two completely different things.

[Brian_H]

Every time I see this type of news article my heart sinks a little further. Cruze production stopping, Belgian guy's plans dead . . . next is the inevitable Ford production stopping and then Holden and Toyota next year. I know the reasons but it doesn't make it any easier when you've grown up sitting on dad's knee from a young age at the wheel of many, many Falcons. I'm thanking the stars I have been fortunate enough to bag a Sprint for myself.

[SYZ]

Originally Posted by Express

Manufacturing something and selling it are two completely different things.

Exactly. According to SlashGear.com: "Of course, creating one Vega is one thing. Producing a whole fleet of them for sale is a completely different story. Sri Lanka still doesn't have the manufacturing and the experience in this area".

And as far as I could find, after more than two years, they've yet to cobble together and test even one single road-going version. The Vega (Chevy anyone?) is just an expensive toy for a bunch of upper-caste tech heads to play with.

[Nikked]

Now lets see what happens with Ethan Automotive...

[LoudPipes]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Now lets see what happens with Ethan Automotive...

Securing investment will be difficult as not many people like to just throw their money away.

[Blue Roo]

Originally Posted by tempted

Everyone is getting high on the Chinese money flowing in, but when that dries up what are we going to fall back on? We will become slaves to the Chinese on our own land.
Everyone thought the mining boom would last forever and look how well that went.
This country has become nothing more than a dry cleaner for filthy Chinese money and we are being used like a cash cow by greedy foreigners to further themselves, at the detriment of our own citizens. The situation would be laughable if it wasn’t so sad. Future generations have been screwed well and truly.

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20150...power-supercar


If a bunch of people in a war torn, tsunami battered island nation with imaginably few resources can produce something like this, what's our bloody excuse? Outright laziness, complacency, government red tape, too many rules & regulation, political correctness? We have brilliant minds, resources, relative peace & stability, minimal natural disasters and sheer land mass nations would kill for and yet, what have we achieved with it all? Why does practically everything we do end up years late, over budget and full of holes? What the bloody hell is wrong with Australia?

You can blame both sides of Government for the problems in this country. Both the Labour and the Liberal parties have continually sold us out over the years and decades in short sighted decisions and pure greed. And who suffers the most. We do, as well as our children and future generations to come.

Politicians need to take responsibility for their actions/decisions and should be held accountable.

[SB076]

There are still other options. But as others have said its highly unlikely at best you might pick up CKD but that is doubtful.

Toyota were tipped to be losing a little on every car when the AUD was at $1.08 US. Sad to think that they would be doing ok with the dollar at low $0.70's. Calmer heads needed to step in from all sides then we may have still had an Automotive Industry

[Sprintey]

Agree with so much said in this thread by many of you - even some I don't normally agree with.

You guys picked it, about 2/3 of the poll was in line with the deal falling through.

Sad that being born during Australia's most balanced prosperous decade (1970-80; Australia and Canada rated as the wealthiest countries on earth, featuring firing industry, vibrant expanding Agriculture, and strong mining with enormous reserves being identified) - as adults we get to see the guts ripped out of the country's productive base.

Hopefully this annoys enough of us to be entrepreneurial enough to make a whole lot of saleable items, and sell them well.