It's not just union jobs (that certainly is a factor though, especially to Labor governments), but there is a belief in certain circles that a nation needs to be able to manufacture cars in order for it to be successful. All governments subsidise the auto industry. Howard spend $5.5 billion on it when he was in office and Labor have spent billions on it since then. Whoever get in next time around will spend billions in it too. South Australian governments (of both flavours) have been propping up the auto industry since the 1930s. It doesn't matter that the manufacturers build cars than Australians don't want to buy, only that they keep building cars. This is apparently for "strategic" reasons because the world hasn't actually changed at all since the early half of last century and we may need to convert the car factories and start building tanks and aircraft en mass if there is a war which, obviously, will play out pretty much like WWII did and will not at all resemble modern conflicts in terms of the extremely sophisticated, high tech ordnance.
Build cars that are under $45,000 and people will buy - especially small cylinder cars and even ones that drive on gas. That is where most of the new car sales are I hear from the ABC News financial reporter on the 7pm news - for Australians. Why would they not follow a business model that works? Or with big cars build top quality cars like BMW enabling to compete globally. Adelaide and Geelong need those jobs - I agree on tariffs when we have to compete with countries that do not have the some number of taxation and regulation burdens - carbon tax..... Get rid of those stupid burdens and Australian business can compete - but of course I exhale so I must pay a carbon tax. The Government wants to import foreign diseased potatoes that could destroy our food industry - and stop self sufficient and sustainable fisherman and let the trawlers in to wreck the eco-system. This stupidity is not stupidity but designed to wreck us. WAKE UP!
Do you mind if I ask why they want to wreck us? I have theories on this but would like to hear yours.
The owners of the world's central banks. And their money power agents. Good place to start is to read Creature At Jekyll Island
Why innovate or change when you have a sugar-daddy waiting in the wings? All big corporations, once they grow to a certain point become conservative and resistant to change. Big bureaucracies build up within the corporation. Very few people within them look to the future. That's one of the reasons why the current system which encourages big corporations is just not nimble enough for the new more decentralised economy which is emerging. We will throw away billions on bailouts propping up the dinosaurs before we get to some point at which countries themselves either run out of money or the population as a whole decides they've had enough. The system we have now is basically the exact same established at the end of WW2. It is all about the 40-hour week, job for life, etc, etc... That model just isn't viable or necessary anymore. The world's changing.
1. Setup company manufacturing archaic products. 2. Employ as many people as possible, this is key. 3. Head hunt big name but small substance managers from other industries. 4. Take out large amounts of debt, become a household name. 5. Push ahead with unsustainable business practices. 6. Fuel debt loop for as long as possible. 7. Pay yourself an enormous bonus. 8. Ask for help from government, otherwise business will fold. 9. Invest in an offshore bugout resort. 10. Repeat steps 7 and 8 until society collapses.
If we HAVE to make cars...why not make those modular jobbies where you just have a basic platform of engine and running gear with a drop-on carbon fibre body over the top? It's easy to just change the styling with minimal fuss (ute, station wagon, sedan, SUV). Kinda like the old Dune Buggy bodies..only much stronger. Carbon fibre is the high-tech future and the modular design minimises design and engineering costs. Remember Darwin's survival of the fittest wasn't about the biggest and strongest, it was those most able to adapt.
Ooh come on Than they want make as much crap along the way , not as many consumable parts to make . Look what happened to Chrysler in the late 70's , when you make a car that's like a tank & lasts for ever Don't get me started on the auto industry I'm glad I've given it up
There would have to be a lot of research put into it for the crumple zone & energy absorbtion of the vehicle in a crash.Carbon fibre is very rigid.
Because that would be the sensible way of meeting a market that wants cheap vehicles with low running costs that can be easily customised to suit the owners needs and tastes. We don't do "sensible" in this country.
I beleive the effort is going into cabin deceleration...you know, airbags sliding chairs so that while the car's body may stop suddenly, the cabin can still move to take up the deceleration room. Ultimately the upper limit is the human body's ability to cop the G's. Current statistics are showing that anything over 60kph in a current traffic environment is very hard to survive. That's why the local street limit was reduced to 50kph.
And more of the proverbial has just hit the fan: http://www.news.com.au/business/com...ts-maker-autodom/story-fnda1bsz-1226510140993
Related to this I learned recently (others will have known for years) that the Howard-govt negotiated free trade treaty with Thailand is really only free trade from the Thai perspective. No tariffs on vehicles entering Australia from Thailand. But the other way - 60% tariff on any Australian manufactured or assembled cars entering Thailand. Free trade? Not for us.
Author of Creature AT Jekyll Island talks about what's written in his book here! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu_VqX6J93l[/youtube]
Nah, its to raise revenue. As usual. Source:roadsense But from this graph, we can also conclude that people from shitney cant drive.
^^^ All around the world police statistics show that in a majority of fatal crashes, speed was NOT a factor. So by deductive reasoning...you're safer if YOU ARE SPEEDING :lol:
Got a few moterbikes and a few fast cars speeding definitly safer ,gone by the time the accident gets there
I see Holden has given up rebadging Opel products like the Astra. There goes that slice of market share :/
