This Week Sees the End of Mass Auto Production in Australia

At least i don't have to be forced to buy a Aurion just to get a V6 Camry. That's probably the best news that came out from this.

Still, there goes all the mad V8 Aussie power. :(
 
daan
Surely they'll still be made, just not in Australia.
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I think many of them are going away though. The Commodore and the cars based off of the platform it uses looks to switching to I4's and V6's starting next model year.
 
MrCrynox
The series is coming to an end in its current form at the end of this year.
How very sad too.
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It's the the V8's though right? If I'm not mistaken the series is still going to continue.
 
Joey D
Mostly the economy. Also with the exit of Ford and Toyota, parts suppliers couldn't keep going with just one company.
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Also from what I've been told, speed limits in populated areas have been steadily dropping over the last four or five years, to the point where it's entirely impractical to own a big fuel-sucking V8 sedan.
 
EngieDiesel
Also from what I've been told, speed limits in populated areas have been steadily dropping over the last four or five years, to the point where it's entirely impractical to own a big fuel-sucking V8 sedan.
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Well if it's anything like the majority of my populated route to work, with its maximum speed of 20mph, you begin to question the point of a "fuel"-powered engine at all.
 
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Nielsen
I'm fed up with globalization.
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Holden and Ford are not distinctively Australian. They never were. They're American brands altered to accommodate the Australian lifestyle and culture.

This globalization, as you have called it, has existed ever since these companies were founded. The very idea of a company non-native to a land mass producing products in said land is the very act of globalization. Holden and Aussie Ford are bi-products of globalization essentially.
 
HarVee
Holden and Ford are not distinctively Australian. They never were. They're American brands altered to accommodate the Australian lifestyle and culture.

This globalization, as you have called it, has existed ever since these companies were founded. The very idea of a company non-native to a land mass producing products in said land is the very act of globalization. Holden and Aussie Ford are bi-products of globalization essentially.
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I didn't try to suggest otherwise, but the fact that many brands phase out their local characteristics is very typical for present day globalization.
 
HarVee
Holden and Ford are not distinctively Australian. They never were. They're American brands altered to accommodate the Australian lifestyle and culture.

This globalization, as you have called it, has existed ever since these companies were founded. The very idea of a company non-native to a land mass producing products in said land is the very act of globalization. Holden and Aussie Ford are bi-products of globalization essentially.
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Nielsen
I didn't try to suggest otherwise, but the fact that many brands phase out their local characteristics is very typical for present day globalization.
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So, globalization is what enabled these products in Australia. Globalization is almost certainly not, then, what is killing those products. Either its a change in the local market, or a change in local regulation, or a change in something or other that affects the profit margin of sales of products that are specific to the region. Globalization enabled those goods, and something else that is eroding profit is taking them away. That something is almost certainly not globalization. The main scenario I can think of where it would be is if some other company from overseas started offering a competing product that is eating away profits. But if that's true (which I'm doubting), it's still Australians choosing other products.

I'm struggling to see many scenarios where this is not caused specifically by Australians. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe there's a supply chain problem somewhere and you can point to globalization being the problem, but I'm skeptical. This is why I asked why @Nielsen expressed the anti-globalization sentiment.

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There's no "phase-out" happening here simply because the global companies hate local variety. They hate losing money. If it makes them money to offer locally-specific products, that's what they do. Because they like money.
 
Danoff
So, globalization is what enabled these products in Australia. Globalization is almost certainly not, then, what is killing those products. Either its a change in the local market, or a change in local regulation, or a change in something or other that affects the profit margin of sales of products that are specific to the region. Globalization enabled those goods, and something else that is eroding profit is taking them away. That something is almost certainly not globalization.
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Globalization is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. What you refer to as change in local markets, regulations or profit margins could very well alter as a consequence of the gradual intensification of globalization.

Danoff
I'm struggling to see many scenarios where this is not caused specifically by Australians. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe there's a supply chain problem somewhere and you can point to globalization being the problem, but I'm
skeptical. This is why I asked why @Nielsen expressed the anti-globalization sentiment.
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Being fed up with globalization doesn't automatically mean you're anti-globalization. In this case it simply means it's hard to accept when nice and unique things come to an end because it's more feasible to streamline.

Danoff
Edit:

There's no "phase-out" happening here simply because the global companies hate local variety. They hate losing money. If it makes them money to offer locally-specific products, that's what they do. Because they like money.
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And why would locally-specified products no longer be profitable or justifiable? Possibly because globalization affects markets.
 
EngieDiesel
Also from what I've been told, speed limits in populated areas have been steadily dropping over the last four or five years, to the point where it's entirely impractical to own a big fuel-sucking V8 sedan.
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The speed limits here are ridiculous. Depends what type of car. AMGs are still being bought. The Mustang GT is sold out. Chrysler 300 SRT8s & Cherokee SRT8s are everywhere. McLarens, Ferraris, etc are seeing excellent sales numbers.
The Falcon(I-6) Turbo, was certainly better than the V8, but Ford just priced the Falcon GT out of contention. $75K at one point for the GT-F/GT-P. Then, with the new FG X XR8, the price drops nearly $20k for the same performance(should have sold them for $55k all day). The interiors weren't the best either. Plus, people see them as taxis.

Joey D
It's the the V8's though right? If I'm not mistaken the series is still going to continue.
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Check the Virgin Australia Supercars Thread.
Any, all petrol engine configuration, is included. The teams that use Fords, want to continue with a V8(such as Mustang). Nissan HQ are still working out their global racing strategy(whether to continue in the Supercars series and if so, with what model and engine). Kia and Lexus have expressed interest. they're still up in the air. Meanwhile, a new partnership between Walkinshaw and Andretti, sees Andretti looking for a new manufacturer(no details as yet).
 
Nielsen
And why would locally-specified products no longer be profitable or justifiable? Possibly because globalization affects markets.
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Tons of reasons. Mostly I'd be looking at reasons that are specific to Australian consumer culture (specifically at this price point), and Australian regulations.
 
Danoff
Tons of reasons. Mostly I'd be looking at reasons that are specific to Australian consumer culture (specifically at this price point), and Australian regulations.
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The adoption of global platforms suggests to me the reason has little to do with something specific to Australia.
 
MrCrynox
The series is coming to an end in its current form at the end of this year.
How very sad too.
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Joey D
It's the the V8's though right? If I'm not mistaken the series is still going to continue.
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ankehuber
:(



Of course, they're just going to gradually phase in the V6 TT engines.
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If we're taking about the VASC series and not the ZB Commodore or others itself, then this is not at all correct. The series has allowed for engines that are more in tune with what production cars are running. You can't buy a Nissan Altima with a V8, nor could you have bought the S60 ran the past few years (no longer) with a V8. And just like them Ford and Holden too were shifting to a platform that would see the V8s disappear. The series however never planned to go this route and still to a degree don't. As I said V8s can still be raced beyond this year and next year, but manufactures that may at some point join clearly don't want to use them because it has nothing to do with the cars they build. This move was done to clearly entice others to join a "global" series, and not be forced to race something that doesn't represent their cars. So until VASC say V8s will be no longer allowed from competition it's hard to say something is being phased in for another thing to be phased out, when both are allowed.

On a side note:

However, this could all be avoided if the automated bot that creates these threads via published GTP articles, was done in a manner where the subject is already being talked about, and not a new one. Thus when people who are new to the forums, purely seem to read articles and comment on them in the capacity they did before it changed to the format of becoming a thread, it becomes obvious why question that have been answered go asked again because of lack of context in the article. If these articles perhaps linked important threads where people could go and read further info to understand (when appropriate obviously) the article topic where the article fails to discuss or rather merge the articles with said thread already created, probably help some truly interested.
 
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LMSCorvetteGT2
If we're taking about the VASC series and not the ZB Commodore or others itself, then this is not at all correct. ...
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I'm not quite sure of what part of my statement wasn't correct. They will be phasing in V6 engines in 2018 will they not?

Admittedly this thread did divert into the VASC rather than the mass production of the Commodore as the article intended. I was just reassuring a user that the series would continue.
 

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