Holden snubs Canberra

[Dr Terry]

Part of the problem has to be the Commodore. It was past its usebuy date ten years ago. They needed to focus on a smaller car and a proper 4WD like the Prado. You don't see anyone driving a Commodore west of the mountains in NSW and you see very few driving them in Sydney either.

The Commodore is far from its use-buy date. 10 years ago it was the top seller by a reasonable margin & this year (since VF release) it has been consistently 2nd or 3rd on the top seller list not counting Utes, Caprices or HSV. If they did include Utes, Caprices & HSVs, it would be the best selling car in Australia. It is the best & cheapest RWD sedan (of any size) in the country. Its only real competition is the Falcon, the Jags Lexuses, BMWs & M/Benzes are way too expensive. Also don't forget that GM-H make the Cruze which again is usually in the top 5 sellers.

Then you can get deeper into the problem of a totally financially driven government system. Most first world government are like this. Look at how little infrastructure is built now compared to 100 and even 50 years ago. Government used to represent the populations interest. Now they focus on short term financial gain.

The problem with governments nowadays is that they've so badly over spent that they're now broke. That & the heavy dependance on welfare makes them even more so. I don't know a time when government ever represented the "population's interest".

Dr Terry

[Taily]

True, but then again successive governments have been doing themselves out of (even token) income from measures that may mean that local manufacturers possibly wouldn't find themselves in the position they do now.

SUVs became popular for their elevated driving positions, towing ability etc and all of a sudden they were the Mum'sTaxi of choice. Ford, through either very good (or bad) luck - depending upon the way you saw it at the time, had great success with the Territory, however that came at the expense of the wagon. They originally shared platforms but the way that the Territory flew out the showroom doors meant that the tooling required to press common parts between the sedan and the wagon was only ever going to supply the sedan range from then on. So in effect, the Territory put even more pressure upon the sedan to sell and sell well. People are still buying large sedans, it is just that they are European Mercs, Audis, Bimmers etc - made in Hungary, Turkey, Poland, Thailand or wherever the cheapest labour is for them to do so.

The milk is well and trully spilt now, it remains to be seen just how bad the fallout is. My guess is that when it is all said and done, there was no one thing that lead to the demise of the home grown industry, just a few bad decisions that allowed cheap imports to flood the market and a market that changed significantly.

[Innuendo]

Part of the problem has to be the Commodore. It was past its usebuy date ten years ago. They needed to focus on a smaller car and a proper 4WD like the Prado. You don't see anyone driving a Commodore west of the mountains in NSW and you see very few driving them in Sydney either.

Yeah well that simply isn't true, our family is west of the mountains and we drive plenty of them. The bloody things are everywhere. You can drive your "proper" Prado!

[HK1837]

Remember GM had the bright idea to sell the Suburban with a Holden badge, but only sold a wagon. They should have sold the commercial versions, they did them as GMC's as ambulances but you couldn't buy one.

[wbute]

Not too sure what a "proper Prado" is? We do have a normal Prado though. It suits gravel roads well being a 4wd though. A Commodore is utterly useless for us. I did test drive a V8 SS years ago. The engine went well. Too low to the ground and the tyres would have lasted about a week on gravel
As for biggest seller, is that like Honda having the biggest selling motorbike? The postie bike? Because if it includes fleet vehicles and taxis etc then the figures are skewed.
They are past the use by date. People are after small cars or higher visibility cars. The writing is on the wall. Rear wheel drive is great. But they are a thing of the past. No point building cars that people wanted in 1975. They have to build cars people want in 2020.
As for far sighted governments, look back to the ones who implemented major projects that benefited all Australians such as the Snowy River Scheme, national railway network, telephone lines across the nation, a national wheat silo network. Hese were all implemented with a far smaller population.

[Alien DNA]

A Prado may be good outside of suburbia, but im sick of waiting for landcruiser and other 4wd owners doing a 10 point turn just to get in a parking spot. 4wds should be outlawed within a 20km radius of major cities...unless towing etc etc.

[HK1837]

I reckon my Mrs's RX350 is far easier to get around town and in shopping centre carparks that the V2 could ever be. A VF or VE would be even worse.

[Innuendo]

4wds should be outlawed within a 20km radius of major cities...unless towing etc etc.

100% agree They should be taxed to the arse bone if they are in a city post code.

[Taily]

100% agree They should be taxed to the arse bone if they are in a city post code.

I thought that was the idea of bumping up the diesel excise in NSW metro areas 20 odd years ago... Along with our 3x3 fuel tax that just never happened to be repealed... The government giveth and the government taketh away. No hang on, the government just keep "takething"....

[playwme]

A Prado may be good outside of suburbia, but im sick of waiting for landcruiser and other 4wd owners doing a 10 point turn just to get in a parking spot. 4wds should be outlawed within a 20km radius of major cities...unless towing etc etc.

I'm sick of waiting for old ladies in Hyundai Getz' and Asian females in Nissan Cubes to perform their 10 point turns too. Maybe they should be banned.

Bad driving is because of the driver, not the car. My daily is a 5.8 metre long, 2 and a bit metre wide Toyota Dyna. I can reverse parallel park that sucker in a standard spot that's about the same size as it is and I can slip it between a pair of Prius like a greasy stick up a......... Well , you get my point.