Quote:
Originally Posted by 302 XC
At days end,we can come up with all the answers we want to help stimulate our ailing economy and manufacturing,BUT the writing has been on the wall for decades,we have just been to blinded by cheap imports to see it,in the last few months new car prices have dropped,what new navara 4x4 dual cab I could have bought for 40 grand 3,4 months ago,is had now for 35 ish,your buying 4x4 dual cab tritons for a touch over 30 grand,whos seriously looking at 4 door saloons with more versatile cars for less money
The imports have givin our industries a run for the money and it seems the imports have won,people are buying majorily on price,brand loyalty is just about dead,except if its import brands,nissan ,Toyota bleeders are sticking with them,holden and ford bleeders are jumping camp any chance something better comes along
We have no one to blame but ourselves,see whats in the drive of most aussies and youll see why ford,holden are sliding into obscurity forever
FBT wont magically bring massive sales to the aussie makers,throwing the life line out now wont do a thing
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I've often been accused of getting on a soap box lately but if you don't mind I'd like to weigh in. Let me preface by saying that I agree with a large portion of what you've said.
First of all, the thinking that we can get a 4x4 for less money than a falcon or other such locally made vehicle is incredibly flawed.
A 4x4 is not as comfortable as a sedan, does not ride as well and is also a whole lot more expensive to own. Sure, it may be cheaper to buy but then you're also hauling around a lot more bulk like the 4x4 running gear with a smaller engine, and your fuel bill soars substantially.
Next, if something were to break you've got the added fun of availability of parts, extra expense for said part needing to be imported and then the inconvenience of having your vehicle off the road whilst you wait should it be a problem which has little inventory of parts in your city and suburb. The amount of times I've heard people complain about waiting for parts has always made me laugh; the convenience of owning something local trumps this every time.
Secondly, Australia by in large is getting, well, fat.
Believe me, the amount of people I have seen struggle into an economy seat is laughable, and we never seem to have enough belt extenders on board.
A 4x4 such as those you reference is much smaller in interior dimension than a local Holden or Ford unless you go to a Landcruiser or such for similar interior space. To get in to this size range you have to spend over 100K. Most people don't want to go off road as the thought of the outdoors scares them. Furthermore, most fat people of which we have an increasing percentage of couldn't be bothered going somewhere necessitating a 4x4 as there likely won't be a drive thru or convenience store for miles, and roughing it is not their style.
No, the reason sedans have become unpopular is the perception of gas guzzlers, the trends driven by the whole global warming fraud and the eco-terrorists demanding we be seen to do something about it such as nickel mining and processing even though it has more catastrophic affect on the environment they claim to want to protect (Hybrid batteries).
Making a move such as protecting our own manufacturing base through FBT exemptions is a good idea, and it will drive demand back to the local who has always been there in our life time, yet external influences such as Al Gore's latest money making fraud have distorted the natural demand for such products. Time to put it right.