Good news is that their is a Nanoflowcell saltwater electric powered, by salt water that has been made with 920KW and can do 350KM/H

So their is hope for the future of some sort at least to look forward to.

I too have never known Australia without locally made Holdens. I have been ruminating since Friday what it means to not have the brand making cars here anymore.

I guess I am a Holden man – such an odd thing no doubt to younger generations. Funny how my Dad ran Peugeots when I was younger, but it was my grandfather's Holdens that caught my imagination. He ran two EJs on his farm – a Special sedan (with rear wheel spats no less!) and a ute. Then in 1972 he replaced the Special with a 1971 HQ Premier. I loved that car. I was the first car I drove. I have not run Holdens exclusively, but my garage from now on will always have at least one locally made Holden. In fact I'm thinking of getting a VE Berlina V8 to join my WB Statesman.

Below is a link to a brillant story that puts into context what happened to Holden's leadership in recent years. It is very much one man's perspective, but I can't help but think Hanenburger was on the money generally speaking with how he saw things panning out after he left.

If later Holden MDs carried through his vision, we might still have a car industry today. Ford was going anyway, but Toyota would have stayed if Holden did. They both needed to stay for second-tier suppliers to have enough volume to stay in business.

It only took Joe Hockey (remember him, Australia's best-ever Treasurer, you know, with the best budget we ever were presented with?) to threaten to cut subsidies for Holden and Toyota to throw in the towel. For those who bleat on about Aussie taxpayers supporting US companies sending profits overseas, you're forgetting something. All first world governments give their car manufaturers subsidies or some sort. Australia did, and still does, subsidise industries. Mining, banking, still get billions of taxpayers dollars in subsidies. The car industry - even just Toyota and Holden - gave so many people jobs and if run properly could have been highly profitable. While the post-GFC high dollar killed off exports, look at the dollar now. Holden made $10,000 profit on each Caprice it sent to the Middle East. It could have beening making that or more now, if it has played its cards right.

It was more than just useless Yanks running Holden but to think, what could have been...

https://www.carsales.com...ot-my-gm-anymore-109467/

As far as I can see, it's like all big companies. Unless they are lucky enough to have someone with enough strength to pursue logical direction, the accountants take control. Clearly that's what has happened with GM/H. I guarantee if they had continued developing the Torana sized car that was displayed at the Sydney motor show Holden would have continued strong sales. For some reason they were obsessed with the larger format Commodore. It is too small for the US and too big for Europe. Clearly Hanenberger could see where they needed to go.
You can not blame any government for the problems with a car manufacturer. They are in business, and they need to make money.
As for subsidies? If the manufacturers are not able to manufacture what the public wants, should we pay our tax dollars to them just to give us jobs? That to me seems utterly pointless. Should we pay grape growers to grow more grapes, even though there is no market for them, but they employ people?

I can't really comment on mining subsidies. I am not sure what they get but I don't think tax concessions or fuel rebates can be called a subsidy. Fuel used off road should not be charged the road tax and tax breaks are not a subsidy. They are tax incentives to encourage more export income.
What really sucks is the lack of foresight our current leaders and company directors seem to have. It must have been a great place during the first half of last century when the last real development was encouraged in Australia. Now it's just appeasing voters to get elected at the next ballot. Maybe we are all to blame.

As an ex banker......what subsidy do the banks get ?? Last I saw the big 5 got an extra tax.

I now work for the "Big Australian". If you took banking and mining out of australia we would become a 3rd world nation.

Edited by user Sunday, 22 October 2017 5:23:51 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I find it very ironic that Toyota used to build the Corolla here, alongside the Camry. They dropped it when they wanted to build the Avalon locally (and what a flop that was).
Fast forward a decade or so and the Corolla sat firmly in the top few spots of the sales charts, battling it out with the Mazda 3, Hilux & I30.

How different it may have been for Toyota if they still made Corollas alongside the Camry - some 40,000 Corollas sold here last year, compared to 26,500 odd locally sold Camry/Aurion models. Admittedly Toyota exported probably close to double that amount (or more), but an extra 40,000 Corollas made locally could have been a lifeline - especially when you consider the Commodore only managed 26,000 local sales in 2016, and barely managed 30,000 for each of the 3 years prior - a far cry from VTs doing 90,000+ annually (locally) plus all the exports.

These bloody stupid payment offers from the Federal as well as Qld Govt are a joke....The Feds have offered $100/$150 a year and the state up here $50 a year........I mean really!!!

My bloody power bill has gone up $200 or more a quarter plus now I have to pay to have the FXYZ thing read......Will someone pass me my rifle!!!

Whats the difference between a Politician and a catfish?

Ones a slimy bottom dwelling scum sucker and the other is a FISH.

mining companies and in fact any commercial vehicle over I think 5 tonnes benefit from not paying fuel tax for on road use, they get this by giving the companies a refund of fuel tax, in WA the state gov and feds give about 32 cents a litre, so they do pay some tax but only a few cents and tax deductions takes care of the rest.
you can bet that does not come out of general revenue but out of the fuel tax the ordinary motorist pays, so it can't go back into better safer roads.
You are subsidising linfox, tnt, mobile, and all the rest for their on road fuel, and then the truckies have the nerve to bitch about the state of the roads they don't pay for.
Every country subsidises its car industry one way or the other, italy used to pay a subsidy depending on how much iron was used in the cars, the usa gives bankruptcy protections, france the govt owns a large percentage of the industry, china govt owns all but hides behind front men.
only Australia is stupid enough to let the car industry go, malcolm demonstrates his contempt for the australian economy and workers by banning australians from bidding for the 32 billion dollar submarines contracts making sure 100% of the money -our money- goes overseas and not requiring any local content at all. they should be hung as traitors. just like they are happy to send australians overseas to be shot at and then treat them with contempt when they return, except for anac day and armistice day when they have the nerve to stand up and spout about how we owe our troops everything. remember the Melbourne collision, the govt is still fighting to avoid compensation to the sailors, and will until there is only one or two left then they will make a big deal out of it. and labour is no better in that.
but they still keep getting elected by smug and selfish voters.

Edited by user Tuesday, 24 October 2017 2:15:19 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

You have the fuel rebate incorrect. Mining industry and farming industry both get the road tax included in diesel rebates. As far as I can see that's entirely acceptable as none of that fuel gets used on road. As far as on road trucks go, there is no fuel rebate.