Goodbye FORD

Sad day for the Australian car industry, FORD have announced they will stop making cars here from 2016.
There is of course many factors, assembly line workers getting paid too much? company tax way too high here? cost of employing people? The government allowing cheap junk from China / India to be sold here that ultimately forces other manufacturers to drop costs to the point where it is not profitable.
I hope for our sake the new VF and Cruze sell well for Holden, if we loose them too we are doomed! The sad part is most people will think that if FORD and Holden (and Toyota I guess) didn't make cars here then that $200,000 BMW they want will drop to $80,000 when protection tariffs are removed, but, when has any government ever removed taxes the rich are happy to pay?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr5fmZKNLaQ

That is sad.........unfortunately when the politicians like to spend, spend, spend this is what eventually happens.

Yeah, tho I'm not a fan of Ford, I can't fathom them not being around.

FORD (US) here is suppose to be blazing the trails, the new Ecoboost tech is suppose to be selling like hot cakes (SCT tuning).
Here the bailout makes some difference to who's product people buy, GM and Chrysler shot themselves in the foot borrowing to save the UAW.
Politics and greed define to much of our society, one day we will see paper with ink patterns and rocks from the ground are just that!

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Originally Posted by GMC-2002-Dmax

That is sad.........unfortunately when the politicians like to spend, spend, spend this is what eventually happens.

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Tony, the Australian Taxpayers gave Ford over $1billion in the last 10 years to make vehicle manufacturing here viable....they got another $34m not even 12 months ago. The problem is, the freedom of information laws are so crapola that they are the only costs that have been published, chances are it's just the tip of the iceberg.... (I should add they gave the same amount to Holden and Toyota)

http://www.afr.com/p/opinion/taxpaye...QA7pklVZlqEwAJ

While I agree with your statement that Governments do WASTE money, if they were handing over those sorts of $$$ then they should have mandated that EVERY single GOVERNMENT vehicle should have been made in Australia - they didn't. Why Governments need Audi's and BMW's in their fleets is beyond me.

As for Ford, they needed to produce vehicles people want to buy. Dropping the Falcon Wagon was the first nail in the coffin, and then introducing the Ford Territory Diesel last year using an engine first used in production in 2004 was a bigger mistake. Who wants to be covered in black soot by a new car at the lights? and how would you ever consider exporting such an archaic piece of technology when it meets hardly any international emissions standards.

Cheers
Cindy

some politician probably got paid well to do what they did.

we have a almost $17 trillion dollar mess here..........no end in sight either.

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Originally Posted by Chevy366

Here the bailout makes some difference to who's product people buy, GM and Chrysler shot themselves in the foot borrowing to save the UAW.

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GM seem to be getting a lot of flak over the fact they got bailed out by the US government yet they are making vehicles like the Silverado in Mexico now (I don't think they were made there until this new model). Granted actual assembly is only part of the grand plan with a vehicle it's what the public link to "where's the money gone"?

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Originally Posted by GMPX

GM seem to be getting a lot of flak over the fact they got bailed out by the US government yet they are making vehicles like the Silverado in Mexico now (I don't think they were made there until this new model). Granted actual assembly is only part of the grand plan with a vehicle it's what the public link to "where's the money gone"?

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The word in your last sentence makes it -- "assembled", in the US some Japanese cars are more American, with more American parts than the actual American brands, sad, so "Assembled in America" should be the new moniker. Canada does a lot too.
Ford and Chrysler are shutting down plants for months at a time to slow production but GM is not, don't know about the Japanese of Korean companies. Sad too that Union wages/benefits adds between 9-12 thousand a vehicle. WOW!
And don't get me started about Mexico and its involvement in the demise of the American infrastructure. :eek:

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Originally Posted by Chevy366

And don't get me started about Mexico and its involvement in the demise of the American infrastructure. :eek:

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I don't know, it's often amusing reading rants, feel free :hihi:

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Originally Posted by GMPX

GM seem to be getting a lot of flak over the fact they got bailed out by the US government yet they are making vehicles like the Silverado in Mexico now (I don't think they were made there until this new model). Granted actual assembly is only part of the grand plan with a vehicle it's what the public link to "where's the money gone"?

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GM can avoid union labour by assembling vehicles in Mexico (...Canadian unions have woken up...)

[ GM's demise was majorly due to union appeasement ]

A lot of people over here in OZ are disappointed with Ford Australia. On a Holden forum and concern is being expressed about how long our affordable RWD V8 Commodore will last. Their management of Ford Australia appears like they wanted manufacturing in Australia to fail.

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Originally Posted by joecar

GM can avoid union labour by assembling vehicles in Mexico (...Canadian unions have woken up...)

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Wait.... Say it ain't so... The union that was formed to get the employees higher (cough.. Exorbitant...) pay and keep them forever employed might actually be causing employees to loose their jobs????

Heaven forbid...



I couldn't resist :hehe:

Worth trying to see this documentary if you feel that way about auto unions (I'm not disagreeing with you BTW), it focusses on the hey days of the 60's to current and how they ended up where they are now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF4164GXCro

I don't disagree they were a good thing when they started, just now it seems like they'll cut off their own nose to spite their face. Ill check that out when I get home

When the unions were formed, they were a great thing and did a lot to help protect employees. On paper unions serve a great purpose. Unfortunately unions have become just as greedy as the politicians and corporations.

Depends on who you work for, wifes non-union and they get abused all the time.