Automotive industry in Australia
Australia is one of only a few countries that has the facilities to design and produce a car from clean sheet to dealer sale. In 2008 Australia produced 171,432 vehicles for domestic sale.[1]
Australia is best known for designing and producing 'large' sized passenger vehicles, which has seen a recent downturn in Australian markets resulting in many cutbacks including the February 2008 closure of the Mitsubishi Motors Australia Plant (previously Chrysler) in Adelaide.
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[edit] History
Australian constructors were very active at the very beginning of both car and aircraft development and in some areas, ahead of their overseas counterparts. Due to the isolation of Australia, it was more practical for Australia to make their own cars.[2]
The first true cars made in Australia were steam cars. The first of these steam cars, the Phaeton, was made in 1896 by Herbert Thomson and Edward Holmes of Armadale, Melbourne. It was exhibited in 1900 using the first pneumatic tyres made in Australia by Dunlop. The 5 horsepower single cylinder steam carriage which is now in the Institute of Applied Sciences, Melbourne, was reliable and durable enough to take Thomson and a friend to 493 miles from Bathurst to Melbourne at an average speed of 8.7 mp/h.[3]
In 1901, Harley Tarrant produced the first Tarrant automobile, which was the first petrol-driven car built entirely in Australia in a small workshop in Melbourne. Before that, Tarrant had been using the shop to build engines. Tarrant was joined in this endeavour by bicycle maker, Howard Lewis. The car was powered by a rear-mounted 6 hp Benz engine. This car was followed by many improved designs, including the first fully enclosed car body made in Australia. Later models included locally produced components including: engines, gearboxes and rear axles.[2] The sole surviving Tarrant is on display at the RACV City Club, on the chancery level.
In 1903, the Australian Motoring Association was formed in New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria to protect the interests of motorists. In 1924, this was followed by the Australian Automobile Association.[2]
Tyre manufacture also existed in Australia. However, the last tyre factory is scheduled to close in April 2010 when Bridgestone ceases production.[4]
[edit] Production Statistics
| Year | Production | Change |
| 2005 | 388,985 | |
| 2006 | 326,960 | -15.95% |
| 2007 | 334,772 | 2.33% |
| 2008 | 324,118 | -3.18% |
| 2009 | 223,354 | -31.09% |
| 2010 | 239,443 | 6.72% |
| 2011 | 85,434 (May) |
Source: [1]
[edit] Large scale manufacturers
[edit] Current
There are three large manufacturers with production lines in Australia;
[edit] Ford Australia
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Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA. Henry Ford had granted the manufacturing rights to Ford in British Empire (later Commonwealth) countries (excepting the UK) to Canadian investors. Ford Australia also have a in-house tuning division called Ford Performance Vehicles.
[edit] Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an Australian automaker based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery business, but later moved into the automotive field, becoming a subsidiary of General Motors (GM) in 1931. Holden has taken charge of vehicle operations for GM in Australasia and, on behalf of GM, holds partial ownership of GM Korea (formerly GM Daewoo) in South Korea. Over the years, Holden has offered a broad range of original, locally produced vehicles (such as the Holden Commodore), supplemented by imported GM models. In the past, Holden has offered badge engineered Chevrolet, Isuzu, Nissan, Suzuki, Toyota, and Vauxhall Motors models in sharing arrangements, with Daewoo, Opel and Isuzu-sourced models sold currently. Holden also have a in-house tuning division called Holden Special Vehicles.
[edit] Toyota
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Toyota Motor Corporation Australia, or Toyota Australia, is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, which is based in Japan. TMCA first began in 1958, TMCA markets Toyota products and manages motorsport, advertising and business operations for Toyota Motor Corporation in Australia. TMCA is also responsible for Lexus vehicles in Australia.
[edit] Previous
[edit] Australian Motor Industries
Australian Motor Industries produced a range of Standard, Triumph, Rambler, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota automobiles in Australia between 1958 and 1987.
[edit] British Leyland
British Leyland previously assembled and manufactured vehicles in Australia.
[edit] Chrysler Australia
Chrysler departed the Australian car market in 1981 when it sold the remainder of its shareholding in Chrysler Australia Ltd to the Mitsubishi Motor Corporation of Japan. The new owner renamed the company Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd (MMAL) and this company continues to operate today as one of Australia's major importers of road vehicles. However, local production of passenger vehicles was discontinued in March 2008.[1] During the 1970s, Chrysler began working closely with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation after they acquired a 15 percent interest in the company in 1971, with the result that Chrysler Australia begin building Mitsubishi-designed Chrysler-branded vehicles such as the Chrysler Valiant Galant (1972-1977 Mitsubishi Galant) and the Chrysler Sigma (1977-1985 Mitsubishi Galant). The Tonsley Park plant was sold to Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and was run by Mitsubishi Motors Australia after Chrysler pulled out of Australian manufacturing in 1980. Production of the popular Sigma and Colt range of vehicles continued under the Mitsubishi name until the late 1980s, when production was switched exclusively to the Magna.
[edit] Mitsubishi Motors Australia
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Mitsubishi Motors Australia is a fully owned subsidiary of parent company Mitsubishi Motors Corporation of Japan. Its Australian administrative headquarters are located at Tonsley Park (Clovelly Park, South Australia), with branch offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The Tonsley Park site was the location of MMAL's vehicle assembly plant, closed in March 2008 when lacklustre sales of the large Mitsubishi 380 confirmed that domestic vehicle manufacture was no longer viable.
[edit] Nissan Australia
Nissan Motors originally set up factories in Australia to build small 4-cylinder cars in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. Models produced in Australia included the Pulsar, Pintara and Skyline. By the end of the 1980s however, Nissan was facing financial difficulties and eventually closed down its Australian factories in 1992, becoming strictly a vehicle importer afterwards.
[edit] Rootes Australia
Rootes Australia produced a range of Hillman, Humber and Singer autombiles in Australia between 1946 and 1965.
[edit] Small-scale producers
There are a number of current, previous or future small scale producers of cars in Australia, including;
[edit] Tuning Companies
There are a number of current, previous or future car tuning or customization companies in Australia, including;
- Holden Special Vehicles - Holden's in-house tuning company.
- Ford Performance Vehicles - Ford Australia's in-house tuning company.
- Holden Dealer Team - Aftermarket Holden tuning company.
- Walkinshaw Performance - Aftermarket Holden Special Vehicles and Hummer tuning company.
- Bavariacars - Aftermarket BMW tuning company.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Federal Chamber of Commerce: "VFACTS monthly report" December 2008
- ^ a b c http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/479.html
- ^ http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/478.html
- ^ http://www.mta.org.nz/n1327.html
- ^ http://www.carsales.com.au/news/2008/small-passenger/hyundai/getz/blade-electron-an-electric-getz-7592
- ^ Carbontech
- ^ http://www.webwombat.com.au/motoring/news_reports/e-vade-super-car.htm
- ^ Georgano, G.N. Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985).
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