End of the road for Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore

[Forda]

2019 VFacts data shows an 8% decrease in Australian vehicle sales for the year, a changing model landscape, and a huge 29% drop for Holden in particular:

https://www.carsales.com.au/editoria...losers-122319/

Hatchbacks, SUV's & dual-cab utes are where it's currently at; sedans are well and truly on the outer.

Interesting to see RAM being a winner, and a smart transition decision for HSV's operations.

How ironic would it be if HSV were to outdo and outlast Holden?

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by Forda

Interesting to see RAM being a winner, and a smart transition decision for HSV's operations

Whatever you can say about his Supercars team, you can't argue with his business acumen, what he has done with HSV is absolutely remarkable, given the supply chain that existed to support the car manufacturers, he saw an opportunity and went for it, and the video featuring the factory on Enforcer and the Dude was a real eye opener for me.

Not only has he kept all the jobs inside and at suppliers, it looks to be going well enough that he will create more.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Mixer

Whatever you can say about his Supercars team, you can't argue with his business acumen, what he has done with HSV is absolutely remarkable, given the supply chain that existed to support the car manufacturers, he saw an opportunity and went for it, and the video featuring the factory on Enforcer and the Dude was a real eye opener for me.

Not only has he kept all the jobs inside and at suppliers, it looks to be going well enough that he will create more.

I know of Camaros and Dodge Rams which a dealer can't sell for love nor money but that is in line with car sales in general so he will suffer as the rest of the industry is suffering.

[johnh875]

Ram is still in honeymoon phase IMO

[Kingair]

Ram will do okay until the next GFC, fuel price spike and, banks get a bit touchy about what they are lending money for!

[mountainstar]

Australians I think are starting to develop a taste for American sized trucks, so I suspect the Ram business will be sustainable for some time to come.

[bludvl_x19]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

Australians I think are starting to develop a taste for American sized trucks, so I suspect the Ram business will be sustainable for some time to come.

I don't know about a taste for that size of truck, it seems to me that it is more to do with there being no "ute" sized offerings on the market.

That said, I live in a regional area, and there are more Dodge utes than Mitsubishi Tritons.

[djr81]

Originally Posted by bludvl_x19

I don't know about a taste for that size of truck, it seems to me that it is more to do with there being no "ute" sized offerings on the market.

That said, I live in a regional area, and there are more Dodge utes than Mitsubishi Tritons.

Distaste is probably a better word. Round here over sized utes/SUVs outnumber actual cars about 2:1. No idea why. They are awful to drive, expensive to run, unsafe and from an environmental perspective, an
abomination.

In comparison if you go to NZ you will see the absolute opposite. Far more cars than large SUV/utes etc. Why - maybe because their car rego is $200 and their petrol is $2.20 per litre.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by djr81

Distaste is probably a better word. Round here over sized utes/SUVs outnumber actual cars about 2:1. No idea why. They are awful to drive, expensive to run, unsafe and from an environmental perspective, an
abomination.

In comparison if you go to NZ you will see the absolute opposite. Far more cars than large SUV/utes etc. Why - maybe because their car rego is $200 and their petrol is $2.20 per litre.

I agree with you totally, although in the UK the picture isn't quite as bleak!

[Trevor]

Originally Posted by djr81

Distaste is probably a better word. Round here over sized utes/SUVs outnumber actual cars about 2:1. No idea why. They are awful to drive, expensive to run, unsafe and from an environmental perspective, an
abomination.

In comparison if you go to NZ you will see the absolute opposite. Far more cars than large SUV/utes etc. Why - maybe because their car rego is $200 and their petrol is $2.20 per litre.

Really, then what ANCAP rating is the Ford Ranger and has been for a few year?

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by Trevor

Really, then what ANCAP rating is the Ford Ranger and has been for a few year?

Ancap only come into play if the vehicle crashes into a solid object - “safety” encompasses a lot of things, including grip, handling, responsiveness & the like, so-called active safety.

The original point about dual cabs in general being unsafe in comparison to cars is realistic.

Shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by Tourer

The original point about dual cabs in general being unsafe in comparison to cars is realistic.

Yep - the primary safety feature of a vehicle should be its ability not to crash in the first place, not how well it crashes.

People driving to work or kids to school in a dual cab is stupid, and the trend only started because of a ludicrous tax break that should never have existed.