Automotive industry in Australia
A substantial car industry was created in Australia in the 20th century through the opening of Australian plants by international manufacturers.
Australian manufacture of cars rose to a maximum of almost half a million in the 1970s (10th place in the World) and still exceeded 400,000 in 2004.
[2] By 2009 total production had fallen to around 175,000 and the Australian market was dominated by cars imported from Asia and Europe.
Australian constructors were very active at the very beginning of both car and aircraft development and in some areas, ahead of their overseas counterparts.
The first of these steam cars, the Phaeton, was made in 1896 by Herbert Thomson and Edward Holmes of Armadale, Melbourne.
[10] The sole surviving Tarrant is on display at the RACV City Club, on the chancery level.
However, the last tyre factory closed in April 2010 when Bridgestone ceased production in their facility in Salisbury, South Australia.
IVECO Australia has announced it will cease local manufacturing at its Dandenong plant from mid-2022.
Volvo Group Australia moved Mack production into their Wacol facility not long after.
It produced a wide range of Standard, Triumph, Mercedes-Benz cars, as well as variety of Rambler models from American Motors Corporation (AMC) up to 1987.
The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery business in Adelaide, South Australia, but later moved into the automotive field, becoming a subsidiary of General Motors (GM) in 1931.
In the past, Holden had offered badge-engineered Chevrolet, Isuzu, Nissan, Suzuki, Toyota, and Vauxhall Motors models in sharing arrangements, with Daewoo, Opel, and Isuzu-sourced models sold in later years.
In December 2013, Holden announced they would end their local manufacturing operations in Australia on 20 October 2017.
[20] After the closure of its production plant in Elizabeth, South Australia, Holden changed its business focus to car styling and importing.
A site in Tonsley, South Australia was the location of MMA's vehicle assembly plant.
The plant was closed in March 2008 when lacklustre sales of the large Mitsubishi 380 confirmed that domestic vehicle manufacturing was no longer viable.
This deal ended after about a year and a half, but by 1968 Motor Producers Ltd. of Melbourne began assembling Datsuns again at their Clayton plant.
[24] In August 1966 Renault Australia purchased the assembly facilities of Continental and General Distributors at Heidelberg in Victoria.
[24] Australian production ended with the closure of the Heidelberg plant in July 1981 with LNC Industries then taking over importation and distribution of Renaults in Australia.
[28][29] The Altona plant was closed on 3 October 2017, marking the end of locally produced Toyota vehicles in Australia.
[30] In 1967 Volkswagen Australia developed a unique model, the Country Buggy, which used components from the Beetle and the Kombi.
[30] A new company, Motor Producers Limited, was formed and operations were expanded to include Datsun and Volvo models as well as Volkswagens.
