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British Millionaire Predicts Australia Will Build Cars Again

Major automakers, including General Motors, may have pulled the plug on manufacturing in Australia, but one man thinks what comes around goes around.

Sanjeev Gupta, an Indian-born British millionaire, believes auto manufacturing will return to the country in the years to come, WhichCar reported on Wednesday. Gupta is best known for his purchase of Arrium Steelworks in the United Kingdom. The move saved 5,500 jobs locally.

Gupta also attempted to purchase Holden’s former Elizabeth carmaking plant to build electric cars locally. GM and Gupta never reached a deal and the plan was, ultimately, scrapped.

It’s unclear if Gupta still believes there’s potential for his company to eventually build electric cars in the country one day, but the businessman said, “We will definitely in the next two or three years have a car production in Australia.”

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. This is highly unlikely. The industry began when there was far less competition and cars were far less complex, allowing supporting industries to grow at a slower pace. These same industries have now folded or found other non-automotive applications and would not be willing to get burnt again.

    The politicians haven’t a clue to support such a resurgence, something that would be essential. Every major nation in the world has some form of import barrier, such as unique safety and emission standards in the USA, yet Australia opens the door completely to anyone and everyone.

    In short in this day and age a revived Australian auto industry is one hill that is too steep to climb.

    Reply
    1. Even if they did start manufacturing again in Australia, they would not be able to export competitively. Most countries protect their auto industry with tariffs, including the most important, China.

      Reply
    2. All electric cars are by far less complex than those with ICE (Internal Combustion Engine).

      In Germany, where the automobile industry is kind of the national monoculture, people expect to lose 90’000 jobs in the automobile industry due to electrification.

      Dyson, the British engineer who revolutionized the vacuum cleaner industry with his higly efficient electrical motors announced some time ago a project to develop and build an all-electric automobile. We’ll see if he succeeds better than Elon Musk with his Tesla. At least, Dyson knows more about mass production than Mr. Musk.

      So, yes, an automobile production might return to Australia, but it would be completely different from the hurling 8-cylinder engines which were typical for the Australia specific cars. And which are gone for good.

      Reply
  2. Census reports say there are over 24 Million people living in Australia in 2016 and any car company could potentially have a thriving business if they managed to sell about 100,000 vehicles; maybe less if some of the vehicles produced are exported and given the Paris Climate Accord, the best would be an electric vehicle similar to the Chevrolet Bolt.

    Reply
  3. British supercar maker Brabham is building its new BT62 track car in Australia.

    Reply
  4. I hope not! Australian people should have to suffer for not being loyal! They made their beds they should have to live with it

    Reply
    1. You’re such a moron, you think reverse engineering should be illegal.

      Reply
      1. So I want to person who runs this site to answer this question. Are we now allowed to call people names? Simple question, and I just hope the answer is yes so I can unload on this dude who thinks he has the right to call me a moron!

        Please change the sites rules so that when I send my retort to this dude I will no longer have to worry about getting banned from the site!

        As for reverse engineering if you think that it’s ok to steal another person’s ideas and then call them yours. That would make you the moron!

        Reply
        1. You had to google ‘reverse engineering’, didn’t you?

          Yup. You did.

          Reply
  5. Nope! But good try!

    Reply

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